Paralia Chiona (Palekastro)

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Paralia Chiona
Παραλία Χιόνα / Χιώνα
Palekastro Chiona 13.jpg
location Sitia municipality
Geographical location 35 ° 11 '52 "  N , 26 ° 16' 37"  E Coordinates: 35 ° 11 '52 "  N , 26 ° 16' 37"  E
Paralia Chiona (Palekastro) (Crete)
Paralia Chiona (Palekastro)
length 300 m
width 30 m
nature sand
water clean
tourism
Visitor frequency medium
Parking spaces unpaved
monitoring no
Nudism No
next port Kouremenos (1.9 km)

Chiona ( Greek Παραλία Χιόνα or Χιώνα Paralia Chiona ) is a beach in the east of the Greek island of Crete . It is located on the Bay of Kouremenos ( Όρμος Κουρεμένος ) of the Levantine Sea and belongs to the local community Palekastro ( Παλαίκαστρο ) of the municipality of Sitia ( Σητεία ).

Location and description

Chiona is located 1.9 kilometers east of Palekastro and 1.1 kilometers east of Angathia ( Αγκάθια ) at the southern foot of the 90 meter high Kastri hill ( riαστρί ). The beach is bordered on both sides by low rocks. Behind the small headland in the southeast, in the direction of Plaka ( Πλάκα ), the beach bays of Bondalaki ( Παραλία Μπονταλάκι ) connect . At the north and north-west end of Chiona , below the Kastri, there are three taverns that prefer fish dishes, but also offer room rentals. At a distance of about 1.25 kilometers off the coast, the islands of Grandes ( Νησίδες Γράντες Nisides Grandes ) rise up to a height of 31 meters from the sea.

Chiona in front of the Kastri

Behind the beach of Chiona was the port of a Minoan town in antiquity , the remains of which were excavated at Roussolakkos ( Ρουσσολάκος ) 200 meters to the southwest . The coastline has changed significantly since then due to the tectonic subsidence of Eastern Crete and alluvial deposits. The archaeological site is fenced and can be visited during opening hours, the finds are in the archaeological museums of Sitia and Heraklion . Further Minoan finds were made on the Kastri and the summit sanctuary Petsophas 1.1 kilometers to the south. The stratifications of the headland in the southeast of Chiona and on Bondalaki beach are interpreted by some scientists as evidence of a tsunami triggered by the Minoan eruption . From the geometric to the Roman period stood west of Bondalaki the sanctuary of Zeus Diktäischen .

Chiona Beach is about 300 meters long and its maximum width is 30 meters. The sandy beach leading flat into the sea is bordered to the west by a row of tamarisk trees . A 2.36 hectare wetland with a brackish pond forms behind them from October to May , which attracts many migratory birds . In the summer months, the Meltemi in the Palekastro area is intensified by local effects, which is why the northern neighboring beach Kouremenos ( Παραλία Κουρεμένος ) is a preferred area for windsurfing . Chiona was designated as a bathing water in 1996. Since 2010 the water quality has been regularly checked according to the EU Bathing Water Directive and has always been rated as excellent since 2012 .

Access

Palekastro can be reached from the Sitia road. An asphalt access road leads from the west north past Angathia directly to the taverns in the north-west of the Chiona beach . There is an unpaved parking lot north of the wetland behind the tamarisk trees.

literature

  • Alberta Galla, Michele Buonsanti: The most beautiful beaches in Crete . 2nd Edition. Mystis, Iraklio 2006, ISBN 978-960-6655-13-5 , The beaches on the east coast near Sitia, p. 114-115 .
  • Katerina Tsouchtidi: The most beautiful beaches and gorges in Crete . Toubi's, Athens 2008, ISBN 978-960-540-847-3 , From Ajios Nikolaos to Kato Zakros, p. 126 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chiona Beach. Crete Today, 2017 (English).;
  2. ↑ a b Alexandros Roniotis: Παραλία Χιώνα. Cretan Beaches, 2019 (Greek).;
  3. ↑ Triantafyllos Adamakopoulos: Άτλας Κρήτη - Atlas Crete . 1: 50,000. Anavasi Digital, Athens 2010, ISBN 978-960-98249-8-9 , pp. 97 (Greek, English).
  4. ↑ Hendrik J. Bruins, Johannes van der Plicht, J. Alexander MacGillivray: The Minoan Santorini Eruption and Tsunami Deposits in Palaikastro (Crete): Dating by Geology, Archeology, 14C, and Egyptian Chronology . In: Radiocarbon . tape 51 , no. 2 . University of Arizona, 2009, ISSN  0033-8222 ( online [accessed January 19, 2019]).
  5. ↑ Chiona Beach. Angathias Village, 2017 (English).;
  6. ↑ Χιώνα GRBW139313097, Bathing Water Profile PDF Online Ministry of Environment and Energy (Greek)

Web links

Commons : Chiona  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Alexandros Roniotis: Hiona Beach. Cretan Beaches, 2019 .;
  • Χιώνα. In Sitia, 2018(Greek, English ).;