Samaria Gorge
The Samaria Gorge ( Greek Φαράγγι της Σαμαριάς ) southwest of the Greek island of Crete is 17 kilometers one of the longest gorges in Europe. From an altitude of over 1200 m, it leads almost from the center of the island to the Libyan Sea . The length of the Samaria Gorge is exceeded by the Verdon Gorge in France with over 20 kilometers and the Tara Gorge in Montenegro with 78 kilometers.
The Samaria Gorge is one of the tourist highlights of Crete; up to 4000 people hike through it daily during the summer high season. The gorge is lined with up to 600 m high vertical rock walls, which allow a passage of only three to four meters at the narrowest point of the gorge, at the so-called "iron gate".
Spatial location
The gorge is located on the south coast of western Crete and stretches from the Omalos plateau west of the White Mountains ( Lefka Ori ) down to the Libyan Sea. At the exit of the gorge is the small port of Agia Roumeli . Politically, the area belongs to the municipality of Sfakia in the regional district of Chania .
Geological
The gorge was probably formed about two million years ago by tectonic movements. Runoff rainwater and later the water from 22 springs eroded the rock and dug today's deep gorge into the landscape.
history
During the liberation struggles of the Greeks against Ottoman rule in the 19th century, the gorge was of great strategic importance: It served rebels as a hiding place and base and could never be captured despite several attempts.
During the Second World War and the occupation of the island of Crete by the German Wehrmacht at the end of May 1941 , the Greek government, consisting of King George II and Prime Minister Emmanouil Tsouderos , fled through the gorge to the south coast and from there to Egypt with British help . Even the German occupiers failed to track down the partisans and refugees who had withdrawn into the ravine, even if there were individual confrontations; The rugged gorge is too inaccessible and impassable.
The Samaria Gorge was declared a national park by royal decree in 1962 and has been uninhabited since 1965. The few inhabitants of the eponymous village of Samariá , a small logging settlement in the middle of the gorge, were expropriated and relocated. The name of the village is derived from the Greek word Samári (σαμάρι, "saddle (frame) for pack animals"), which suggests that the animals used to be saddled in the village, that is, they were exchanged. In 1980 Greece was recognized by the Council of Europe for its efforts to build the gorge .
According to the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church , there are around ten chapels along the Samaria Gorge, in various states of preservation.
Flora and fauna
The Samaria Gorge has a noticeably high population of trees, including a. Magnificent pines , pines , plane trees and cypresses grow here . Cretan maples and kermes oaks can be found on the slopes of the gorge . Because of the long isolation of the gorge, there are 14 endemic plant species. The Samaria Gorge is the last natural refuge for the Cretan wild goat (Kri-Kri) . A pair of bearded vultures breeds nearby; more often one sees griffon vultures circling over the gorge.
Tourist importance
Because of its overwhelming natural beauty, the Samaria Gorge is a particular attraction for mountain hikers from all over the world. During the 13 km long way through the Samaria National Park - the actual gorge - there is no possibility of catering. Water can be drunk from any of the numerous springs and from the mountain stream. The port of Agia Roumeli is also supplied with drinking water directly from the stream. Only at the southern exit or entrance to the national park near the village of Agia Roumeli, a few kilometers from the coast of the Libyan Sea, do a few taverns and kiosks exist .
For tourists who do not dare to tackle the demanding total distance of 17 km with a difference in altitude of over 1200 m, there is also the possibility of coming to Agia Roumeli by ship (there is no road connection) and from here to the approx. 4 km away To hike the “iron gate”.
Cell phones cannot be received in large areas of the gorge. Only in the abandoned village of Samaria - about halfway through - there is a telephone connection and a helipad.
The Samaria Gorge is usually only allowed to be entered from May 1st to October 31st between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The hike through the gorge is chargeable. Leaving the gorge is documented to make sure no one is left behind.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Oliver Rackham, Jennifer Alice Moody: The making of the Cretan landscape . Manchester University Press, Manchester 1997, ISBN 0-7190-3647-X , pp. 26 (English).
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 16 ′ 16 ″ N , 23 ° 57 ′ 41 ″ E