The village of Mournies is a principal village, located 3.8 km south of Hania at 40m a.s.l. It took the name "Mournies" from the numerous mulberry trees, that use to be here even today. At the beginning of the 17th century, Mournies was famous for its beautiful villas, belonging to local noblemen. One of them, located southeast of the village, was the imposing three storey villa of "Koukounara". It had beautiful flowery gardens, fountains, statues ..., a real paradise, where many famous persons were received hospitality, amongst them the glorious Mme Ortans, the empress Eugene of Napoleon the third, queen Olga of Greece, and the king Constantinos in 1913. The villa today, being restored, houses a department of the Geek Navy.
Mournies was the birth place of one of the greatest statesman of the new Hellenic Republic, Eleftherios Venizelos. Venizelos' influence on the history of Greece was paramount, from his participation to the talks with the Ottomans that resulted to granting Crete independence in 1897, to the final union of Crete with Greece in 1913. The house of Venizelos located in Mournies is going to be a museum, and many personal items of the politician are going to be on display there.

Institute dedicated to postgraduate and specialised education, applied research and the development of Mediterranean agriculture. MAICh offers postgraduate programs in the following fields: Business Economics and Management, Geoinformation in Environmental Management, Horticultural Genetics and Biotechnology, Food Quality and Chemistry of Natural Products and Sustainable Agriculture.

The Institute for Olive Tree and Subtropical Plants of Chania is one of the Institutes of the National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF), located at Chania, Crete, Greece. The Institute consists of 10 Laboratories, with research activities focused on the following fields: Oliviculture and Post-harvest Physiology, Citriculture, Subtropical Plants, Irrigation and Water Resources Management, Plant Mineral Nutrition and Physiology, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Food Technology, Hydroponic Culture and Aromatic Plants, and Animal Production. The research activities of the Institute are supported by modern facilities, including fully equipped laboratories, glasshouses, 50 ha of experimental fields and collections of genetic material for olive, citrus, subtropical plants and grapevines.

Rethymnon General Hospital is situated at 17, Trandalidou Str., close to the municipal gardens. The hospital has all major clinical specialties, outpatient clinics, intensive care unit and generally offers sufficient medical services throughout the prefecture of Rethymnon.

Rethymnon (GR: Ρέθυμνον) is the capital of the Prefecture of the same name and it is built between the two other large cities of Crete. The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, fountains etc. The Fortezza castle, at the top of a low hill named "Palaiokastro" dominates the town. It was built in 1590 to protect the city from the pirates raids and the Turks.

The Fortezza castle, at the top of a low hill named "Palaiokastro" dominates the town. It was built in 1590 to protect the city from the pirates raids and the Turks.
The name "Palaiokastro which means 'The old Castle' was in use even by the Venetians which demonstrates the existance of an even older castle at this place. - Probably the acropolis of the ancient town of Rithymna.
The interior of Fortezza accommodated the following basic buildings: the storeroom of the artillery, where canons and weapons were kept, the residence of the Councilors, where one of the city's two Venetian councilors lived, the residence of the Rector, which represented a luxurious, magnificent building in the central square of the fortress.
Today parts of those buildings, as well as of some others built later, can be seen. The view from up there is magnificent, especially at night.
The municipal theatre "Erofili" stands also at Fortezza's premises. It is an outdoor theatre that hosts almost all the performances during the Renaissance Festival.

The Guora Gate (Porta Guora or Grand Gate)) is the main entrance of the Venetian city walls that protected the city of Rethymno. The gate was built in the years of Rector Rettore Jocopo Guoro (1566-1568). Part of the gate is preserved at the beginning of the street "Ethnikis Antistaseos". It is 2,60 m. wide, built with carved stones with skew acnes, creating a semicircular arc on the top.
According to traveler J. Gerola, the initial shape of the gate was formed by stepped cornice and pediment where a relief the lion of St. Marcos (the Venetian emblem) existed. Today the relief is preserved in two pieces and is stored at Loggia's courtyard.
Old drawings of Guora Gate: inside the walls - outside the walls

It is housed in the church of Agios Frangiskos in the center of the old town. It exhibits objects from the Neolithic to the Roman period, found at the prefecture of Rethymno (mainly Eleftherna, Monastiraki and Armeni). Clay figurines, funerary coffers, grave offerings, statues, grave steles, red-figure vases, bronze vessels, jewellery and glass vases, are some of the objects on display.
St. Francis Church - 4 Agiou Fragiskou str.,
Telephone: +30 28310 27506
Email: efareth@culture.gr
Open
Winter: 08:00 - 15:00 November 1 - March 31
Summer: 10:00 - 18:00 April 1 - October 31, except Tuesday.

The Historical and Folklore Museum of Rethymno is located next to the Neratze Mosque. It is an institution of public benefit, founded in 1973 by the President of the Historical and Folklore Institution, Christoforos Stavroulakis, and Fali Vogiatzaki. The museum is housed in a restored Venetian building with an interior courtyard. The building is a wonderful piece of urban residence of the last phase of the Venetian occupation of Crete, built in the renaissance style by traditional craftsmen.

The church of Saint Francis is one of the most important monuments of Rethymno. It was the main temple of the Monastery of the Franciscan Order. The architecture of the building - a single aisle Basilica type with wooden roof - and its ornaments are very interesting. Next to the east side of the temple two deserted chapels are preserved. Its Corinthian style main doorway is impressive, with capitals of composite order. During recent excavations around the church valuable archeological findings have been discovered, including two tombs of Venetian nobles.
During the Turkish occupation the temple was turned into an "Imaret" (a shelter for the poor).
It was also used as a cultural center until 1996. It was recently renovated to accommodate the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Collection of the Prefecture of Rethymno.

The square of Mikrasiaton (GR: Πλατεία Μικρασιατών) formerly the 1st primary school square, in Rethymnon town, covers an area of 7,500 square meters, right at the heart of the city's historical center. It is surrounded by valuable monuments and beautiful buildings, mainly used as cultural centers.
There, visitors have the opportunity to rest in a peaceful environment and at the same time visit the various monuments and cultural centers located in the area.

The Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS) based in Rethymno, Crete, was founded in 1985 and belongs to the research units of the Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH). The IMS is the only FORTH centre which deals with the human and social sciences.
The purpose of IMS is to support and invigorate research in the field of the human and social sciences, as well as to promote the application of advanced technologies in the field. The IMS possesses a fully equipped Laboratory of Geophysical-Satellite Remote Sensing (GIS) & Archaeo-environment, specialized in archaeological research. The Library of the Institute is focused on Turkish Studies and Art History. In the Library archival material, as well as collections of Greek and foreign newspapers in digital form and microfilms are kept.
The objective of the IMS's research programs is to study the geographical space, the history and culture of Greece and the other Mediterranean countries in various historical periods, from prehistory to modern times.
In order to achieve these objectives, the research projects of the Institute are organized along the following axes:
Turkish Studies
History Studies
Art History
History of the Theatre - Ethnomusicology
The Laboratory of Geophysical-Satellite Remote Sensing & Archaeo-environment
Its activities concern the field of geophysical research, the satellite remote sensing, the Geo-information technologies and the archaeo-environment, with emphasis on the Mediterranean region. The Laboratory is a member of international organisations such as EPOCH, EARSel. and AGILE and participates in a number of joint research and technology programs in Greece and abroad (e-Content, INTERREG, ARCHIMED, ETPA, PEWNED, EPEAEK, INSTAP, LIFE, Region of Crete).
The research programs of the Institute are carried out by its permanent researchers and collaborating faculty members. In the frame of these research programs are prepared PhD Thesis and other diplomas which are submitted to the higher educational institutions with which IMS collaborates and, particularly, to the University of Crete, the Technical University of Crete and the Technological Educational Institute of Crete. The IMS supports education at post-graduate and post-doctoral level with a considerable number of annual scholarships, thus contributing to attract a steady flow of young researchers and to promote research in the field of humanities at the periphery.
The IMS maintains close academic links with various international research foundations (Cyprus, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Spain, England, Belgium, Tunesia, Egypt, China, USA, a.o.).
The IMS is administered by a director and a five member academic council (A.C.). It is housed in wholly-owned premises comprising of two listed buildings in the old town of Rethymno. The core of one edifice dates back to the Venetian period (13th - 17th century).
Links:
www.ims.forth.gr/

The Contemporary Art Museum of Crete was founded in 1992 as Municipal Gallery ‘L. Kanakakis'. It is housed in a Venetian building at the old city of Rethymno, below the Fortezza fortress and the Archaeological Museum. It houses a permanent exhibition of the work of Lefteris Kanakakis (oil paintings, sketches and aquarelles), thus representing all the stages of his achievements, as well as works of contemporary Greek artists, which cover a broad spectrum of modern Greek art as it has been accomplished from 1950 until today.

Address: 5, Heimaras Str. 741 00 Rethymno
Tel: +30 28310 52530
Website :www.rca.gr

During Venetian occupation the mosque Neratzes, which today is used as a conservatory, was the Augustinian church of the Holy Virgin. In 1657 the Turks transformed it into the mosque 'Gazi Housein' or 'Neratze', and in 1890 they added a large minaret with two galleries, which was built from the famous stones from the village of Alfa. The chapel of the Holy Virgin, situated at its west side and dedicated to the Body of Christ, was also transformed into a seminary. Outstanding elements of this building are the doorframe and the three domes.

A. Rimondi, the Rector of the city, built the famous Rimondi Fountain, which is situated at present day Platanos Square, formerly the centre of Venetian city life, in 1626. The water runs from three spouts in the shape of a lion's head into three sinks. Three small, fluted columns, ornamented with Corinthian capitals are "standing" on the sinks. Above the capitals an entablature can be observed, the middle part of which displays four projections in the shape of the leaves of the acanthus exactly above the columns. Furthermore in this section the words LIBERALITATIS and FONTES are inscribed.

The Museum of Submarine Life is situated at Arapatzoglou street, at the center of Rethymno's old city. It was founded by the "Moshaki" family, in memory of their lost child, who drowned in the sea. The largest part of the exhibits are made up of shells, while a few vertebrates, sponges and fish are also on display.

Loggia has been built during the 16th century and was designed by the famous architect Michel Sanmicheli. Loggia was an eminent building of the city centre and has been a meeting point for the nobles to discuss political and economical issues. The building is very well preserved; it is square and has arches on its three sides (besides its west side). The consoles of its eaves are spectacular. During the Turkish occupation the loggia became a mosque and a minaret was constructed, which was later demolished in 1930. The past 40 decades the building of Loggia hosted the archaeological museum of the city, which has now moved to a building next to Fortezza. Today loggia hosts a market of archaeological art copies.

Spili (GR:Σπήλι) is 30 km away from Rethymnon, along the road that goes from Rethymnon to Armenoi and then Spili. The town has about 800 inhabitants and it lies at a height of 430 m above sea level, at the foothills of Mount Vorizi, which belongs to the Kedros chain.
The landmark of the town is the square at Kefalovrissi with the 25 fountains each one in the shape of a lion's head. The square is named after Thanassis Skordalos (1920-1998), a popular lyra player and composer born in Spili.
Spili is a modern town, with all the facilities and services required by the locals and by the large number of visitors.

Rethymnon old port was of great strategic importance during the Venetian period. It was only able to accommodate small ships. From 1300 until today, the Venetian port has undergone numerous constructions. The 1618 wall that surrounds the port from the east is restored today with some recent interventions and additions. The original lighthouse was constructed during the Turkish period and was later replaced by another one. The building on the southeast part of the port was constructed in 1931 and functioned as a customs office. On the same location it is estimated that there was a quarantine house during the Venetian period. The vaulted spaces on the two or three-floor buildings at the port have been transformed to little and picturesque fish taverns, where visitors can enjoy the secrets of the Cretan cuisine.

The Mosque took its name from the Turkish commander of the marine operations to conquer Rethymno, in 1646. During the Venetian Period, the Mosque became a monastery dedicated to St. Barbara. West from the central building, there is the deserted minaret of the mosque. The fountain of the Mosque is attached to the roofed entrance of the Mosque's garden, where believers washed before entering the Mosque and provided the area with fresh spring water.