Maleme
Maleme near Chania is where the people who died during the battle of Crete are buried, in the German War Cemetery with the Commonwealth War Cemetery nearby.
The German War Cemetery in Maleme
The Battle of Crete is one of the most momentous events in Cretan history, and will be talked of in centuries to come as we talk of events like the Battle of Marathon today, wondering what it must have been like to be there. To find out the grim truth, a visit to the main site of the Battle at Maleme is essential, a spot which is now the site of the German War Cemetery.
Row after Row of Graves
The Cemetery is laid out on the crown of what was known during the war as Hill 107. A small building near the entrance acts as an information centre, with a map showing how the battle progressed, while the hill itself is covered with row after row of graves.
The German losses were 6,580 men, many of them the paratroopers who came out of the sky over this hill and were shot as they descended on their parachutes. The hill would have been strewn with bodies, just as today in the spring the lower slopes are strewn with wild flowers, an attempt to bring some peace to this turbulent spot.
The Maleme Airstrip
At the top of the hill you can look down on the Maleme airstrip, that vital piece of land which was the focus for the attack and which had to be seized at all costs. The airstrip is still there, and still in use as a military base, and if any visitor is there when a plane happens to be in the sky, and with those rows of graves at their feet, they will not fail to be moved by the enormity of what happened here on 20th May 1941.
Here's a YouTube video Showing More of the Cemetery
Our Pick of the Crete Guides
Other Crete pages
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Crete festivals and events include Carnival Easter, Whitsun, Christmas, many other religious feast days and public holidays.
The best things to do on Crete and top things to see include the Samaria Gorge, the Minoan Palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the towns of Chania and Rethymnon.
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Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Central Crete including hotels in Matala, Ayia Galini, and Zaros.
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to eat in Eastern Crete including restaurants and tavernas in Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, and Kato Zakros.
The most famous Cretan writers and artists include the painter El Greco and the author of Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis.
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Greece Travel Secrets visits Visual Arts Crete who offer accommodation and run art courses at their home and studio in the village of Kastellos near Rethymnon.
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Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in Irakleio, the capital of Crete, including nearby beach resort hotels and accommodation in the city centre.
Is someone from Crete a Greek or a Cretan? They are both, of course, but most will tell you that they are Cretan first and Greek second.
For a Crete olive oil tour Greece Travel Secrets visits Biolea, one of the few olive oil factories on Crete that you can visit.
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Driving central Crete in three days gives you time to see the highlights including the Minoan palaces at Knossos and Phaistos, the beaches and the Diktean Cave.
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