25th of August street
The pedestrian street that connects the Venetian port to the “Lions’ square” (Morosini) is a pleasant promenade with a long history. In Venetian times the street was named “Ruga Maistra” and it was of great significance, as the Palace of the Duke, Loggia and the Basilica of St. Marco were built on it. In fact, Venetian officials had set strict ‘aesthetic’ guidelines for the construction of these buildings according to the architectural doctrines of Venice! The street was later named "Vezir Tsarsi" by the Turkish settlers, after the Mosque “Vezir Tzami’ (today the temple of Agios Titos). The modern name of "25th of August" refers to the date when one of the most tragic events of the city history took place. It was on the 25th of August 1898, the celebration day of St. Titos (Agios Titos), when the greatest slaughter of Christian population by a Turkish crowd took place, including 17 British soldiers and the vice- consul of England, Lysimachos Kalokerinos. The houses of Christian families were looted and burned to the ground and the whole street was in flames. These dramatic events led to a change in the political agenda of the Great Powers and finally contributed to the liberation of Crete.
The street gained its lost glory with the construction of neoclassic buildings, most of which, unfortunately, now house banks. Today the 25th of August is the most beautiful street of the city with the blue sea as a background. Apart from the monuments lined up throughout the street, here you will find several souvenir shops, tourist agencies, car rentals, small cafes and eateries.