On which Greek island is the city of Chania?

Chania is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete. It was the capital of Crete from 1841 to 1971.

The area has been inhabited since Neolithic times and was a centre of Minoan civilization. The Romans took the city in 69 BCE, and it subsequently passed to the Byzantines. Arabs established control of the region by about 824 CE, but the Byzantines ousted them in 961.

Venetians, who called it La Canea, occupied the city in 1252 and held it until 1645, when it fell to the Ottomans after two months of siege, who changed the Catholic churches were turned to mosques.

In 1878, after numerous revolts against Turkish rule, various privileges were granted to the Cretans. The island was declared autonomous in 1897, and the city joined the kingdom of Greece in 1912.

It was severely damaged in 1941 during the German airborne invasion of Crete in WWII. After the war, improvements to neighbouring Soúdas Bay strengthened the city’s position as a major port of Crete.

It exports citrus fruit as well as olive oil and wine. Tourism has become important to the economy. A large part of its old town has survived from the Venetian and Turkish period. The Venetian port and the historical alleys with the tall mansions in Chania give a nostalgic atmosphere. The history of Chania had a huge cultural impact at the lives of the Cretans.