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Schisma Beach - Agios Nikolaos

SUSTAINABILITY Beach Rating

The beach

Schisma Beach is located in Elounda village. The beach is sandy and has about 230 meter‘s length and an in some places the width reaches 40 meters and it has blue and almost always calm waters because it is located in Korfos bay.

The distance of the beach:

From International Airport Nikos Kazantzakis of Heraklion is about 67,1 Km.

From the Port of Heraklion is about 70,8 Km.

From the center square of Agios Nikolaos City is about 12,5 Km

Questionnaire

BEACH FACILITIES

Organized

sANDY

WC

Parking

Lifeguard

Shower

Accessibility

WIFI

Canteen

Blue Flag

BEACH PHOTO GALLERY

BEACH INFORMATION

Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

Elounda is a town of 7800 inhabitants which is located about 12 km north of Agios Nikolaos city. The route from Agios Nikolaos to Elounda is particularly pleasant, as the traveler could follow the coastline and admire the Mirabello bay view. In the adjacent hills is mining a unique stone in Greece, a stone type of fine emery which is known as whetstone, used for sharpening tools or for the construction of sharpener wheels etc.

Elounda’s grindstone were known from the past to Europeans, which were named as Turkish stones.

Currently, Elounda is among the most popular tourist resorts worldwide, well-known for its luxury hotels, its beautiful beaches, but also for the island monument of Spinalonga. Spinalonga, which called by the locals as the “island” or by its ancient name “Kalydon”, is about 5 km north from the center of Elounda, and according to some theories of the Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coronello, Spinalonga was not always an island but it was united with natural way to the “Kolokitha” peninsula. However in 1526, the Venetians destroyed the peninsula union and the island was created. Regarding the name origin there are two main versions:

During Venetian occupation, Venetians were listening the locals to say “Elounda” and they weren’t able to translate it, so they were “saying” in Latin as «spina lunga – long thorn.” Finally, somehow the word spina lunga became Spinalonga.

There is another version, which connects the ancient city of Olous with the name origin of Spinalonga. During the 13th century the Venetian conquerors paraphrased initially the name “Olous” to Spinalonte and finally to Spinalonga. This name was not accidental as there was an existed island in Venice- today Tziounteka, which was also named as Spinalonga, so that name was quite familiar for the Venetians.

Around 1574, Spinalonga was fortified by the Venetians to preserve Elounda Bay from the Turkish and the pirate ships and they were simultaneously ensuring the area’s salt marshes from which they took salt and sent it to Europe. Even after 1649 and the Turkish occupation of Crete, Spinalonga was belonged to the Venetians until 1715, when it conquered by the Ottomans. During these 65 years (1649-1715), Spinalonga was the ideal refuge for the Cretan rebels, so-called Hainides.

During 1905 – 1958, Spinalonga fortress was used as Leper, where Greece’s lepers lived isolated. Indeed, during Italy-German occupation, the occupiers did not dare to release the lepers and they were forced to feed them, as they had evacuated Plaka village, which is located across Spinalonga. There was so much fear of conquerors that nobody was dared to get into the island, neither Italian nor German and this has as outcome the illegal radio operation and simultaneously Grammatikakis the Director Doctor of Spinalonga had copied London’s and Cairo’s news and he had handing out as news to residents.

The modern Elounda city took its name from the ancient Olous which is located about 1 kilometer, and in ancient times was occupied an important place in the history of Crete and was actively participated in Minoan period as the city-state, with satisfactory production especially in the primary sector. Olounda or Olous was one of the most important cities of ancient Crete and its population was over 30,000. Eunomia was the management system of Olous, a kind of democracy that Tallaios Zeus, Apollo and Vritomartis, which had a temple dedicated to her, were worshiped. Olous had its own coins and Svoronos refers the existence of 11 different types of coins that most of them depicted on the one side Artemis Vritomartis, and on the other Zeus aetoforos, or a dolphin or a star. Until the first Byzantine period Olous was in its heyday. Basilica Poros with the wonderful mosaic and Basilica of Pumpkin with exquisite white marble are the evidence of that hypothesis, which are visiting till now. There is a reference in a Venetian document that Olous was one of Crete cities which was allowed the foreigns. When and how it was destroyed it is not known.

Since ancient times a major part of Olous is immersed in the sea and the ruins are visible diving. The ruins of this ancient city are also quite prominent and there are also in the “Channel” area.

In the same area, it is located the coastal village “Sxisma” and with the villages Upper and Lower Elounda and Pines consist of the current Community – Elounda. The whole area is surrounded by a horseshoe shape from Oxa, Karfi and Kefalas Mountains with their verdant slopes.

Sxisma is a small commercial village, which has become a tourist destination due to its privileged position, the existence of famous “Korfos of Elounda”, with its calm sea during the whole summer period, which is surrounded by the one part with mountains and by the northwest part of Elounda peninsula, which is isolated from the mainland by a narrow canal “Poros” and by the eastern part the historic islet of Spinalonga with its north entrance.

Sxisma is one of the most beautiful coastal areas of Lasithi. This qualification was the main reason of the rapid development of the area, which is now one of the most famous tourist destinations of Crete and Greece.

Characteristics of the beach

Sxisma Beach is located in Elounda village. The beach is sandy and has about 230 meter‘s length and a in some places the width reaches the 40 meters and it has blue and almost always calm waters because it is located into Korfos bay.

The distance of the beach:

From International Airport Nikos Kazantzakis of Heraklion is about 67,1 Km.

From the Port of Heraklion is about 70,8 Km.

From the center square of Agios Nikolaos City is about 12,5 Km

Beach Regulation

General matters:

The opening hours of the beach are from 10:30 to 17:30.

If you have any questions ask the beach staff

For any complaints complete the special form at the entrance

To help us increase the quality of the services provided please complete the relevant questionnaire which you can find at the reception or in our website www.costanostrum.org or by downloading the relevant application Costa Nostrum.

The ashtrays, the beach chairs and the umbrellas are property of DAEAN.

Only the guests – owners of valuable objects that may be lost, are responsible for the loss.

Hygiene and Safety, Environmental Protection and Cleanliness of the Beach

You should always follow the advice of the lifeguards.

Swim parallel to the coastline and if possible never alone.

It is prohibited to block the lifeguard’s corridor and the range of vision of the lifeguard.

The consumption of alcohol or drugs is prohibited.

It is prohibited to throw cigarettes into the sea or on the beach.

It is prohibited to throw glass objects or packaging on the beach or into the sea.

It is prohibited to throw any object on the beach or into the sea.

It is prohibited to light a fire.

It is prohibited to use shampoo at the showers.

It is prohibited to use music devices that produce loud noise.

All your rubbish should be placed with your own responsibility into the special waste containers.

It is prohibited to destroy any kind of vegetation.

It is prohibited to walk in areas where swimmers are not allowed to enter, according to the existing prohibition signs.

It is prohibited to stay on the lifeguard’s tower without a relevant permission.

The beach staff has the right to remove from the beach persons who are in a drunken condition or under the influence of drugs or behave violently/improperly to other visitors.

It is prohibited to take sand.

Pets should be tied, wearing a muzzle and their owners should have the relevant veterinary certificates. Free circulation of pets on the beach is strictly prohibited. If the dog annoys or the owner receives any remark, it should be immediately removed.

Emergency cases:

In case of a person disappearance, you should immediately contact the beach manager.

In case of a beach closure, please follow the instructions of the manager and lifeguards.

In case of an accident, you should immediately inform the lifeguard and the beach manager.

If a customer falls sick due to any possible cause, they are to immediately notify the beach manager, in order for all necessary measures to be taken.

Schisma Beach – Agios Nikolaos

This beach has not been certified for 2024