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.
There isn’t any particular myth about this beach.
Marine:
The seabed in this area is sandy, but down to 2 meters depth starts the seagrass meadow made by the little Neptune grass (Cymodocea nodosa). In this meadow, the visitor can be seen scattered population of the endemic and rare Mediterranean bivalve, the noble shell (Pinna nobilis). This is a unique sea organism which is protected by the national and international legislation and fishing of it is prohibited. Visitor can also be seen Atlantic pearl-oyster and the Noa’s arc forming special formations, yellow sponges and Sea cucumbers (sea cucumbers). Various fish species are hidden, are feeding and are reproducing in the meadow as the sand steenbras, the white seabream and the striped red mullet. The visitor can see on the buoys which are located in the area and are delimited the safe bathing area, colonies from bryozoans and other organisms cling on them and create a beautiful image.
Land:
The Land part of the beach is planted with tamarisks and the beach consists of medium-sized pebbles. The tamarisks home several small insects during the summer months, as also cicadas that are creating a musical feast.
Calculation of carrying capacity of a Beach
For the term “load-bearing capacity” there is a large number of definitions in international literature. However, all these definitions involve two central opinions: Firstly, the biophysical element related to the maintenance of the integrity of the natural resource, in this case, the beach. So, there is a maximum limit which must not be exceeded or else the natural ecosystem will suffer strong pressures. And, secondly, behavioral element which reflects the ability of the leisure experience.
Although until today there has not been a widely accepted definition or a commonly accepted procedure for the calculation of the load-bearing capacity of the beach, the calculation of the load-bearing capacity of each beach is done with the combination of different procedures found in international literature, the main goal being the best protection and conservation of the natural resource and the environment.
For the calculation of the load-bearing capacity of this beach, the following data – information were considered;
Calculation practices of the load-bearing capacity of the beach, mentioned in international literature.
Legislation in force.
Geographical position of the beach.
Existence of endangered species inside the coastal zone.
Fauna and Flora of the area.
Environmental stress of the beach.
The best service of the guests – swimmers of the beach.
The protection of the environment and the preservation of the natural resources of the beach.
Existence of protection rules for the safety and easy access of the guests to the beach.
Existence of stable infrastructures and the prospect of placing new infrastructures like WC.
The total covered area of the beach is about 5600 m2.
Based on the calculation of the carrying capacity of this particular beach, according to the state of art, the carrying capacity is about 1200 swimmers.
The number of umbrellas that the hotel gives to its guests is 140 umbrellas, that is, 280 beach chairs which corresponds to 280 swimmers. This number is much smaller than the capacity of the beach.
Sustainable Waste Management
The main goal of the suggested management plan aims at the optimal sustainable management of the waste produced by visitors of the beach during their stay in the coastal zone.
The administrators of each beach must place appropriate bin for recycling where possible and to cover the needs of the beach at the same time.
It is suggested that in every beach – whether it is organized or not and taking into account the number of visitors – there are at least blue bins for the recycling of packaging , brown bins (compost bins) for the recycling of organic waste and green bins for mixed waste.
An important issue that the administrators have to deal with, whether they are public or private, is the collection of the cigarette ends which are thrown by the swimmers on the beach. It is suggested that there are ashtrays next to each chair which will be cleaned by the beach staff, after the guests leave the beach. This waste should not be thrown in the bin with the mixed rubbish because they can cause fire. They should be put in a special metal bucket, soaked with water and then thrown into the common bins, as no management plan for this kind of waste has been found until now.
At the point where the bins are placed there should be explanatory signs in more languages and the waste should be carried to the recycling centers regularly.
Moreover is should be mentioned that the seaweeds washed out at the beach are not beautiful but there is a processing method by a Greek company producing compost from seaweeds, http://www.compost.gr/#!unique-method-gr/co9t .
In general, it is suggested the following bins are placed:
At least 1 Green bin for mixed rubbish
At least 1 Blue bin for recyclable package materials
At least 1 Brown bin for organic waste
At least 1 Metal bucket for cigarettes from the ashtrays placed under the umbrellas
Clay ashtray at each beach chair set.
1 butterfly net so that the staff can collect rubbish from the beach without bending.
One-use gloves in case the worker has to collect rubbish with the hands.
All the bins should always be closed and the administrator of the beach is responsible to make sure the bins are closed.
Any other waste like batteries, electrical and electronic equipment should be given at the reception and the administrator of the beach has the responsibility to put them in the right bin, or inform the guest where the nearest container is.
In any case no rubbish should be thrown into the wrong container and of course nothing should be thrown into the beach or the sea.
Measures for the Protection of Endangered Species
At the beach of Sxisma no existence of endangered species has been mentioned. In any case, if endangered species appear, then measures for their protection have to be taken.
For example, some measures are mentioned below but in any case if you find an endangered species you should immediately contact the competent authorities of the state.
If you find a nest
If the nest is in danger beacause of the pedestrians or the vehicles, surround it with a “fence” you can make from wooden sticks placed around it and tied with some rope.
CAREFUL: Do not dig the nest. If there are stones or other things that may prevent the baby turtles from finding their way to the sea, then remove those obstacles.
If it is in the shade (e.g. under an umbrella), try to remove it.
If you find an injured turtle
You put the turtle in a SAFE PLACE away from people and noise. YOU ALWAYS RAISE IT FROM THE SHELL (never from the wings or the head).
If the animal is big it must be carried by 2 persons by catching the shell from behind the neck and over the tail.
YOU PLACE THE ANIMAL CAREFULLY making sure the wings do not remain under its body.
We put the animal in a place which is PROTECTED AND QUIET, AWAY FROM STREAMS AND WIND. In the summer months you should cover the would with a piece of WET CLOTH. The temperature of the place should not fall under 15 degrees Celcius. The turtle does not have to be put in sea water and if it is wounded at the head or exhausted, it MUST NOT BE PUT IN WATER BECAUSE IT MY DROWN.
If it is trapped in nets or fishing hook, you remove them carefully. In no circumstances should you TRY TO PULL A HOOK FROM THE MOUTH OR TAIL.
You control all wings and if you find RECOGNITION TAGS call the Rescue Network (210 8944444). You will be sent a special form which you have to COMPLETE carefully to help the turtle you found and also other turtles.
If you find a dead sea turtle
If the turtle is dead it should be CARRIED TO THE LAND and the Coast Guard as well as Archelon should be contacted. BE CAREFUL, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE TURTLES LOOKS DEAD BUT IT MAY BE IN DEEP SLEEP, ESPECIALLY IN THE COLD MONTHS.
YOU SHOULD CALL THE OFFICIAL VETERINARIAN AND IF THERE IS NOT ONE, YOU CALL ANOTHER VETERIANARIAN OR THE COAST GUARD. .
If you find a tag it should be removed and sent to ARCHELON.
ATTENTION, THIS IS ONLY FOR DEAD ANIMALS. It would be very helpful for ARCHELON if you take a photograph of the animal and especially its wounds.
Complete the special FORM sent to you by ARCHELON AND finally call the LOCAL AUTHORITIES for the burial of the animal.
For more information http://www.archelon.gr/ .
Wetland of Alykes near Sxisma Beach
Elounda’s Alykes are located on the southeast part, close to Sxisma village. It is about a wetland area nearly 90 acres, including t the non-active salt pans of Alykes and the swallow marine waters between the salt pans and the island of Kolokytha. Elounda’s and Souda’s Alykes was the only organized Alykes in Crete. The region has been designated for systematic salt extraction by Venetian in 14th-15th century and was attributed about 550-1000 tons / year. In 1647 their exploitation was passed to Ottomans and in the early 20th century to Greek State. Until 1972, Alykes were operating and there were the most important economic activity in the region, while, in recent years efforts are being made in order to promote them. The scares vegetation of the salt pans is constituted by halophilic and ammophilic species, while in the marine part, patches of seagrass meadows exist (Posidonia oceanica). The recorded area’s avifauna is remarkable. Frequent visitors of Alykes are herons.
