Fontanas

Heraklion – a Greek city, the capital of Crete and the largest city on the island, located on the northern coast, a port on the Aegean Sea (Sea of Crete). There is an international airport. Tourism, food, chemical, textile, sewing, and leather industries are developed. The old Heraklion is surrounded by ancient Venetian walls. Crete University is in operation. Nearby, 5 km south of Heraklion, are the ruins of the ancient city – the first, still ancient capital of Crete – Knossos. Heraklion houses the Archaeological Museum, Venetian fortress, Venetian arsenal, Crete History Museum, Morosini Fountain, market, Religious Art Museum, Natural History Museum, and Crete Battle Museum. The Archaeological Museum has the largest collection of Minoan art. To the west along the harbor stands the History Museum, which recalls Crete’s history from the early Christian period. The Religious Art Museum preserves a collection of Byzantine icons, frescoes, and manuscripts. In the southern part of the city, outside the old Heraklion walls, is a small Natural Sciences Museum, which holds an exhibit of the Aegean Sea basin. The exhibit consists of fossils, plants, live animals, and taxidermy.