Kournas
Nearby beach
In the small villages of Crete, you will find the friendly hospitality and proud tradition of receiving guests. The Cretans are known for their generosity and their friendly reception of travelers, guests and visitors.
In Kournas you can still experience the simple village life, here you will experience the real Crete. Here you can smell the fresh herbs, you can wander in the olive groves and taste the local products, from olives, olive oil
to fresh fruit, wine and raki.
Daily life
It seems as if time has stood still in Kournas: the men of the village are discussing the news of the
day in the kafenion, the women ask each other what they will cook today and the children play safely in the street.
Who makes a walk through the village will see many old and renovated traditional houses. The narrow streets are just wide enough to let pass a donkey. Cars drive on the new, wider roads.
Outside the village you can still see the ladies who pick the herbs and wild vegetables for the daily meal.
Location
Kournas is located 5 kilometres from the beach of Kavros (Georgioupoli municipality) and 4 km from the lake Kournas. Situated at the foot of the mountain Dafnomadaras (1680 meters) the village is safe at a height of nearly 250 meters.
In 1583 Kournas was already mentioned as a village with plenty of activities and the town has played an important role during the Ottoman occupation. In 1866 Kournas was the centre of the Revolutionary Government and in 1897 the village was the seat of the Cretan Assembly.
Traditional village
Kournas is a small village that still has the traditional Cretan character: a small square with a beautiful view and
surrounded by a tavern, a small supermarket, a local shop and of course the statue of a local hero. Mulberry trees and large plane tree provide wonderful shade in the hot summer months.
At various places in the
village there are beautiful views. You can see the Almyros Bay, the villages Georgioupolis and Kavros and along the countryside, in the direction of Rethymnon you can see the villages Kastellos, Dramia and Episkopi.
Also, the first mountains of the imposing Lefka Ori (White Mountains) are visible from Kournas. In winter and spring, the white snow on the mountain peaks and the bluest sky gives us a spectacular panorama.
Centre of the village
There are approximately 550 people living in Kournas and in the centre you will find a small supermarket, a kafenion, a bakery,
a ouzeri, a shop wit local products "Mandali" a ceramics shop and three taverns. There is also a primary school, which is visited by more than 120 children from Kournas and surrounding villages.
Just before the centre of the village, you will see the community centre with a large square and a stage wherein summer weddings, baptisms, plays, and parties are being held.Next to the community centre, there is the football pitch and a children's playground.
Across the playground is the olive oil factory, where every year from November, olives are being pressed.
The Greek Orthodox faith is very important in the life of the Cretans and the church and the many small churches and chapels are being maintained very well by the locals.
In and around Kournas there are 11 churches and the most special, and also two of the oldest Byzantine churches on Crete, are the Agia Irini and the Agios Georgios, built in 1200 AD.
On April 23 is the celebration of the name day of Agios Georgios Church and on May 5, the name day of Agia Irini is celebrated.
Kournas is a year-round lively village: in summer and in winter there is live music in the taverns, in September people press the grapes at various locations in the village and in October it is time to distil the "tsikoudia" (the Cretan raki) in the two "Kazanis"
On August 16 the Community of Kournas is organizing its annual festival on the square of the community centre with a performance by the popular musician-singer Nikos Zoiidakis.
On August 29 the villagers celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist, along with friends, family and tourists. The terraces of the taverns "Babis" and "Kali Kardia" are a good place to enjoy the live music and dancing.
The information about Kournas is reproduced from Mandali's website with permission from the owner of Mandali.
You can find even more information on their website:
