At a distance of about 3 km from Hania, at the northern foot of the White Mountains, we find the village Mournies, the birthplace of the great Greek politician Eleftherios Venizelos. Venizelos fought for the independence of Crete and led the revolution of Therissos in 1905, which, resulted in the unification of the island with Greece in 1913. As Prime Minister of Greece, he brought about all the necessary civil reforms that opened the way to the modernization of the country. In the village, his stone house is kept as a museum with all his personal belongings. Here you can also visit the monastery of St Eleftherios of the 17th century built in an interesting architectural style, as well as the chapel of Prophet Elias, decorated with reliefs and inscriptions of the 16th century.
From Mournies and past the village Perivolia, we head for Therissos. The trip to the village follows an impressive gorge about 6 kilometers long. This is the area where big and important battles took place during the period of Turkish domination and in the recent history of Crete. In 1866, the pasha Mustapha Naily burnt down the village. Certainly, the most important historical event was the declaration of the revolution of Therissos in 1905, when Venizelos, together with other Cretans, rebelled against the totalitarian regime of the High Commissioner Prince George and of the Great Powers, thus preparing for the union of Crete with Greece. In the village, there remains the building of Venizelos' headquarters. The Therisso Gorge is an ideal place for a nature walk, through rock formations and tall trees that frame it from both sides and the river accompanying you all the way with its many bridges. It is also an excellent training ground for skilled climbers (for more information contact the Climbing Association of Hania). The village of Therisso has two museums in the middle of the village: on your left is the museum of Eleftherios Venizelos where one can see many photographs, historical documents, uniforms, military equipment and artifacts of the time. On your right is the museum of The National Resistance with a canon at its entrance, it was inaugurated in the summer of 2003 by the society for "The Conservation of Historical Memory 1941-1945". It is the only museum of its kind in Crete and amongst its aims is the collection, recording, studying, projection and preservation of the historical memories of the Cretan National Resistance during the period 1941-1945 and the creative development of the fighting traditions of the Cretan people. Both museums are open all year round except Mondays for additional enquiries - Telephone: 28210 78833, 98092
Mournies - Therissos
From Mournies or Therisso we reach the village of Meskla. Here is the archeological site of Rizinia (it is rumored that it was the ancient town Rizinia). \A second version states that in antiquity Meskla was named Kerea and the river that sprung there Keraitis or Keritis. Beautiful sites are the 14th century churches, Metamorfosis Sotiros and Panagias (next to a modern church also named Panagias). During the Venetian domination Meskla was the center of the revolutionary actions of Kantanoleon (1527). Continuing on the road from Meskla one comes to Zourva, a small, picturesque village, high in altitude in the green mountains with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. In the village, one finds rooms for rent and nice taverns with traditional Cretan dishes. Both are villages to visit during hot summer days when the heat is oppressive as it is always cooler in the mountains. A definite must-see during the winter also especially when it is snowing!