Surely most of you will have heard of the famous Palace of Knossos. One of the most important buildings in Cretan history. If you don't remember knowing it in history books, you've certainly seen it in some historical documentary. If all this just does not remind you of anything, how about trying the legend of the Minotaur? Here is probably where we go almost on the safe side.
The legend of the Minotaur seems to be born right in these walls. At least this is what the archaeologist Evans and many of his colleagues tell us, and who, analyzing the irregular and intricate architectural structure, thought it was the ideal place to create the myth of the Minotaur. Given the importance of this building, now we are going to tell you about it.
The legend of the Minotaur
The Minotaur was a monster with a bull's head and a human body (yes, quite scary!), Son of Pasiphae, the wife of King Minos, and of the very white bull sent by Poseidon to sacrifice him in his honor. The woman believed that the white bull was too good to be sacrificed, so she sacrificed another one. Poseidon, offended by this exchange and teasing, gave birth to a mad passion for this animal in women. Thus the Minotaur was born. But this being unsettling could hardly go around the city and live a normal life. Thus King Minos had a maze designed to enclose it. Every nine years, seven boys and seven girls were fed to the Minotaur. Years later, Theseus, hero and son of the Athenian king Aegeus, to whom he promised to raise the white sail in case of victory, infiltrated the seven boys, certainly not to become an appetizer of the Minotaur, but to try to stop this horrible injustice. The sweet Arianna, daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, fell in love with him. The girl helped him by giving him a ball of wool to unroll during the journey and then find the way to go backwards during the escape, all this with Teseo's promise to run away with her. The son of the Athenian king killed the Minotaur and made the boys flee but he abandoned Arianna.
But ... there is a but ... Theseus forgot to raise the white sail for his father and the latter threw himself into the sea of despair, killing himself and giving his name to the Aegean Sea. Well this is a nice Oscar-winning ending!
Who lived in Knossos originally?
In reality there is no evidence of the presence of King Minos in this palace, nor of other kings. It was probably a temple or a necropolis, but with the data collected so far it is not possible to give certain answers.
The Palace of Knossos was also named "house of the double ax" for the symbol depicted on the walls and roofs of the building. In Greek this symbol means Labrys, word from which derives labyrinth.
Besides being the residence of Minos, around 2000 BC, Knossos was also the commercial and religious center of the island of Crete. Inside you can find numerous frescoes. Some are faithful copies, while the originals can be found at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. One of the most important paintings is that of the "Prince of the Lilies", depicting a priest (hypothesis of Evans). Its relevance is given by the fact that this painting is the largest of the single-portrait male portraits.
During the journey inside you can admire the decorated rooms, the large courtyards, the grand staircases, the throne room of Minos and the royal apartments. Here is everything that a lover of archeology is looking forward to knowing and observing with his own eyes!
The Palace of Knossos we think that should not be seen only as a real palace, but more like a sort of citadel. Because here we also find houses, a small palace, a royal villa, a villa dedicated to Dionisio and a Royal Temple. It is located at the top of Kefala hill. A strategic position that guaranteed over the beauty of the landscape, advantages from a natural and defensive point of view: the presence of water coming from the nearby spring and the proximity of the sea and the great fertile forest.
This is a very important place. The greatest witness of the Minoan civilization. This is why we recommend you visit it, especially if you love history and Greek myths. There are many other attractions to be admired within this Palace, but we prefer not to tell you about it so you can be even more enchanted at the sight of such wonders. There's so much to discover here ... and what are you waiting for?
Schedules and ticket prices for the Palace of Knossos
Below are the times and entrance fees
Hours: 8.00 - 18.00
Open every day
Standard admission: € 5
Single ticket: (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion - Knossos) full price: € 16, reduced: € 8
We advise you to book a guide at the ticket office to accompany you in discovering this site, telling you about the everyday life of a distant past. As we always say: investing in your culture is the most precious gift we can give, especially when we visit an island like Crete with dreamy beaches and an important past that has come down to us and is still visible today.
How to reach the palace of Knossos?
If you are in Crete, wherever you stay, you can not miss a morning to visit this historic archaeological site, of enormous value, to the point that it ended up on all the history books.
To reach the palace of Knossos you can opt for the bus or the car.
Bus number 2 that connects the port of Heraklion to the Palace, runs about every 20 minutes.
If you arrive by car (the vehicle most certainly recommended for visiting the island of Crete), we are 5 km from Heraklion, 35 minutes by car from Malia / Hersonissos, 1 hour from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos, 1 hour from Rethymnon, 1 hour and 30 minutes from Ierapetra and 2 hours from Chania.
For those who would like an organized excursion from the hotel, at all the reception areas you will find information and tickets including transport by bus from the round-trip structure + entry to Knossos + guide.
You decide the best way to have a morning with a taste of history and culture, but you certainly make this place among those that you can't miss, once you arrive on the island of Crete.