Municipal Market of Chania
The Municipal Market of Chania is one of the most important and most impressive newer monuments. It was built in 1913 on the bastion of Piatta Forma, in the middle of the Venetian walls and has an area of 4,000 square meters. Initially, it was an open-air market, made up of butchers, fish shops, and fruit shops.
In 1908, the Municipality of Chania decided to build the current Municipal Market. The architectural study was carried out by K. Drandakis, a resident of Chania, and the construction cost was 300,000 drachmas (loan from the Bank of Crete). The building is cross-shaped and has four doors in each wing and houses 76 shops.
The construction of the building was completed in the second half of 1913 and began to operate unofficially on 1 November 1913. The official inauguration took place on 4 November 1913, with the presence of then Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos during the celebrations for the Union of Crete with Greece.
The Municipal Market has been and continues to be the heart of the city. During the occupation, it was used by the conquerors for the needs of the German army.
Over the years, some changes have been made in the shopping malls that make up it. The fish market was moved to the area of Souda and the market is now out of town. Their place occupied souvenir shops, cafes, taverns with traditional flavors, bakeries, and pharmacies.
In the center of the Municipal Market, there is a building from the University of Crete ITE and the Region of Crete. It has a screen with Cretan recipes and products. Turning the handwheel, the pages change while at the same time, on the other side of the construction drops oil into a container. Surely one can handle the screen like any touchscreen, but the use of the handwheel offers a different experience. The visitor has the ability to send recipes via email wherever he wants.
Since 1980, the Municipal Market has been designated as a preservable monument by the Ministry of Culture.
