Apothikes

The village Apothikes is located about 19km away from the center of Chania and it is built at an altitude of 228 meters. In this region with only a few permanent residents, visitors will be able to admire not only the beautiful and pure natural scenery, but also authentic images of the everyday life of the locals, who live away from the tourist centers and the tourist businesses.

The settlement of Apothikes was first mentioned in the population census of 1881, as “Apothikes”, at the municipality of Alikianos and in 1920, at the community of Manoliopoulos. It is possible that the name of the settlement -which means “warehouses” in Greek- is associated to the warehouses existing in the region in order for the villagers to store their local products or according to another aspect, the name derives from the storage of ammunition during the Ottoman rule.

The Turkish forces never settled at Apothikes, due to lack of water of the area.

The church of the Immaculate Conception is the central temple of the village. There is also a small chapel of the Assumption, built at the end of the path that leads from the center of Apothikes to a small gorge.