Malathiros

The village Malathiros is built at an altitude of 315 meters and it is 18 km southeast of Kissamos and 48 km from Chania.

It is a place of natural beauty. In Malathiros, you will find several nature trails, which can traverse. You will see many sources, Byzantine churches, monuments and 500 meters outside the village survived the ruined towers of the Venetian castle located there.

Malathiros is characterized as “martyred village”, because there, in 1944, the Germans had executed 61 men conquerors residents as revenge for the resistance movement in the region.

There are many versions about the origin of the name of this settlement. Some say it comes from the word thira (hunting) because the village is rich in games. Another version suggests that Malathiros means golden door or large door and a third associate the name with the plant Malathro, which grows in the area.

If you arrive in Malathiros, it’s worth to visit the Byzantine church of Agia Irini with preserved frescoes, as well as the temples of the Assumption and Astratigos.