Description of the attraction
Daedalu Street is located in the center of Heraklion, starting from the Astoria Hotel, on the northwest side of Eleftherias Square. The entire street is a pedestrian zone lined with offices, shops and souvenir shops. The road leads to the Lions - the fountain in Eleftheriou Venizelou square, where the largest number of music shops in Heraklion is located.
The street is named after Daedalus, a genius master, a symbol of scientific and technological progress in Minoan myths. Thanks to his inventions, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth appeared, he and his son Icarus were the first Greek "aviators".
The history of Daedalu Street is closely intertwined with the history of Heraklion itself: the first settlements arose in these places. Parallel to the street runs the Arab-Byzantine wall (9-10th century AD) - the oldest fortification in the city. During the Arab and Byzantine periods, this was the southern limit of Heraklion, further south there were no dwellings. In the 9th century, walking along the route from west to east, down the Daedalus, you would walk along the city wall on the right, and there would be vegetable gardens on the left.
Of the Arab-Byzantine wall today, only a few tiny patches remain, hidden inside shops or between houses. With the expansion of Heraklion, the old walls were used for construction or as part of houses, since they no longer fulfilled their main function.
During the period of Turkish rule, Daedalu was a narrow alley with coffee houses and shops, with a dizzying aroma of hookah and grilled coffee hovering around. During the German occupation, most of the center of Heraklion was destroyed by bombing, so the modern look of Daedalu Street is the result of post-war development.
