Description of the attraction
At the end of 25 August Street, which leads from the city center to the Venetian fortress of Kules in the old harbor of the city, are the Venetian Arsenals (military shipyards).
The harbor of Heraklion has always been an important part of the city and the Cretan civilization in general. In Venetian times, the port of Heraklion was an important commercial center of trade. Since the Venetian fleet was based exclusively in the Mediterranean, the Venetians built shipyards in all of their ports, thus ensuring full maintenance of their ships and the ability to sail quickly and safely from port to port. The construction of new military and merchant ships was also carried out here. There were also special rooms for storing weapons and ammunition in the building.
The construction of the Venetian shipyards in Heraklion was an ambitious project that took place in four phases and lasted from the 15th to the 17th century. A total of 19 shipyards were built, grouped into three complexes. They were connected to each other through arched openings, closed by doors. Only 5 or 6 shipyards have survived to this day, and then only partially. We can only see large dilapidated oblong structures with arched roofs, which are only part of a grandiose structure and occupied most of the old port during the Venetian period. Unfortunately, a significant part of the Venetian Arsenals was destroyed in the 1930s in connection with the construction of a new harbor and coastal road. New houses have been built right on top of the old walls.
There was a salt warehouse between the shipyards. Next to the last shipyard was a large reservoir (capacity 20,000 barrels).
