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Towns & Villages in Crete

Villages West of Chania

MALEME

Maleme is a coastal village that has a good selection of tavernas and bars lining the shingle beach. There is a large supermarket, a pharmacy, a shop stocking English food products, a newspaper stall, a jewellery shop and a number of gift shops. There is also a large hotel which offers water sports. In 1966, in the position of Kafkales, north of the village, a vaulted grave of the post-Minoan era was excavated. With its square shaped chamber, perpendicular walls 4m high, and an irregular roof in the shape of a pyramid, it is unique of its kind. But Maleme is better known for its importance in more recent Greek history. In World War II, Chania airport was located here. In 1941, after heavy fighting, it was captured by the German Airborne troops. There are 4,465 graves in the German Cemetery at Maleme, (occupying a position on the hill overlooking the old airstrip), mainly of very young men. Most of the lost their lives on 20 May, 1941, on the night they landed.