Courthouse (Dikastiria) square

Eleftherias Square (as it is officially called) or Courts (Dikastiria) Square as is called from the locals, is one of the most beautiful and largest squares in Crete.

The “Courts” building, which was constructed at the end of the 19th century to serve as a Turkish Military Hospital and was the Judicial and Administrative Palace, first of the Cretan State and then of the Prefecture of Chania, still dominates and impresses locals and visitors alike.

This part of Chania, where the statue of Eleftherios Venizelos has stood proudly since 1964, was effectively “formed” around the Courthouse, which served as the point of reference from which a significant portion of the city was “formed” from the start.

With its morphology, this mansion—the second public structure after the Italian Barracks that was built outside the walls of the old city —greatly influenced the first plan of the new city and the design of several important streets, including Iroon Polytechniou Street (Bolari), Andreas Papandreou Street (formerly Demokratias) and the development of Courts Square.

The area is still impressive today, primarily due to the large Courthouse and is one of the most well-liked “hangouts” for locals and tourists alike, especially for food and coffee.