History of M. Rethimnou

The area of the Prefecture of Rethymnon was already inhabited since Neolithic times whereas there were many settlement during the Minoan Age. During the Byzantine Age, Rethymnon followed the fortune of the rest of Crete and did not exhibit any special growth, however during the period of Venetian rule the area flourished and became the spiritual and cultural center of the island. During the Cretan revolution of 1866 the epic of Arcadia was written when its warriors, commoners and monks, blew themselves up so as not to surrender to the Turks. Much later during German occupation the inhabitants of the prefecture showed strong resistance resulting in the destruction of German troops in many villages in the wider area.