Zakros

Zakros is one of the biggest villages in Eastern Crete, known for the Minoan Palace in Kato Zakros but also for the abundance of water, the springs and the ravines with plane trees.

• ZAKROS AND WATER

Water has always played a vital part in the inhabitants' economical and social activities. The structure, the neighborhoods, the inhabitants' activities have a parallel course with the "water's path".

A path that has been carved by the force of the movement of water for thousands of years, starting from the biggest spring in Zakros called "Mesa Mylos" reaching the gorge of the Dead and continuing its course towards the sea.

The settlement of Zakros was built along the course of water giving it this long shaping which it still keeps till these days. In the beginning the inhabitants grew only small vegetable gardens for their every day needs but later large expanses with olive trees were cultivated which are today fully irrigated and they produce Zakros' distinguished olive oil.

People couldn't leave unexploited the ability given by water to move the engines they had invented to produce goods and improve their living standards. Therefore having taken advantage of the hydraulic power and the area's relief people built watermills along this water path in order to grind grain, small factories to produce olive oil and rasotrivia to process woolen textile.

In the early 1900s Zakros constituted the center of an idiosyncratic "industrial area" since there were 11 watermills functioning. The watermill is considered to be the "factory" of the pre-industrial era.

A smart and simple functioning construction exploits the water power to move millstones while the whole process was under the control of only one person, the miller.

The grain usually grinded was barley and wheat, which was cultivated around Zakros and the nearby areas. Many were those who came a long distance to grind the grain at the watermills of Zakros village.

The construction of a watermill was mainly of a simple right-angle shape including the workroom, and in larger watermills, a room for the reception of customers and the miller's residence with a fireplace for cooking and heating. Next to the watermill there used to be a stable for animals and sometimes a wooden oven.

The well is probably the most impressive element as far as construction is concerned. Located above the watermills, 6 to 8 meters in height, it forwards the water to a propeller which moves the millstones to grind the grain which fell off the basket slowly and steadily always under the miller's supervision.

Source: visitsitia.gr

Edited by: Yallou