The Hellenic Ministry of Culture is investing in enhancing the visitor experience and accessibility for people with disabilities at the archaeological site of Gortyn, Crete. This initiative is part of a larger project focused on the restoration and enhancement of the site, including the Great Theatre of Gortyn, with a total budget of 2,500,000 euros.
The project aims to improve visitor pathways, ensuring safety and accessibility for all, including people with disabilities. This includes enhancing existing routes, creating new accessible pathways, and providing designated viewing and resting areas. Additionally, the parking area will be upgraded to include designated spaces for people with disabilities.
Lina Mendoni, Minister of Culture and Sports, stated: “The archaeological site of Gortyn is an extremely important monumental site, where architectural remains of a great ancient city are preserved. In combination with the Archaeological Museum of Messara, which we recently inaugurated, they compose a cultural and tourist destination of particular interest. In close and excellent cooperation with the Region of Crete, with the interventions underway to improve the routes, accessibility and in general the upgrading of the archaeological site and its flood protection, in combination with the ongoing works of uncovering and restoring the Great Theatre, the Ministry of Culture is implementing the holistic plan, which serves to increase the number of visitors to the archaeological site of Gortyn. By including the site in the Cultural Routes of Crete, but also with the future use of the Theatre, for high-standard artistic events, we are creating an attractive cultural destination, which upgrades the offered tourist product of the wider area.”
A Journey Through Time
The archaeological site of Gortyn, covering approximately 27 acres, has been open to the public since the 1970s. Key monuments within the site include:
- The Roman Odeon: Built on the highest part of the Greek Agora, likely on the site of the Hellenistic Bouleuterion (4th-2nd century BC). The famous inscription of the Law Code of Gortyn was found on the exterior wall of the circular corridor.
- The Church of St. Titus: Located near the Odeon.
- The Watermill: Known as “Gerou Savvidaki”, its restoration is planned to functionally integrate it into the visiting area.
- The Evergreen Plane Tree: A preserved natural monument, connected to the myth of the abduction of Europa by Zeus.
A short distance away lies the Great Theatre, currently under excavation.
Enhancing the Visitor Experience
The archaeological site currently offers a cafeteria, a sculpture gallery, restrooms, an office, and a ticket office. Between 2004 and 2013, development work was carried out, including property expropriations and the unification of the then-accessible area with new sections. A new parking area, entrance, and ticket office building were created, along with new planting, the enhancement of the Odeon, restoration work on the Church of St. Titus, and the construction of ramps for people with disabilities.
With the restoration of the Watermill and the Theatre, the archaeological site is expanding, and the visitor route will be reshaped to encompass the Odeon – Great Theatre – Plane Tree – Watermill – Church of St. Titus. The route for the general public will remain largely the same, with improvements to its infrastructure.
The route for people with disabilities is being redesigned to allow access to and within the Odeon. The remainder of the route for people with disabilities, towards the Great Theatre, the Plane Tree, the Watermill, and the Church of St. Titus, and then to the exit, coincides with that of the general public.
Accessibility for All
The Watermill, the most recent watermill in the area, which operated until the mid-20th century, will be connected to the archaeological site. The evergreen Plane Tree is being demarcated and protected. Near the Plane Tree, a pedestrian bridge suitable for people with disabilities will be constructed to connect with the Great Theatre.
While the interventions do not cover the autonomous movement of blind visitors, who will need to be accompanied, the parking area will include designated spaces for people with disabilities. The archaeological site is also accessible to emergency vehicles.
Resting and viewing points have been designed to serve all visitors and are located in the area between the ticket office and the entrance-exit gates, in the central area with a view of the Odeon and the ancient olive trees, around the Odeon, and on the plateau of St. Titus.
Urban equipment, such as seating, bilingual signage and information boards (including Braille), waste bins, and railings for visitor safety and the movement of people with disabilities, is being maintained and replaced where necessary.
A Rich History
The ancient city of Gortyn is located 45 km south of Heraklion. Together with the Acropolis and the necropolises, it covers an area of about 4,000 acres. In 1879, Haussoullier discovered part of the inscription of the Laws, which led to the excavation of the Odeon (1st century AD), where additional parts of the inscription, known as the Laws of Gortyn, the first written set of laws in Europe, were found.
The city flourished in the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. It had three markets, two aqueducts, fountains, a Hellenistic stadium, baths, and temples. Among the most important buildings were the Praetorium, the Odeon, the Temple of Apollo, the Acropolis, and the Great Theatre. With the establishment of Christianity (380 AD), Gortyn became the seat of a Bishopric, where the Basilica of the Metropolis and the Church of St. Titus stood out. Gortyn was abandoned between the end of the 8th and the beginning of the 9th century.
