Chanioporta Gate Restoration Is Complete

• The Chanioporta Gate restoration project has wrapped up, reviving the prominent opening added in the early 1900s for wheeled vehicles.
• Scaffolding, for those who thought it was part of the attraction, is scheduled for removal in early June 2025.
• Traffic diversions will convert Heraklion’s city center into a test of patience.
• The city recommends (but does not require) drivers to obey posted detour signs.

They Fixed the Gate, but Not the Traffic

A mere century after someone decided the old Venetian wall needed a hole for cars, Heraklion chose to keep that opening standing—and, more importantly, standing safely. Restoration teams completed their work at Chanioporta Gate, patching, preserving, and ensuring that history won’t fall on anyone’s head. The city doesn’t want free souvenirs coming loose from the walls.

Up high on the gate, a weathered relief of Pantokrator, accompanied by Latin and Greek inscriptions, still watches over what was once Heraklion’s exit to western Crete. The gate, originally meant to keep out invaders, now tries vainly to keep out modern traffic, potholes, and scaffolding.

Scaffolds Down, Spirits Up, Streets Closed: Navigating Heraklion’s Newest Obstacle Course

Of course, all good restoration projects need an encore, so the scaffolding must be removed in the most dramatic fashion possible—by closing the main avenue. The city will shut down 62 Martyrs Avenue as if drivers weren’t already familiar enough with unexpected roadwork.

From June 2nd until June 10th, vehicles get to enjoy a guided tour through alternate routes: Efodou, Archbishop Makarios, Nikolaou Plastira, and Sofokli Venizelou. Pyrianthou and Efodou—those otherwise forgettable little roads—have been promoted to one-way streets, at least for a week. The city’s traffic department encourages drivers to follow the signs. Realists expect some creative interpretations.

Meanwhile, tourists and locals can admire the fortress’s restored features or the resulting traffic jams. The Chanioporta Gate stands ready to impress—with or without scaffolding. Some call it preservation. Others call it urban therapy.