- €22.5M for the Venetian Walls, plus €10.1M for the Neoria restoration
- Ten-year management deal signed by Mendoni, Arnaoutakis, Kalokairinos, and Valakou
- Annual funding for maintenance and the “Candia Walls Festival” — because heritage should also party
The Venetian Walls of Heraklion are getting another shot at glory — and another layer of funding paperwork. On October 23, at the Ministry of Culture, Minister Lina Mendoni, Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis, Mayor Alexis Kalokairinos, and ODAP President Nicoletta Valakou signed a Programmatic Agreement for Cultural Development worth €22,570,971.
The project includes the restoration and promotion of the Venetian fortifications and the Neoria, complete with accessibility upgrades, landscaping, and museum-style spaces. Funding comes from the Ministry, the Region of Crete, and the Municipality of Heraklion. A separate €10.1M ESPA allocation will support the full restoration of the Venetian Arsenals.
Minister Mendoni called the day “a milestone for cultural heritage management” and declared:
“After many years of discussions and preparation, we have finally reached the point of real progress. This agreement ensures that the Venetian Walls — one of Crete’s defining monuments — can now be properly preserved and integrated into the city’s cultural life.”
Governor Arnaoutakis celebrated the deal as proof that collaboration can work miracles — bureaucratic ones, at least:
“Today shows once again that close cooperation between the Ministry, the Region, and the Municipality of Heraklion brings significant results. The concession of the Venetian Walls for ten years — renewable for another ten — is a landmark event.”
Mayor Kalokairinos, meanwhile, sounded genuinely relieved to see something happen after decades of studies:
“This has been a long-standing goal for Heraklion. With this agreement, we can finally protect and highlight the Venetian fortifications, integrating them into daily life. I deeply thank the Minister for her guidance, inspiration, and trust.”
Heritage, Budgets, and Yearly Parties
Under the agreement, the Ministry of Culture will contribute €250,000 annually for maintenance and another €150,000 per year to support the Candia Walls Festival, an event meant to reconnect Heraklion’s residents with their monumental backdrop — and perhaps distract them from how slowly cultural projects move.
The Venetian Arsenals, financed separately under the Crete 2021–2027 ESPA program with €10.1M, will be restored by the Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments. The aim is to revive the historic shipyard complex as a unified cultural landmark — or, as Mendoni put it, to make “two major promises come true.”