Botanic Park of Crete

However weird it may seem, this journey began with a devastating fire back in 2003. The fire burnt down massive areas of land in my place of origin, Skordalou, leaving only ashes behind. The impact of the economic and ecological destruction on the village was tremendous. Approximately a hundred thousand “tsounati” olive trees, aged over 400 years, were annihilated.

The fire burnt down our own olive groves, too. Looking at the scorched land, my only thought was to regrow our trees and flowers , to bring life back to our land. My sorrow for the sudden environmental catastrophe was beyond words. Equally devastating for me was that all this occurred at a time when humans have distanced themselves from nature. For any person who grew up surrounded by nature like me, it is despairing to realise that the modern urban lifestyle and the quick pace of life have distracted many of us who live in the captivity of grey cities. It is also sad to see that several children cannot identify major trees, haven’t seen the trees bear fruits or haven’t experienced the freedom of nature.
All these thoughts gave birth to the idea of the Gardens.

Our Goals

The journey from conception to the realisation of the idea was long, often strenuous and required patience, commitment and perseverance.
We take pride in the fact that the Botanical Park and the Gardens of Crete are unique in their kind in Europe. The journey doesn’t stop here, though. Our goal is to constantly enrich the Gardens with new varieties of plants and trees, creating new paths of experiences.
The Gardens were literally born out of the ashes and are now a haven of tranquillity offering you a journey through the world of nature and your senses. Often, visitors stand in awe before the burnt olive tree that proudly stands its ground at the front yard of the Park. That olive tree, burnt up in the 2003 fire, is so much more than a mere memory site. To our mind, it is a symbol of hope for everything that can start anew when all seems to be lost.