Mousouron 2

For nearly four centuries, Mousouron Street marked the threshold where empires announced themselves. The Venetians built Porta Retimiota here in the 16th century as the main gate to their fortified city, the road to Rethymno started at this spot. When the Ottomans conquered Chania in 1645, they renamed it Kale Kapisi and built a mosque beside it, using the minaret to signal when the gate opened or closed.

On November 3, 1898, the last Turkish soldier walked through this gate, ending Ottoman rule. Today, the gate is gone, but the street remains a commercial artery leading to the old town’s leather shops. Four hundred years of conquerors, and the street’s current gig is selling sandals.