Mylopotamos
The Municipality of Mylopotamos is located in the Rethymno Regional Unit of the Region of Crete. It was formed with the “Kallikratis” Program by the amalgamation of the Municipalities of Geropotamos and Kouloukona and the community of Zonians. It consists of 3 Municipal units (Geropotamou, Kouloukona, Zonianon), 33 communities and 82 settlements. It extends over 360,703 km. and its population amounts to 12,890 inhabitants, according to the 2021 census. The administrative seat of the Municipality is Perama, at a distance of 28 km. from Rethymnon and 60 km. from Heraklion.
The place
The province of Mylopotamos is geomorphologically defined by the massif of Psiloritis or Idi in the south and by the Tallia mountains or Kouloukona in the north, parallel to the northern lacy coast with its numerous bays and harbors washed by the Cretan Sea. Between them stretches the fertile valley with low and inviting hills crossed by the Geropotamos river. The Municipality of Mylopotamos is part of the “UNESCO Psiloritis Global Geopark”, a network of protected areas with a special geological heritage, which is under the auspices of UNESCO.
Name origin
The name Mylopotamos comes from one of the three names the river had, due to the existence of many water mills on its banks and in its tributaries. The river was also known as Avlopotamos, due to the formation of large channels (narrows between the mountains or the heights, channels) in the wider area of the settlement of Episkopi. The name Avlopotamos is preserved to this day and characterizes the “Diocese of Rethymno and Avlopotamos” which was created by the merger of the two bishoprics after the patriarchal decision of the year 1831. The name Geropotamos that is currently used for the name of the river comes from the word Hieropotamos where in the spoken language it was transformed into Geropotamos and is connected to the holy place of Idaios Andros, where the sacred waters of rain and snow were channeled into its bed. The name of the river in ancient times was Oaxis from which Axos took its name.
Geology
The area of Mylopotamos is characterized by the alternation of mountainous limestone rocks, soft sediments and yellowish marly limestone in the lowlands and shale and phyllitic-halite rocks of the northern coast. In the wider area of the municipality there are important geological formations which contribute to the presence of karst formations. In the Municipality of Mylopotamos, 157 caves, 24 caves, 10 caverns and 6 sinkholes have been recorded.
Economy
The dominant branches of the local rural economy are animal husbandry, agriculture and fishing with minor economic importance compared to the previous ones.
In the mountainous areas of Psiloritis and Tallaia, livestock farms are mostly family-owned and produce products of high quality and nutritional value such as meat, cheese and dairy products. Animal husbandry is a dominant activity which also shows significant prospects.
The main product of vegetable production is olive oil, followed by raisins. The area is also famous for the cultivation of citrus fruits, such as oranges, tangerines, but mainly for the cultivation of citrus. Sises is known for oranges, Veni for cherries, Garazo for citrus and Aloides for table grapes. Also important is the operation of small workshops of the local craft tradition, such as pottery, woodcarving and weaving and embroidery workshops with products available on the local market and to a small extent channeled to markets outside the region.
Cises and Aloides have worldwide exclusivity in the collection of Cistus criticus L. in the traditional way. The painstaking collection of the resin secreted by this small evergreen shrub is a source of income for the inhabitants of Mylopotamos, who are also called “”aladanarides””. The resin is attached to the “”argastiri””, a kind of improvised whip, about 1m long, which has at one end a wooden bow on which 50-60 cm long plastic (formerly leather) straps have been tied. and then scraped off and stored in pliable balls of about one kilo.
In the mountainous areas of Psiloritis and Tallaia, livestock farms are mostly family-owned and produce products of high quality and nutritional value such as meat, cheese and dairy products. Animal husbandry is a dominant activity which also shows significant prospects.
The main product of vegetable production is olive oil, followed by raisins. The area is also famous for the cultivation of citrus fruits, such as oranges, tangerines, but mainly for the cultivation of citrus. Sises is known for oranges, Veni for cherries, Garazo for citrus and Aloides for table grapes. Also important is the operation of small workshops of the local craft tradition, such as pottery, woodcarving and weaving and embroidery workshops with products available on the local market and to a small extent channeled to markets outside the region.
Cises and Aloides have worldwide exclusivity in the collection of Cistus criticus L. in the traditional way. The painstaking collection of the resin secreted by this small evergreen shrub is a source of income for the inhabitants of Mylopotamos, who are also called “”aladanarides””. The resin is attached to the “”argastiri””, a kind of improvised whip, about 1m long, which has at one end a wooden bow on which 50-60 cm long plastic (formerly leather) straps have been tied. and then scraped off and stored in pliable balls of about one kilo.