Iraklion gains its very own cultural title
Crete and its university have enjoyed a very good reputation in the field of new technology for years now; hence it is not surprising that the first DVD about the history and civilization of a modern Greek city comes from the Cretan city of Iraklion. The Municipality of Iraklion took the initiative – one should not forget Iraklion is an Olympic city – and the idea was materialized by the Multimedia Workshop of the University of Crete, in collaboration with the Municipality’s Planning and Organizing Department, and the Bureau of the Venetian Walls and the Old Town. The bilingual DVD, called «Iraklion, a City, a History,» is divided into six thematic units: «Panorama» is dedicated to modern Iraklion and «Time» deals with the city’s historical evolution, while «Space» is about Iraklion’s important monuments and architectural landmarks. Cretan civilization shines in «Tradition,» through clothes, folk architecture, nutrition, handcrafts and music, and «Distances» probes into the city’s particular atmosphere with the help of literary texts. «Gallery» takes the user on a guided tour around a visual museum in the area of the Fort, the Venetian castle situated at the city’s entrance, and «Annex» contains the biographical notes and explanations of words and scientific terms, as well as texts from archives and historical sources. There is also a three-dimensional digital reconstruction of the Venetian harbor and the city walls. The film’s director, Giorgos Papakonstantinou, said that it is the first time a Greek city is acquiring a purely cultural title, although previous attempts have been made for Athens and other tourist areas. Regarding the structure of the DVD, the idea of a static depiction with texts and images was rejected. On the contrary, users have access to different levels of information: «The aim was for the screen to constantly refer the user to many different sources.» The DVD will be available free of charge from the Municipality of Iraklion but will not be put toward commercial use, therefore do not look for it in stores.
