Timbakion: Discovering Memory and History

Those who look to Timbakion (Tympáki) for its history encounter two distinct time horizons: the memory of the German occupation in the town and much older remains in nearby Agia Triada. These topics do not tell the same story. Together, they offer a point of reference for travellers who like to give their stay a historical focus: the town’s 20th-century history sits alongside the archaeological and architectural developments of antiquity.

Commemorating the Occupation

During the German occupation from 1941 to 1945, after the Germans evacuated it, Tympáki was all but razed to the ground. Only a few buildings remained, to serve as accommodation for the German occupying forces. These events form a defining chapter in the town’s history; the account includes both the limited number of surviving buildings and the scale of the destruction.

Every year on the second Sunday in February, a commemorative event is held in Tympáki. It recalls events from the occupation and aims to preserve a shared historical memory. The date and occasion give the subject a fixed place in the annual calendar. If you would like to include the event in your travel plans, check the date in advance.

The Long History of Agia Triada

Nearby Agia Triada offers a perspective that reaches much further back in time. Settlement remains and tombs show that the site was already inhabited in the third millennium BC. These two types of evidence point to early settlement, not to a single building. They offer a different view of the area’s history from the remembrance of the occupation.

A villa in Agia Triada was built around 1600 BC and destroyed in the 15th century BC. A Mycenaean palace was later built on its ruins, dating from the 14th to the 11th century BC. A settlement with a colonnaded hall, known as an agora, was also built north of the villa. This sequence makes it possible to distinguish what belonged to the villa, what was later built on its ruins, and the additional settlement feature to the north. For history enthusiasts, the changes over several centuries provide a thread to follow, rather than just a single construction date.

The single-nave Church of Saint George in Agia Triada adds another historical layer. It was built during Venetian rule in the 14th century AD and is located close to Tympáki. It therefore belongs to a different period from the villa, its destruction and the Mycenaean palace. Its date and single-nave design help place the church as a distinct part of the area’s historical setting.

For your travel plans, there are two distinct areas of focus: commemorating the occupation in Tympáki, or exploring the long archaeological and architectural history of nearby Agia Triada. If you are travelling with children and would like to put history into context together, the different dates can provide a starting point for conversation. When looking for a holiday apartment in Timbakion, you can consider which of these historical themes you would like to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Kato Loutraki, Achlada, Zaros, Finikia, Pentamodi, Elea, Kastelli, Chersonisos

See the overview of the wider travel area: Heraklion.