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Galana is an abandoned settlement in Karystia, situated between the settlements of Chania and Paradisi. It is located on the elevation of the southeastern side of a small amphitheatrical valley. Galana has been abandoned and deregistered since the mid-20th century. The last residence was built in 1946. The remaining houses, preserved as ruins, were built in the second half of the 19th century.
According to testimonies from older marble workers, Galana had 100 inhabitants in the first half of the 20th century. The exact year of the settlement's creation is unknown, but the area has always been, and remains, a focal point for agricultural and livestock activities due to its terrain.
Unique Architecture
The entire region of Karystia features unique architectural elements based on the use of stone, wood, and unbaked clay. However, Galana possesses additional unique characteristics not found in other settlements of the area, possibly defined by its specific terrain and the tight, unusually limited geographical core of the settlement.
Orientation
The orientation of the houses is south-southwest, while the large northwestern openings with views of the valley were eventually closed due to strong winds.
Layout
Like the rest of rural Karystia, the residences consist of two main rooms surrounded by other structures, such as a room enclosing the wood oven, pigsty, chicken coop, storage areas, etc.
One or both rooms had a basement under their wooden floor, and one of the rooms had a wooden mezzanine. As is customary in the area, the downhill constructions form large balconies in front of the two main rooms of the house.
Doors and Windows
Openings were made with wooden lintels or arched wedged stones. The frames were wooden, and only traces of them survive. It is unknown if they had glass windows.
Roofs
The roofs, like throughout rural Karystia, consist of a cypress trunk in the middle of each room, placed parallel to the facade of the building. Chestnut beams or Mediterranean cedar beams are placed on either side of the trunk, and split chestnut wood or reeds are laid parallel to the trunk. Straw is carefully laid on top, and finally, a stone roller compacts finely sieved clay. All buildings have a peripheral stone eave made of local schist, protruding up to 20 centimetres, with minimal outward slope, and usually placed at the same depth as the wall.
Other Architectural Elements
The houses have large fireplaces built in the southeastern corners on curved trunks. The walls have niches of all sizes, and in external areas near or on either side of the entrances, there are slate shelves, which in the Cyclades are called "soulantza". One of the houses has niches indicating the presence of an external pergola..
Threshing Floor
A large threshing floor is located at a higher point right above the settlement.
Cobbled Path
Many parts of the path connecting the settlement of Paradisi with Galana are paved or carved into the rock.
Olive Press and Mill
An abandoned olive press and mill are located nearby, within which all the equipment, presses, mills, etc., are preserved.
A Unique Heritage
Despite its proximity to asphalt roads and wind turbines, the Galana settlement and the surrounding area retain a unique wealth and character. It represents a heritage that, beyond its natural beauty, provides unique evidence of the cultural wealth of the area, the everyday life of its people, and their productive activities.
Immediate Danger of Total Destruction
The location of Galana has been included in the planning for the installation of wind turbines. The relevant environmental study has been approved, and work may begin at any moment.
This significant heritage, which we owe to deliver to future generations and to develop as a focal point for healthy growth in the area, is at risk of being obliterated by the construction of eight-meter roads and the installation of wind turbine poles even at distances as close as 100 meters from the settlement (the height of such a pole with its blades reaches 120 meters).
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