Summary

Greece's Culture Ministry has sent the municipality of Apokoronas a formal proposal to designate the Armenoi Springs as a protected historic site, marking a major milestone in a long campaign to keep the springs public and free from private development. Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis called it the result of years of persistent institutional effort backed by broad community support. A public consultation on the precise boundaries of the protected area is expected to begin at the end of August 2026, after which the municipality can move forward with the compulsory purchase of the land.

Armenoi Springs: Historic protection finally within reach

For the people of Apokoronas, the Armenoi Springs are far more than a natural landmark — they are a piece of the region's soul. Now, after years of campaigning, the Greek Culture Ministry has taken a concrete step toward giving them the legal protection they deserve.

The Ministry's Directorate for the Protection and Restoration of Modern Monuments has formally sent the municipality of Apokoronas a proposal to designate the Armenoi Springs as a protected historic site. The accompanying topographic survey maps out exactly which area would fall under protection. Once the process is complete and the decision is published in the official government gazette, the springs will be shielded from any form of private exploitation — permanently.

A long fight, finally moving forward

Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis described the announcement as the fruit of years of determined, documented work. He has personally tracked the case from the beginning, maintaining continuous contact with the Ministry of Culture's heritage services in Heraklion and with Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, whose support he singled out for special thanks. The issue has been raised repeatedly in public life, debated across the community, and even reached the floor of the Greek Parliament.

The municipality's approach throughout has been methodical: building a documented case, working through official channels, and waiting for the institutions to respond. That patience has now paid off.

What happens next

Two processes are now running in parallel, and together they will unlock the next big step:

End of August 2026: A public consultation on the precise delineation and management plan for the springs area is expected to open

After the consultation: The official historic site designation will be signed and published in the government gazette

Following designation: The municipality will move ahead with the compulsory purchase of the land, in line with a unanimous decision already passed by the Apokoronas municipal council

What this means for the community

Once all three steps are complete, the Armenoi Springs will be secured as a living public space — historical, environmental, and cultural all at once. The aim is a place that residents, visitors, children, and grandchildren can enjoy for generations to come, without the threat of private fencing or commercial development hanging over it.

For anyone who wants to have their say, the public consultation at the end of August will be the moment to engage. The municipality is expected to announce the process through its official channels.

As the mayor put it: "The Armenoi Springs do not belong to us — we have borrowed them from future generations, and we have a duty, together with the people of Apokoronas, to hand them back protected, free, and alive."

PRESS RELEASE Armenoi Springs: "The hour of protection and vindication. A historic site passes to the next generations. A great step so that the springs remain alive, public and forever in Apokoronas."

August 13, 2026, 2:06 PM

With particular satisfaction, the Mayor of Apokoronas announces the important development for Apokoronas that has occurred regarding the protection and promotion of the historic Armenoi Springs as a historic site by the Directorate for the Protection and Restoration of Modern and Contemporary Monuments of the Ministry of Culture. By means of a document from the competent service of the Ministry of Culture, the proposal for the delineation of the area of the Armenoi Springs for its designation as a Historic Site is transmitted to the Municipality of Apokoronas, as depicted in the accompanying topographic survey. This is a substantive institutional step, as the process now moves toward the next stages, with the aim of signing and publishing the relevant decision in the Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ).

As the Mayor of Apokoronas, Mr. Koukianakis, states, today's development is the result of a persistent, documented and institutionally organised effort by the Municipal Authority, as well as a steadfast demand of the society of Apokoronas to protect a place that constitutes a part of our history and identity. From the very first moment I personally undertook to closely monitor the matter, with continuous interventions and communication with the competent Services for Modern Monuments of Heraklion and the Ministry of Culture. I wish to make particular reference to the sincere and substantive communication I had with the Minister of Culture, Ms. Lina Mendoni, as well as to her support and solidarity in our effort to protect and promote the Armenoi Springs. The issue has repeatedly occupied the local community, has been raised publicly and has even reached the Hellenic Parliament. From the very beginning, the Municipality chose the path of documentation, cooperation and institutional interventions and at the end of August the process of delineation and settlement of the Springs is also expected to be put out for public consultation. The combination of these two developments now creates the preconditions for the unanimous decision of the Municipal Council of Apokoronas regarding the compulsory acquisition of the property to move forward.

Continuing, the Mayor of Apokoronas states that the designation as a Historic Site, the delineation and settlement of the Springs, the compulsory acquisition, the protection and promotion constitute a plan that is now beginning to take shape. The Armenoi Springs are life, history, memory, culture, the identity of Apokoronas, which is why our goal is to protect them from any private exploitation. The goal is to safeguard their public character, to protect and promote them, so that they constitute a living historical, environmental and cultural core for Apokoronas — a space that our children, our grandchildren and the generations to come will be able to discover, visit and enjoy.

In conclusion, the Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, declared: "Today is an important day for Apokoronas and for all those who over all these years have fought, spoken and demanded that the Armenoi Springs be protected. The proposal for their delineation for designation as a Historic Site is a great and substantive step, it vindicates an effort that was made with persistence, institutional seriousness and, above all, with the support of the local community.

The Armenoi Springs are a place that carries the history, the memory and the soul of Apokoronas, and the society of Apokoronas has shown clearly that it wants this place protected, public and alive. This is the will we also serve institutionally, with a plan and with actions. With the delineation and settlement of the Springs, which is expected to be put out for public consultation at the end of August, the preconditions are created for us to proceed with the implementation of the unanimous decision of the Municipal Council regarding the compulsory acquisition of the property.

The Armenoi Springs do not belong to us — we have borrowed them from the next generations and we have a duty, together with the society of Apokoronas, to hand them over protected, free and alive."