Kroustas

In the mountains south of Agios Nikolaos, over 300 dwelling sites, datable mainly to the Minoan Protopalatian period,ca.1900-1650 BCE, were arranged isolated but not more than 300 m apart from each other, interconnected with network of paths. House foundations were built with massive block masonry, and long enclosure-walls claim areas of several acres for each house, including arable and rocky land. The setting and massive construction of these enclosure, originally more than a meter high (total length ca 150 km), show that they belonged to the sites. The round structures often accompanying these installations are unusual features in Minoan archaeology.

77 of these sites are situated in the area of the park (future size ca. 4 km²), with 20 of the ruins still standing 1,5 m or higher.

The park, at ca. 800 m height, offers marked paths through the cool forest along which many of the –unexcavated so far-Middle Bronze Age ruins can be visited. Shepherd installations of the Cretan pre-industrial phase ca also be seen –together with all the manifold flora and fauna of the Mediterranean mountain forest.

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