"Krousona, beautiful village, you are a jewel to me
Because you are the place I love, the place that gave birth to me ".
The large village of Krousonas is located at the eastern foothills of Psiloritis and is amphitheatrically built close to Plagia, Koupos and Livadiotis hills. It is situated at an altitude of 460 meters, has about 2,850 permanent residents and is 21 kilometres from Heraklion. At an altitude of 920 metres, the Livadi Plateau stands out with its abundant groundwaters.
The name of the village is considered ancient Greek, and according to local tradition, the name Krousonas existed as an ancient place name. According to this tradition, the Kourites' (ancient inhabitants') struggles occurred in the area. During the fights, the blows of the weapons and the bangs on the shields were so intense that, as a result, the name Krousonas was given, which means "the place of the blows". Others etymologise the name from koursos-krousos, koursevo. Today in Crete, it is used in the phrase: "Krousos is the village", which means "deserted" (what happened during the raids of the pirates). The residents report that the village's old name was "Kyria Gonia". This name was associated with its morphological position, which formed an angle.
In 1374, Krousonas was mentioned in a contract of the notary of Chandakas, Leon Marcello, and was a manor of Marcus Jystinion. In 1577, it was referred to as Chrussona by scientist Francis Barozzi (Fr. Barozzi), while in 1583, it was mentioned as Crussona in the Castle Guardian's census. It has been referred to as Krousonas since 1881.
In the village with the traditional houses, the visitor can see three old stone fountains: the old upper fountain, the lower old fountain and the fountain, which has been supplying water to the area since 1900. Also, the Museum of Traditional Instruments "THYRATHEN", with remarkable objects, is in the village.
Of particular archaeological interest is the Koupos hill located south of the village. At this point, archaeologist Stefanos Xanthoudidis found the remains of the walls of an extensive settlement dating from the Mycenaean or Geometric times and buildings and several objects in 1906.
In Krousonas, there are many churches of historical and archaeological interest. Specifically, the visitor can see the temples of Agios Charalambos (who is also the patron saint of the village), Panagia Kera, Agios Georgios and Agia Triada. Also, Krousonas is the village with one of the oldest associations in the prefecture of Heraklion. We refer to the Cultural Association of Krousonas "NEA GENIA", which was founded in 1975 with a significant contribution to the cultural events of the place. Every year, in September, it organises the Apple Festival in the central square of the village (Agia Triada square). A special place is occupied by "Krousaniotissa", the first women's agricultural home-technical cooperative in the municipality of Heraklion, founded in 1999.
