The “”Saita”” chimney stack, on Kountourioti Street, is the only surviving monument of the city’s industrial heritage from the 20th century. It is associated with the “”Saita”” textile mill, owned by the Sambethai family, which was founded in 1924, at a time when a great number of Heraklion’s residents were employed in local industrial units.
Following its initial operation, the same factory premises subsequently housed the Textile Mill of Iordanis Magiopolos, operating sizing machines and then the Textile Mill of Christos Ioannidis, which operated both conventional and Jacquard looms. In later years it housed a number of smaller weaving enterprises. Although the factory building itself was demolished in 1990 and replaced by a residential apartment complex, the chimney stack was preserved as a lasting reminder of Heraklion’s industrial past. Today, it stands as a silent witness to the city’s industrial past, its transformation from a rural settlement into an industrial hub and, ultimately, into the modern urban hub it is today, thus playing an important role in preserving the collective memory and historical identity of the city.
Address: Kountouriotou Str.
