History
KRASSI, the birthplace of the Alexiou family (Lefteris, Galateia and Elli), is situated at the foot of Selena mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres. It has 180 inhabitants and is 9 kilometres from the centre of the municipality, Malia. At the heart of the village stands an old plane tree. It is 24 metres in circumference and 100 metres in the spread of its branches. It is surrounded by arc-shaped stone drinking fountains, created by artisans at the beginning of the 20th century, which provide cold water throughout most of the year. In the early 20th century, Nikos Kazantzakis, husband of Galateia, Kostas Varnalis, Yorgos Veis, Elli Alexiou and Vassos Daskalakis among others, spent their summers at Krassi as guests of the Alexiou family. Inspired by this literary circle, the Municipality of Malia has been organizing, since 2000, a two-day cultural festival known as the “Krassian Circle” with the participation of important personalities from the world of literature, music and theatre.
The collaboration of the European Translation Centre - Literature and Human Sciences (EKEMEL) with the Municipality of Malia started in the spring of 2009. The House of Literature occupies the village’s renovated stone-built primary school which dates from the last quarter of the 19th century and which operated until 1975. Today the old school has been converted into a guest-house whilst still retaining its architectural features.