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ABOUT US

At the start of the 20th century, George Palamianakis learns the art of making knives in Chania town on the island of Crete. Some years later, he makes the decision to start his own business in Heraklion city, where he teaches his son his trade. In the seventies, Nikolaos Palamianakis starts to produce a new design on the knives and daggers, inspired by Cretan mythology and tradition. In 2002, a new factory is established in Hamoprina, Heraklion. That factory is filled by state of the art machines which in combination with the traditional techniques, produces new products.

HISTORY OF THE CRETAN KNIFE

One of the first tools built by man and that helped him to survive in the long and difficult period at the dawn of civilization, was the knife. For its construction, the shape of the claws of wild animals who hunted and killed its prey, was mimicked. In the Minoan Age of Crete, they produced remarkable examples of such knives. There is a display in the Historical Museum of Crete of a statue of a Sitian warrior holding this knife. The need for defense on the large island of Crete during the Classical Era, resulted in the development of metallurgy and extension in the production of these weapons. In the Roman times, Romans developed a bitter experience in the fighting abilities of the Cretan warriors.

During the Middle Ages written documents about the Psaromilingon revolution against the Venetians gives us evidence for the use of knives for military purposes. During this period, Heraklion knife shops that existed are still in existence today. During the Ottoman period, the metallurgists of Crete produced excellently crafted knives used in the revolution against the Turks. The practical martial value of the Cretan knife continues in our century, since it has proved to be a necessary tool in the military dependence of the Cretans in both the First and Second World War. The knife symbolizes bravery and the fighting spirit of Crete against their occupiers.