Spinalonga Island is located in the eastern part of Crete, near Elounda. Spinalonga is called the "island of lepers", since here until 1957 all those sick with this disease were sent from mainland Greece and Crete. In ancient times, the island was part of the land of Crete, the northern end of the peninsula. At the place where the peninsula connected with Crete, there was the city of Olus, which, as a result of an earthquake, plunged into the sea.
In the time of Byzantium, a fortress stood on the site of the island, but with the arrival of the Arabs on Spinalonga it was destroyed. Today, the “leper island” is visited by thousands of tourists who sail by boat from the cities of Elounda, Agios Nikolaos and Plaka in order to visit abandoned houses.
History of Spinalonga Island
The island appeared at the end of the 16th century, when for the defense and possible invasion from the east, at the end of the peninsula, the Venetians built a fortress and separated it from the rest of the land by a wide canal. The construction of an impregnable structure was completed in 1579. In 1669, after the conquest of Crete by the Turks, the island of Spinalonga was owned by the Venetians for more than 30 years and was a refuge for many Christian families. Only in 1715 he moved to the new rulers. In the late nineteenth century, after Crete was liberated, Turkish subjects found refuge in Spinalonga. To free the island from its former occupiers, the Greek government decides to establish a leper colony here.
The origin of the name of the island
Today, Spinalonga is called not only a small island, but all the other islands combined with a narrow isthmus with Elounda. There is information that Kolokyfa is also called Spinalonga, because it was previously merged with the island. And in fact, the island of Spinalonga is located near Colokytha, and the waters there are shallow. Therefore, it is possible that this piece of land was artificially separated by the Venetians in order to be able to build a fortress on this site. Spinalonga island was named by the Venetian conquerors who did not know the Greek language. They translated the name Olounda as Spinalonte back in the thirteenth century. Then the island received its current name. Of course, it is no coincidence, since the island in Venice had the same name.
Features of the location of the island
Spinalonga Island (Crete) is located in Mirabello Bay. In ancient times, this small island was part of the mainland, but later a thin bridge was destroyed. Even before the Venetians arrived at Spinalonga, a small fortification was already built on this site. The Venetians immediately appreciated all the advantages of the location in the bay of the island and built a full-fledged fortress on this place, which for a long time remained almost impregnable.
Turkish occupation of the island
At that time, in the context of the ongoing struggle for the right to rule in the Mediterranean, occupation was needed. Cyprus was already captured by the Ottoman Empire, and the Turks constantly raided the coast of Crete. But subsequently the island of Spinalonga was captured. Crete was the first to be occupied by the Turks. After the occupation, civilians settled on the island, mainly fishermen. But after the revolution that took place in Crete 150 years later, everything changed dramatically, and on Spinalong, Turkish families escaped from the Cretans, but this did not last long. After the first batch of lepers was brought to the island, it became less inhabited.
Leprozorium on the island
Leprozorium survived on the island even after Crete became part of Greece. Lepers were brought here not only from this country, but also from others. For a long time, the living conditions of patients with leprosy on the island were terrible. They lived in dilapidated houses, not having the opportunity to repair housing. There was not enough money not only for food, but also for drinking water. Only after World War II did the situation change for the better. Prior to this, the island of Spinalonga, whose photo can be viewed below, remained a place of sorrow and tears.
After Crete was occupied by the Nazis, they, fearing to provoke lepers to escape, regularly supplied food to the island. The Germans were so afraid of contracting leprosy that was incurable at that time, that during the entire occupation, not one of them decided to visit the fortress. Because this island was called the "place of freedom" during the Second World War. In 1957, after the discovery of the medicine for leprosy, patients began to leave Spinalonga little by little. There were few photographs of this area at that time, since the inhabitants of Crete for a long time did not dare to visit it because of their fears and prejudices.
How to get to the island
Recently, despite its dismal history, the island of Spinalonga has received rave reviews from visitors to this place. It has become one of the most popular sites in Crete and is one of the five most visited attractions of these places. The fortress of Spinalonga itself is quite well preserved, and a wonderful view of the sea opens from the top of the hill on which it is located. Some of the buildings located on the island have been updated and restored. Cafes and souvenir shops were opened here. There is even a center where you can rent sports equipment.
You can get to the island from Agios Nikolaos, Elounda or Plaka by boat. In the summer, boats transporting and bringing tourists who wish to visit Spinalonga go four times per hour. A ticket costs about ten euros, for children the cost is half as much. Throughout the summer, a boat departs from the port of Elounda every hour, a sea voyage on which, in addition to visiting the island, often includes a tour of Kolokyf.
Also, vacationers can take a boat in the village of Plake, located north of Elounda. From here, the trip takes only ten minutes, since Plaka is directly opposite the island. The cities can be reached by car, heading east from Heraklion towards Agios Nikolaos. You can take advantage of numerous excursion programs, which include not only a trip to Spinalonga, but also lunch in a local tavern, and swimming on the beach of Kolokifa, which is very close to the island.