Crit. Spinalonga Island

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The island of Spinalonga is located in the eastern part of Crete, not far from Elounda. Spinalonga is called the "island of lepers", since until 1957 all those who fell ill with this disease were sent here 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 Olous, which, as a result of an earthquake, plunged into the sea.

During Byzantine times, a fortress stood on the site of the island, but with the arrival of the Arabs on Spinalonga, it was destroyed. Today, the island of lepers is visited by thousands of tourists who sail by boat from Elounda, Agios Nikolaos and Plaka to visit the abandoned houses.

History of Spinalonga

The island appeared at the end of the 16th century, when for defense and a 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 with a wide channel. The construction of the impregnable structure was completed in 1579. In 1669, after the conquest of Crete by the Turks,the island of Spinalonga was in the possession of the Venetians for more than 30 years and was a refuge for many Christian families. Only in 1715 did he pass to the new rulers. At the end of the nineteenth century, after Crete was liberated, Turkish subjects found their refuge in Spinalonga. To liberate the island from the former invaders, the Greek government decides to establish a leper colony here.

Origin of the name of the island

Today, Spinalonga is called not only a small island, but also all the other islands, united with Elounda by a narrow isthmus. There is information that Kolokytha is also called Spinalonga, because it was previously united with the island. And in fact, the island of Spinalonga is located near Kolokitha, and the waters there are shallow. Therefore, it is quite possible that this piece of land was artificially separated by the Venetians in order to be able to build a fortress on this site. The island was named Spinalonga by the Venetian conquerors, who did not know the Greek language. They translated the name Olounda as Spinalonte as early as the thirteenth century. Then the island got its current name. Of course, it is no coincidence, since the island in Venice also had the same name.

Features of the location of the island

The island of Spinalonga (Crete) is located in Mirabello Bay. In ancient times, this small island was part of the mainland, but later the thin bridge was destroyed. Even before the arrival of the Venetians on Spinalonga, a small fortification had already been built on this site. The Venetians immediately appreciated all the advantages of being located in the bayislands 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 dominate the Mediterranean Sea, the occupation was needed. Cyprus had already been captured by the Ottoman Empire, and the Turks were constantly raiding the coast of Crete. But later the island of Spinalonga was also captured. Crete was the first to be occupied by the Turks. After the occupation, civilians settled on the island, mostly fishermen. But after the revolution that took place in Crete 150 years later, everything changed dramatically, and on Spinalonga, Turkish families fled from the Cretans, but this did not last long. After the first batch of lepers was brought to the island, it became sparsely inhabited.

Leper colony on the island

The leprosarium was preserved 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, living conditions for patients with leprosy on the island were nightmarish. They lived in dilapidated houses, unable to repair housing. There was not enough money not only for food, but also for drinking water. Only after the Second World War did the situation change slightly for the better. Before that, the island of Spinalonga, the photo of which can be seen 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 islandnutrition. The Germans were so afraid of contracting leprosy, which was incurable at that time, that during the entire occupation, not one of them dared to visit the fortress. Therefore, this island was called the "place of freedom" during the Second World War. In 1957, after the discovery of a cure for leprosy, patients began to gradually leave Spinalonga. 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 gloomy history, the island of Spinalonga has received enthusiastic reviews from tourists who have visited this place. It has become one of the most popular objects of Crete and is one of the five most visited attractions in these places. The fortress of Spinalonga itself is quite well preserved, and from the top of the hill on which it is located, a wonderful view of the sea opens up. Some of the buildings located on the island have been renovated and restored. There are cafes and souvenir shops 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 that take and bring tourists who want to visit Spinalonga run four times an hour. A ticket costs about ten euros, for children the cost is half that. 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 Kolokitha.

Also, vacationers can take a boat in the village of Plaka, located north of Elounda. From here, the trip will only take ten minutes, as Plaka is right in front of the island. The cities can be reached by your own car, heading east from Heraklion towards Agios Nikolaos. You can also take advantage of numerous excursion programs, which include not only a trip to Spinalonga, but also lunch at a local tavern, and swimming on the beach of Kolokytha, located very close to the island.