File:20090620_Spinalogka_Elounta_panoramic_view_from_the_mountain.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Spinalonga
Spinalonga () is an island in the Gulf of Elounda, north-eastern Crete, in the municipality of Agios Nikolaos, Lasithi, next to the town of Plaka in the area of Kalydon. It is near the Spinalonga peninsula ("large Spinalonga") – which often causes confusion as the same name is used for both.
Key facts
- Islands.name
- Spinalonga (Kalydon)
- Islands.native_name
- Σπιναλόγκα (Καλυδών)
- Islands.native_name_lang
- el
- Islands.image_name
- 20090620_Spinalogka_Elounta_panoramic_view_from_the_mountain.jpg
- Islands.image_caption
- Panoramic view from the mountain
- Islands.map_image
- GR_Spinalonga.PNG
- Islands.archipelago
- Cretan Islands
- Islands.area_km2
- 0.085
- Islands.country
- Greece
- Islands.country_admin_divisions_title
- Region
- Islands.country_admin_divisions
- Crete
- Islands.country_admin_divisions_title_1
- Regional unit
~20 min read
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Name
- Geography
- History
- Antiquity
- Venetian period (1210-1715)
- Ottoman period (1715-1903)
- Leper colony (1904-1957)
- Early years
- The Brotherhood of the Sick
- Abandonment and Born's research (1962- 2005)
- Tourism and restoration (2005- present)
- Significance
- In popular culture
- Literature
- Film & television
- References
- Sources
- External links
Spinalonga () is an island in the Gulf of Elounda, north-eastern Crete, in the municipality of Agios Nikolaos, Lasithi, next to the town of Plaka in the area of Kalydon. It is near the Spinalonga peninsula ("large Spinalonga") – which often causes confusion as the same name is used for both.
The island was maintained as a fortress for centuries under Venetian rule. It later became a refuge for Muslim families fearing persecution, and finally a leper colony in the early 20th century. It has been uninhabited since 1962; though it has undergone some restoration work in the years since. Today it is the second most visited tourist site in Crete, and sixth in Greece overall.
Gallery (17)
On the map
2 mapped locations
Connections
Categories
16th-century fortifications in GreeceAgios Nikolaos, CreteFormer populated places in GreeceGreek War of IndependenceIslands of GreeceLandforms of LasithiLeper coloniesMedical and health organizations based in GreeceMediterranean islandsStato da MàrUninhabited islands of CreteVenetian fortifications in Crete