Spinalonga

The uninhabited Greek island of Spinalonga (Greek Σπιναλόγκα ( f sg ) ) officially Calydon ( Καλυδών ( f sg ) ) lies in the western Gulf of Mirabello. The island belongs to the territory of the municipality of the village of Elounda Agios Nikolaos in the north- east of the island of Crete.

Although the island in 1954 again received its ancient name of Calydon, the former name from the Venetian period is more commonly used today.

Location

Spinalonga is located just 160 meters from the northern coast of the peninsula located in a key strategic position at the northern entrance of the Gulf of Elounda ( κόλπου της Ελούντας ). The shortest distance to the small coastal village of Plaka is about 750 m.

The maximum length is in north-south direction 440 m, the maximum width is 250 m in the southern part of the island. The highest elevation reached 53 m.

History

Even in ancient times, the island was fortified to protect the ancient port of Olous.

In the ancient ruins, the Venetians built from the late 16th century a mighty fortress. According to Venetian documents, the name of the island originates from the Greek sentence fragment " στην Ελούντα " / " stin Elounda " meaning " to Elounda ". The Venetians were not able to understand the term and so they transferred it into their own language. They called the place " spina lunga " ( German for " long thorn" ); a name as he was also maintained by the local population.

On 4 October 1715 the Ottomans conquered the attachment. With the peace of Passarowitz Spinalonga came in 1718 definitively under Ottoman control. About 600 Christian inhabitants were deported by the Turks and Muslims began to settle.

In 1881, Spinalonga counted 1112 Muslim inhabitants, but with the independence of Crete and with the establishment of a leper colony in 1903 were forced to leave the island. Until 1957, the island leper colony, and thus one of the last leper colonies in Europe. In the context of guided day tours the island can be visited by tourists.