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Spinalonga

File:20090620_Spinalogka_Elounta_panoramic_view_from_the_mountain.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Spinalonga

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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
Islands.country_admin_divisions_1
Lasithi
Islands.country_admin_divisions_title_2
Municipality
Islands.population
0
Islands.population_as_of
2001

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Population
0
Area
0.085
Elevation
54
Image
20090620 Spinalogka Elounta panoramic view from the mountain.jpg
Width
0.250
Length
0.440
Show 3 more facts
Commons category
Spinalonga
native label
Σπιναλόγκα
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~20 min read

Article

18 sections
Contents
  • 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

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