Spinalonga afternoon tour

Spinalonga is a small island located in Lasithi , in the province of Mirabello near Elounda . It has also been known as the island of lepers . The ancient name of the island is Caledon but after it was conquered by the Venetians named Spinalonga .

When the Turks invaded Cyprus , the Venetians began fortifying Crete
considering it to be the next target of the Ottomans . Thus began fortifying Spinalonga in 1574 . Finally, the island was occupied in 1715 by the Turks .

Since 1903 , Spinalonga became operational as Leper . Initially only disconnects the Cretans lepers but gradually transferred patients from all over Greece until it finally came to an International Leper .
The virus of leprosy was contagious and apart the absence of treatment. Living conditions were difficult as patients could not cover many times nor their basic needs so that they escape from the island in search of food . In 1948 he was discovered in America in medicine that cured the deadly disease resulting in drastically reduced the number of patients in Spinalonga .

Today Spinalonga has declared an archaeological site . The British author Victoria Hislop has give a special mention as he wrote an entire novel about the island of lepers . The novel is called ” The Island ” , has become a best -seller and has been translated into 14 languages ​​.