SPINALONGA ISLAND
According to Venetian documents, the name of the island originated in the Greek expression “to
Elounda”. The Venetians could not understand the expression, so they familiarised it using their own
language and called it spina “thorn” longa “long”, an expression that was also maintained by the
locals. The Venetians were inspired for this expression by the name of an island near Venice called
by the same name and which is known today as the island of Giudecca.
The island was used as a leper colony from 1903 to 1957. There were 2 entrances to Spinalonga,
one being the lepers entrance, a tunnel known as “ Dante’s Gate”. This was so named because the
patients did not know what was going to happen to them once they arrived. Spinalonga was one of
the last active leper colonies in Europe.