Fortress Spinalonga
Spinalonga is located in a strategically important position at the northern entrance of the Gulf of Elounda (κόλπου της Ελούντας), just 160 meters from the northern coast of the peninsula of the same name. The shortest distance to the small coastal village of Plaka is about 750 meters. The island’s maximum length in the north-south direction is 440 meters, and its greatest width is 250 meters at the southern part of the island. The highest point reaches 53 meters.
The island can be reached by boat from Agios Nikolaos in one hour, from Elounda in 20 minutes, and from Plaka in 10 minutes. There are two entrances to Spinalonga: the original main gate in the middle of the island’s west coast, facing Plaka, and a tunnel at the southern tip, known as Dante’s Gate. At the southern tip, there are tourist facilities and a dock that serves as a mooring point for boats.
In antiquity, the island was fortified to protect the ancient harbor of Olous. During the Arab occupation of Crete starting in the 9th century AD, Olous was abandoned, and the harbor was only sporadically used until the Venetian rule. The tradition that the island served as a fortress against Arab attacks in the early 9th century cannot be substantiated.
Venetian Rule
On the ancient ruins, the Venetians built a powerful fortress from the late 16th century. Following the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, the Venetian Senate approved an extensive fortress construction program for Crete in 1571. The harbor of Spinalonga was also to be protected by the construction of a fortress on the island of the same name, in order to secure the export of salt from the salt pans established there. The first works began in 1578, when military engineer Genese Bressani was entrusted with the planning and execution of the fortifications. His design included the construction of a ring wall along the coastline and a square at the highest point of the island, which was to serve as an artillery position, as well as other buildings that were initially not implemented due to financial constraints. The construction of the ring wall was carried out between 1579 and 1583 by local workers. During the first phase, three half-bastions and the Moceniga Demi-lune in the south, as well as the Michiel Demi-lune at the northern tip, were built. In 1584, engineer and military commander of Crete, Latino Orsini, upon visiting the island, realized that the island could easily be attacked from the hills to the south of the Spinalonga Peninsula. He then had the rocky hill crest of the island fortified with a wall between 1585 and 1586, connecting it with the ring wall via traversing walls in the northeast and southwest.
During the first years of the war for Crete (1640–1659), the fortifications were further expanded. Among other things, earthworks were carried out, the ring wall was completed, and gunports were added to the fortifications. As early as 1647, Spinalonga became a refuge for refugees and rebels from the Ottoman-ruled eastern part of Crete. These, together with the Venetian garrison, defended the island against the Ottoman siege. Even after the fall of Candia in 1669, Spinalonga, along with the islands of Gramvousa and Souda, remained under Venetian control. It was not until October 4, 1715, that the Ottomans captured the fortress. After a three-month blockade, the island’s supplies were exhausted, and the Venetian commander Zuan Francesco Giustiniani had to surrender the fortress to the Grand Admiral Kapudan Pasha. The capitulation agreement stipulated that civilians could either leave the island with their belongings or stay on the island as subjects of the Sultan. It also included the right for the remaining Christians on the island to maintain an Orthodox church. Furthermore, the Venetian soldiers were guaranteed safe passage. With the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718, Spinalonga came under full Ottoman control. After the Venetians left, 616 inhabitants were imprisoned and sold as slaves. Following this, Muslims began settling on the island.
Ottoman Rule
Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the fortress had little military significance. On the island, approximately 200 Ottoman soldiers lived alongside Muslim families who had settled there permanently for security reasons. Thus, a small military settlement grew, which, after the end of Ottoman rule, served as an exile for other Muslim families. In 1821, there were 20 families, or about 250 people, living on Spinalonga. At the end of the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century, the island’s economic development stagnated due to the trade restrictions imposed on Crete. The Muslim inhabitants of Spinalonga lived in isolation on the island, with little contact with the Christian population on the mainland.
As part of reforms initiated in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century, the harbor of Spinalonga was granted trading rights in 1856. The increased trade at the harbor further raised the island’s population density. During the Cretan Uprising of 1878, Spinalonga was one of the few remaining places under Ottoman control. In 1879, the island became an independent municipality, with 1,112 Muslim inhabitants recorded in 1881.
During the Greco-Turkish War, the island was attacked by Greek Orthodox insurgents on February 24, 1897. After a few hours, a French warship intervened to stop the attack, which had damaged the fortress, destroyed several buildings, and resulted in around 30 people being wounded or killed. Following the establishment of the Cretan State under pressure from the great powers—France, Russia, Britain, and Italy—French troops were stationed on the island. Likely due to the new administration under Christians, many Muslim inhabitants emigrated to Asia Minor in the following years. With the establishment of a leper colony, the last Muslim inhabitants of Spinalonga were forced to leave in 1903.
Use as a Leper Colony
The Cretan State decided to forcibly relocate all people with leprosy in Crete to Spinalonga. The first 251 leprosy patients arrived on the island on October 13, 1904. After Crete’s union with Greece in 1913, additional patients from all parts of the country followed. Initially, the patients lived under the most difficult conditions on the island, occupying the old houses of the Muslim settlement. It was only in the 1930s that conditions began to improve due to various initiatives.
By 1935, around 300 patients were living on Spinalonga. Each week, approximately one patient would die, and one new patient would arrive on the island. In 1939, new buildings were constructed with state funds, and a ring road was built around the island, which resulted in parts of the fortress wall being destroyed.
From 1948 onwards, the introduction of new medications on Spinalonga led to higher rates of recovery. At this point, cured patients were allowed to leave the island. By 1957, Spinalonga was a leper station and one of the last leper colonies in Europe. The last resident, a priest, left the island in 1962.
Spinalonga Today
After the closure of the leper colony, Spinalonga remained uninhabited. The fortress and many of the buildings were damaged by looting. In 1963, the island was placed under the management of the Greek National Tourism Organization. In the 1970s, efforts to develop the island for tourism began, and it was granted the status of an “Archaeological Site.” Most of the buildings constructed during the leper colony era were demolished, and initial restoration work was carried out.
Since 1997, extensive conservation and restoration projects for the fortress and buildings have been funded with EU funds. Today, the island is open to tourists for daytime visits from early April to the end of October.