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Fortress · Spinalonga islet, Gulf of Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Spinalonga Fortress

Φρούριο Σπιναλόγκας · Σπιναλόγκα

Spinalonga Fortress is the Venetian fortress built between 1579 and 1586 on the islet of Spinalonga in the Gulf of Elounda, off north-eastern Crete, an island the Cretan State turned into a leprosarium in 1903.

Why go

This record is the fortress, which Hellenic Heritage says the Venetians built between 1579 and 1586 over the ruins of a Hellenistic castle to protect the port of Elounda; the islet, whose ancient name was Kalydon, has no separate XTOUR record, and Hellenic Heritage presents the islet as a whole as the archaeological site. The page says the fortress remained Venetian until the Ottomans breached its walls in 1715, and that in 1903 the Cretan State turned the island into a public leprosarium for people with Hansen's disease. Hellenic Heritage's directions describe boat crossings from Plaka, Elounda or Agios Nikolaos; XTOUR does not map the piers. Its official ticket store lists timed-entry tickets valid for one entry on the selected date and time and says large luggage and food are not permitted.

Near Spinalonga Fortress