- The Spinalonga Peninsular guards the entrance to the Harbour of Elounda in Crete, and an ancient Fortress on a rock overlooked the port.
- In 1526 the Venetians cut away the Rock on the Peninsular of Spinalonga and turned the Fortress into an island. The island was renamed Kalydon in 1954.
The Fortress of Spinalonga, Crete
- Between c. 3,000-900 BCE, Spinalonga had a Bronze Age Fortress to defend the ancient port city of Olous, modern Elounda.
- Between 1579-1718 Spinalonga was a Venetian Fortress, in a sea controlled by the Ottoman Empire.
Leper Colony
- From 1903, Spinalonga became a Leper Colony for all suffering from Leprosy in Greece. It was closed in 1957.
- Books about the Leper Colony:
- The Island
- by Victoria Hislop. The book describes the relationship between two sisters and life in the Leper Colony.
- Yannis
- by Beryl Darby. The book describes the life of the Lepers on the Island.
- The Island
Spinalonga Fortress