Spinalonga

Kreta · Grekland · Fortress

The sick entered through Dante's Gate and left the island only in death — their whispers are said to linger in the lanes.

The lepers brought to Spinalonga entered through Dante's Gate, a dark tunnel through the Venetian fortress wall, and most left the island only as corpses. Visitors in the crumbling lanes still describe whispers between the houses, an oppressive presence and a peculiar sorrow that settles on anyone who lingers too long in the colony's empty quarters.

The islet off Elounda in Crete was Greece's leper colony from 1903 to 1957 — known locally as the island of the living dead. Even so, the exiles built a community here, with shops, a café and a church. Spinalonga is now one of Crete's most visited sights, but the gate's name has stayed with it. When the colony closed in 1957 the priest remained a further five years, to complete the memorial rites for all the dead.

FAQ

Wo befindet sich Spinalonga?

Spinalonga liegt in Kreta, Grekland.