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n spite of its long and turbulent history, today Spinalonga is mainly known as the Leper Island.
In 1903, a leper colony was established on Spinalonga, to isolate people suffering from Hansen’s Disease from the healthy population.
The cure for leprosy had not yet been discovered, and the contagious disease was regarded with horror. Hansenites, as lepers are known, were quarantined in leper colonies outside towns, living off the charity of passers-by.