"The Island", one of the best seller books in 2009 is being brought to life in a big-budget production by MegaChannel, which will premiere on Monday, October 11 at 9.50 p.m. The homonym TV series is based on the novel “The Island” (To Nisi in Greek) written by the British writer and journalist Victoria Hislop, whose patent love for the island of Crete and her engaging writing have captured approximately 850,000 readers just in the UK. The rights of the book were sold to more than 17 countries. The renowned script writer Mirella Papaoikonomou took over the difficult task to adapt the book for the TV, creating a new TV series, expected to be the most expensive production ever made in the history of the Greek TV programs. The ambitious project is estimated to cost 150,000 euros per episode.
Spinalonga and Plaka
Spinalonga is a small dot on the map, located off the Northern Coast of the island of Crete. Spinalonga is very close to Elounda and boats take thousands of tourists to this island - fortress, which became a leper colony from 1903 to 1957.
Plaka, the fishing village had nothing to do with the leper colony, but the facts prove that the two places were actually pretty much associated, relying heaving the one on the other.
Leprosy was a loathed disease, because according to the religion, it was a disease of the unclean and cursed people, thus, many lepers were sent to Spinalonga, living as exiled people under terrible conditions.
Lepers in Spinalonga
Of course, during the 50s when Medicine discovered that leprosy is actually the result of bacteria, the disease became treatable and not so feared anymore. It was then that Spinalonga stopped being the “lepers’ island or prison”.
The inhabitants of Plaka, during these 50 years of the colony, were earning their income from the leper colony, creating a rather unusual and fearsome bond with the lepers.
The island of Spinalonga is deserted nowadays. There are no people and the silence echoes heavily all along the place, reminding even today the painful years and the uncanny conditions and atmosphere of their lives on the island.
When visiting the island of Spinalonga the abandonment and desolation are evident, however, it feels as if the people who lived there have left something of their aura behind.
Plaka, the fishing village had nothing to do with the leper colony, but the facts prove that the two places were actually pretty much associated, relying heaving the one on the other.
Leprosy was a loathed disease, because according to the religion, it was a disease of the unclean and cursed people, thus, many lepers were sent to Spinalonga, living as exiled people under terrible conditions.
Lepers in Spinalonga
Of course, during the 50s when Medicine discovered that leprosy is actually the result of bacteria, the disease became treatable and not so feared anymore. It was then that Spinalonga stopped being the “lepers’ island or prison”.
The inhabitants of Plaka, during these 50 years of the colony, were earning their income from the leper colony, creating a rather unusual and fearsome bond with the lepers.
The island of Spinalonga is deserted nowadays. There are no people and the silence echoes heavily all along the place, reminding even today the painful years and the uncanny conditions and atmosphere of their lives on the island.
When visiting the island of Spinalonga the abandonment and desolation are evident, however, it feels as if the people who lived there have left something of their aura behind.
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