- Elounda
Infobox Greek Dimos
name = Elounda
name_local = Ελούντα
periph =Crete
prefec =Lasithi
elevation = 5
caption_skyline = Elounda overlook
city_
city_
mayor =
party =
since =
population_as_of =
population =
area =
lat_deg = 35
lat_min = 16
lon_deg = 25
lon_min = 43
postal_code = 720 53
area_code = 28410
licence = ΑΝ
website = [http://www.aghiosnikolaos.gr/elounda www.aghiosnikolaos.gr/elounda]Elounda (Greek: Ελούντα, alternative transliteration "Elounta" or "Elouda", road-sign transliteration "Elounda" or "Elounta") is a small fishing town on the bay of Elounda, on the northern coast of the island of
Crete ,Greece . It is part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos (Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος), and the prefecture ofLassithi (Greek: Λασίθι). It is popular withEurope an tourists and has several hotels. Elounda is also the closest major town to the formerleper colony ofSpinalonga , located on an island officially named Kalydon ( _el. Καλυδών), located at the entrance of the Bay of Elounda, a lake-like body of water enclosed by mainland Crete and the peninsula ofSpinalonga ( _el. Σπιναλόγκα). The town is close to the city of Agios Nikolaos and the village ofPlaka (Lasithi) .History
The earliest recorded settlement at Elounda was the ancient Greek city of
Olous , whose people were in intermittent conflict with the citizens of DorianLato , until a peace treaty was eventually reached. [ [http://themodernantiquarian.com/site/10847/lato.html#fieldnotes C.Michael Hogan, "Lato Fieldnotes", The Modern Antiquarian, Jan 10, 2008] ] Elounda has a later history as part of the Venetian era. Elounda has changed considerably during its lifespan. The bulk of the ancient city ofOlous was reclaimed by the sea towards the end of theAncient Greek period and is still visible, in part, when diving in the bay of Elounda.During the early 1900s, Elounda acted as a stopping off point for
lepers being transported to theleper colony atSpinalonga .Transport
In the centre of Elounda, there is a large taxi stand and a bus stop. The local bus company, KTEL, operates services to Plaka and
Agios Nikolaos on a regular basis.Fiction
Elounda was used for the filming of the popular BBC television series "
Who Pays the Ferryman? " in the late 1970s.It features in Victoria Hislop's novel "The Island"
Notes
References
External links
* [http://www.aghiosnikolaos.gr/elounda.htm Municipality of Aghios Nikolaos, Elounda info page]
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