Kladorachis Monument

The hanging of the 15 in Kladorrachi, Florina.
It was eighty years ago, on Monday, August 9, 1943, when the inhabitants of the prefecture of Florina witnessed an inhuman and gruesome spectacle, the like of which had never been seen before in the whole country and was the result of a primitive and unprecedented barbarity.
In a makeshift scaffold and in plain sight, were hung, lifeless carcasses now, the corpses of 15 Greek citizens, victims of the atrocities of the Nazi German occupation troops.
Although decades have now passed since that horrific crime, just a small sample of the heavy blood tax paid by our country, the sacrifice of these compatriots is an irrefutable witness to the crimes of Hitler’s conquerors in our homeland, but also a monument of deep gratitude of the Greek people to all those thousands of anonymous heroes who sacrificed their lives to shake off the triple German-Italian and Bulgarian occupation.
The statue was created by the well-known and late dentist – painter of our city, Grigoris Hatzilambou.

SOURCE: Embolos 09/03/2021
Photo: Christos Tegos