Kaisariani photos: Why Greece’s past is present

About this episode

This episode discusses the significance of newly surfaced photographs of Nazi executions in Greece and their impact on contemporary political memory.

When a set of long‑lost photographs of the 1944 May Day executions of 200 Greeks by Nazi occupation forces suddenly surfaced on eBay in February, Greece was shaken. The images — the first ever to show the two hundred political prisoners, Communists, walking to their deaths at the Kaisariani shooting range in Athens — reopened a chapter of history that has never stopped shaping the country’s politics. With the help of our guest Professor Elias Dinas from the European University Institute in Florence, in this episode we explore why these photographs matter now: how they collide with decades of suppressed memory, why Kaisariani remains a defining symbol for the Greek Left, and what their reappearance reveals about the ongoing struggle over who gets to tell the story of the past. Useful reading Never-before-seen photos of Nazi executions in Greece surface on eBay – France24 ‘We can see that courage’: Greece recovers long-lost photos of Nazis’ May Day executions – The Guardian Man moved as photo of grandfather’s execution by Nazis surfaces - Kathimerini Message from the past, mirror for today - Kathimerini Kaisariani Execution: Three More Historic Photographs Surface – To Vima…

People in this episode

Guest: Professor Elias Dinas

Topics covered

• Nazi occupation
• Greek history
• political memory
• photography
• politics
• leftist symbolism

Keywords

• Kaisariani
• Nazi executions
• Greece
• political prisoners
• photographs
• history
• memory

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: European University Institute, France24, The Guardian, Kathimerini, Dnews, To Vima

Places: Greece, Kaisariani

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