To the Unknown Warrior of Crete
The monument to the Unknown Warrior of Crete is located outside the War Museum.
Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )
1993 Tzompanakis was the winner of the competition for the sculpture, which had been called by the Pancretan Union.
2001 Placed in the precincts of the War Museum.
Ottoman era (1453- 1821)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
The sculpture was designed by Manolis Tzompanakis and is 2.9m high. It consists of mortar and metal. The mortar is processed in a very unique way and is in rhythmic alternation with the metal sections. The sculpture is composed by abstract and geometric figures that make it look more dynamic.
What I can't see
As can be seen from the inscription on the pedestal, the sculpture is dedicated to the fighters – soldiers and non-soldiers – of the Battle of Crete. The Germans had already occupied the rest of Greece and although they eventually prevailed in the Battle of Crete, they suffered such terrible losses that they decided never to mount an airborne landing of this scale again during the whole World War II. The resistance against the Germans continued during the occupation of the island. This contributed significantly to the development of the war, but at a huge human cost. The German reprisals were atrocities by mass murdering villagers. Among the most famous holocausts were those of Amario, Kandanos, Viannos, Anogia and many more.
Info
- Address: War Museum- Rizari St.
Bibliography
Linardatos S. (1995). Ο πόλεμος του 1940-41 και η μάχη της Κρήτης, [The war of 1940-41 and the Battle of Crete], Athens: Proskinio
Mazower M. (1993), Inside Hitler’s Greece: The Experience of Occupation 1941-44, Yale University Press, New Haven and London
Thomas D. A. (1972), Crete 1941: The Battle at Sea, Andre Deutsch Ltd. Great Britain
