Unknown Sailor

What I can see

It is a monument dedicated to the Greek sailors who perished all over the world. But is this the real monument? Its history begins in 1931, when the state decided to honour these unsung heroes with a monument representing a seagull and was placed on the island of Psytallia. During World War II, the Germans destroyed it. In 1937, the Metaxas dictatorship had planned to build a massive cross on the highest point of the island, but the war started and it was never constructed. There were other smaller monuments in Piraeus, but none of them was large enough, even in the post-war era, due to lack of funding. The military dictatorship of 1967 tried to combine the 1931 monument and the 1937 plans and the sculptor Lazaros Lameras designed the large cross we see today. This cross “accompanied” the actual monument right below, i.e. 5 seagulls symbolizing the 5 oceans. After the restoration of democracy, the monument ceased to be used for ceremonial events, as it remained a symbol of the dictatorship. Thus, the monument with the seagulls was stolen and today all that remains is the accompanying cross whose sole purpose was to make the monument visible from afar. In other words, today we see the remains of a monument.

What I can't see

Although there were many proposals for the monument’s location, the dictators, who imposed nationalism and emphasized national pride at every opportunity, thought it was a good idea to raze this part of the Piraiki coast and build a concrete mass in front of its ancient walls, which is a clear insult to the antiquities of the area.

Info

• Address: Piraiki Coast

Bibliography