“Kaisariani Massacre” photo archive declared “protected monument of Greek history”

The Culture Ministry declared on Wednesday the photos archive of the 200 Greeks executed by the Nazis in Kaisariani on 1. May 1944, “a protected monument of Greek history”, citing its exceptional historical value.

The decision, following a recommendation by the Central Council of Modern Monuments, gives the state a formal basis to claim and acquire the collection.

The photographs are especially important historically as proof of the shaping of beliefs and stances through the use of images, by the propaganda mechanisms of occupation forces in Greece, the ministry said in a statement.

Posted by World War II memorabilia collector Tim de Craene through his Crain’s Militaria shop, the photos by German officer Hermann Hoyer soon appeared in Greek social media posts and mass media, raising interest in multiple sides.

Following the reactions and the turmoil in th country as there were so far no pictures from the “Kaisariani Massacre” as it is known in Greece, the collector removed the 12 photos on Monday, February 16. However,  the entire  collection of photographs remains for sale.

Hoyer, a lieutenant of the Wehrmacht, was serving at the Malakassa army base in 1943-1944. He had been ordered to follow or assist in – it is unclear which – the execution of 200 detained Greeks who were transported from the Chaidari army camp to Skopeftirio (the shooting range) of Kaisariani on May 1, 1944.

Hoyer’s collection of photographs, from areas of occupied Europe he served in such as Belgium, France, and Greece, ended up with the collector in Belgium.

“The 12 photographs that were publicized and show Greek patriots before their execution in Kaisariani on May Day 1944 are outstandingly important documents of modern Greek history,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said.

Read more on the photo archive and the Kaisariani Massacre HERE on KTG

“The photographs in the collection ‘put a face’ on historical witness reports of their principles and patriotism a few moments before their execution, and that is why they are priceless.”

Mendoni added however that the rest of the photographs in the Hoyer collection are equally important, as they allow Greeks to frame the drama of occupied Greece through the eyes of the occupiers.

“The propaganda mechanism set up by Joseph Goebbels utilized his era’s state-of-the-art information technology – cinema and photography – to provide a set-up proof of ‘success’ and dissemination, as a tool of influence,” she noted.

The ministry provided directions for the possible acquisition of the photographs as soon as it was notified, Mendoni said, and the relevant directorate contacted the collector immediately.

Specialists will be visiting him on Friday, February 20, at his home base of Evergem in Belgium to see the collection in person and examine the authenticity of the archive.

“With today’s declaration of the collection as a monument, the ministry of culture acquires the grounds to lay claim to it and acquire it on behalf of the Greek state,” the Culture Minister said.