By Phaedon Yagiozis, journalist

Presentation of the book, December 13, 2013

The work of our dear friend Phaedon presents briefly, but in a very vivid and critical way, historical aspects of the occupation, the resistance, the civil war and the years afterwards, most of the time without taking a position in favor of one side or the other. After all, very little time has passed since these shocking events and the memories are still fresh. The reported oral testimonies of various events cannot be disputed. Thus, the reader can draw his own conclusions, even from the details that are recorded.

The German occupation caused many deaths from starvation, cold, but also from diseases, especially tuberculosis. There were two categories of resistance groups: the EAM-EPON-ELAS on the one hand and the EDES-PAO-EKKES on the other.

Apart from the geostrategic interest, the Germans also had an economic interest in Thessaloniki. Recognized-Registered-Secured-Confiscated-Transferred, terminology used by the Wehrmacht for products such as oil, textiles, tobacco, cotton, leather and minerals of all kinds. 11 of the 15 requisitioned active mines in Macedonia supplied minerals mainly to the KRUPP military industry. In the fall of 1942, there was a shortage of personnel in these mines because Greeks refused to work because of the very low pay. Typical is the intervention of the Wehrmacht Economic Office for the mines of Vavdos in Chalkidiki (producing magnesite), where wages were increased fivefold. During the occupation, three lignite-fired power plants were operating in Thessaloniki. In the winter of 1941-42 more than 120,000 Thessalonians were fed by offered meals. They were 50% of the city’s population.

In chapter 16, Phaedon presents facts on the subject of Macedonia. Tito’s partisans are coveting Macedonia led by General Vukmanovich. With the acquiescence of the Greek Communist Party (GCP), a Balkan Command was created, on the condition of equal participation of Greeks and Serbs, but this was not subsequently respected. At the end of 1943 the GCP consented to the creation of the Slavo-Macedonian People’s Liberation Front (SNOF). In the same period, the Bulgarians created their own organization, EMEO. Before 1943, there is no historical source for the existence of a Slavo-Macedonian ethnicity. GCP changed its position after 1974: there is no Slavic minority in Greece. There are bilinguals with Greek national consciousness. The sermons of the 1903 Ilinden Revolution form the ideological basis of the current EMEO-DKMEE party in FYROM (now North Macedonia). One of the fighters of this revolution was Gotse Delchev, of Bulgarian origin. He was born in Kilkis in 1872 and was killed in a battle with the Turks in Banitsa (region of Oreini) of Serres in 1903. Today he is a common national hero in northern Macedonia and Bulgaria, where towns are named after him (Delchevo and Gotse Delchev, respectively). At the end of chapter 16 Phaedon notes: “We must not forget that the route to the Aegean is the dream of all South Slavs and Bulgarians, not only of the Slavo-Macedonians”.

The book consists of 257 pages and its content is divided into 25 chapters. 85 pages of selected photographs accompanied by very informative explanations follow.

Ananias Tsirambides, Professor Emeritus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Member of the Board of HARH

By Argyris Maltsidis, former Municipal Councilor of Thessaloniki

Presentation of the book, March 10, 2013

Argyris Maltsidis expresses his question whether it was a coincidence that Votsis visited Thessaloniki about five months before his death in Paris (Sept. 1931) from a serious illness. Both the author himself, and all of us, appreciate that his great achievement linked him firmly to Thessaloniki. Perhaps he worshiped it as his second birthplace.

In 1934, the then called settlement Stylianos Gonatas, east of Thessaloniki, was given the name “Votsis” in honor of the glorious Vice Admiral Nikolaos Votsis who managed to sink the Turkish flagship Fethi Bulent (Glorious Conquest) in the port of Thessaloniki during the struggle for the liberation of Macedonia in October 1912.

To this naval hero is mentioned the book of my dear friend Argyris Maltsidis which contains very important information about the recent history of Thessaloniki. That is why it should not be missing from any home of a Thessalonikian.

The book is very stylish, leather bound and has 102 pages. The 21 chapters and the appendix include:

• 48 photographs and 10 newspaper articles.
• A nautical map of the entry-exit route of the torpedo boat 11 in the Thermaikos Gulf on the night of 18 October 1912.
• A list of the 25 men of the crew and the two navigators.
• The Admiral’s marble monuments in Thessaloniki (White Tower), in the Maritime Museum of Litochoro, in his birthplace Hydra and in his family grave in the 1st Cemetery of Athens.
• Details of his resignation as High Commissioner of Greece in Constantinople.
• Valuable information about the Turkish fortress of Megalo Karambournou.
• At the book’s epigraph the lyrics of a thieving song about Admiral Votsis and a photograph of the album with its contributors, are presented.
• The author uses 10 bibliographic references, as well as other sources such as newspapers, archives and the internet.

Mr. Bakoglidis, dear Mayor of Kalamaria, the residents of the settlement are eager to see the park with the Votsis monument that you promised two years ago. We, too, with our schoolchildren, wish to honor him every year. Do not delay the project any longer. Today when heroes/standards are lacking in our country, Admiral Votsis offers himself as an ideal example of such a man. But are we ready to fight, to dare, not to be disappointed?

Thank you.

Ananias Tsirambides, Professor Emeritus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Member of the Board of HARH

In the Homeland it was different

By Georgios Manos, Agronomist, retired banker

Presentation of the book, March 1, 2013

Those who lived close to the refugees know very well that these homeless, ragged, starving and barefoot people did not just stand up. With their faith, their strength of soul, their culture and their hard work, they fought, progressed and distinguished themselves. They fought the forces of nature and poverty and won. In all battles they came out victorious. Only one thing they could not win. The nostalgia for “the Homeland”, which ate their insides like a woodworm. Their only consolation was memory. Most of their conversations, in the field or at night, were centered on the Homeland. They wanted to tell and re-tell it, thinking they were turning back the clock, reliving it. Slowly, however, the refugees of the first generation began to leave one by one. But they didn’t leave alone. They took with them into oblivion, their history, their language, their culture.

The sense of the great void they felt when they left prompted me to document their lives “at home”. I started from the sounds I had as a child. Then with a tape recorder I collected live testimonies. I also searched newspapers, magazines and historical aids. From the material I gathered, two books emerged, two different refugee stories. The title of the first one, “LEAP TIMES AND FURIOUS MONTHS “, is taken from the song of the Dead Brother, while the title of the second one, “IN THE HOMELAND IT WAS DIFFERENT. MEMORIES OF THE EAST 1870-1924”, is the last sentence of all the refugee narratives: “In the homeland everything was different”.

Both books are written in the idiomatic language spoken by the Greeks of the East and especially in the environs of Constantinople, with all the pauses, sounds and rhythm of the orality of that period. I preferred consciously to choose this language, because language, apart from being a means of communication and expression, is also an element of a people’s culture and identity.

The books are not historical in the formal sense. The historical events to which they refer arise through the narration of the protagonists themselves, as their own experiential elements. They live them, they tell them, and we learn them too. But they are not novels either, because they are based on real events and real people. That is why I have called them historical narratives.

My characters don’t just talk about historical events. They also talk about their lives and their everyday life. They are born, grow up, work, fall in love, marry, celebrate, sing, dance, and grieve. Through their narratives we learn about their language, their customs, their songs and dances, their clothing, their festivals, their weddings (joys), their christenings, their nights, their daily activities, the relations between them but also with the Turks, we learn about the self-government of the communities, about the very important role of the church and especially of the village priest, we learn about Constantinople, Smyrna and other cities, and about the legends of the time (Agia-Sofia, etc.).

Finally, through the pages of the books, it emerges that the annihilation of the Greeks of the Ottoman Empire was not a random event, but the result of a well thought out Turkish plan, which, with the slogan “Turkey to the Turks”, aimed at the disappearance of Christians in every way, and the creation of a pure Turkish state. Its implementation began in the spring of 1914 in Eastern Thrace and then extended to Asia Minor and Pontus.

“Thessaloniki, capital of refugees“. Refugees in the city from 1912 until today.

1st Scientific Conference

During the 20th century Thessaloniki, due to its geographical location and other parameters, received hundreds of thousands of refugees, mainly of Greek origin and consciousness. In 2012, Thessaloniki celebrated and commemorated the 100th anniversary of its Liberation and at the same time evaluated its course during a whole century. The refugee populations from Asia Minor, the Balkans and the countries of the former Soviet Union are one of the main components of its identity as a city of the Greek state.

In the context of the celebration of the anniversary of the Liberation of Thessaloniki (1912-2012), the Municipality of Kalamaria and the Historical Archive of Refugee Hellenism of the Municipality of Kalamaria – organized a conference on the topic: “Thessaloniki, capital of refugees“. Refugees in the city from 1912 until today.

The conference took place on the three days 23, 24, 25 November 2012 at the Municipal Theatre of Kalamaria “Melina Merkouri”. 57 scientists from universities and research centers in Greece and abroad (UK, France, Belgium, USA, Turkey, Serbia, USA), of various disciplines such as historians, social anthropologists, political scientists, philologists, folklorists, architects, urban planners, economists, lawyers, etc. participated.

The documentary “Twice a Stranger”, a co-production of NET and ANEMON Productions, was screened during the parallel events. An exhibition of photographs and topographical maps on the settlement of refugees in Thessaloniki in the period 1920-1930 was also held.

The conference was a top cultural and educational anniversary event for Metropolitan Thessaloniki.

On June 16, 2011, at the cultural hall “Propontis” a music and dance event was held with the band Rebetalika.

On March 12, 2011, at the cultural hall “Propontis” an event was held under the theme “Singing the Sketch”.

On January 6, 2011 at the cultural hall “Propontis” cutting of New Year’s royal pie of the Progressive Association of Aretsou – Derkon and the awarding of the swimmers took place.

By Ananias Tsirambides, Professor of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Member of HARH

Board

Presentation of the book, May 31, 2010

This photographic and historical album is a commendable work of Ananias Tsirambides, professor of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and municipal councilor of Kalamaria. The continuous recording of the creation of the settlement from the Ottoman rule until today, the detailed description of events and the problems faced by the first refugees after their settlement by the Refugee Rehabilitation Committee, are presented very clearly. The establishment of the first Primary School (19th of Thessaloniki) and the construction of the newer primary and secondary schools were the result of the actions of the poor breadwinners of the settlement. Even the construction of the first small church of St. Panteleimon was their work, since it was completed with their personal labor in just ten months. The activities of this parish, which is the largest in the Municipality of Kalamaria, are varied and nationwide in scope, as described in the album. The history of the sports club of the same name in the settlement, which the author served for 20 years, is noteworthy. During the German occupation and until 1960, the Admiral Votsis was an intellectual center, which, with its theatrical section and the plays performed by the refugees themselves, as well as the musical events that were regularly organized, provided recreation for them and entertainment for their children. During this period the association functioned as a small municipality, since it was mainly interested in the construction of schools, a church and other public works such as asphalt paving, garbage collection, sewers, etc. In recent years, with its varied and numerous sports sections, the club has helped to protect young children from many dangers. This contribution is extremely important and is therefore particularly emphasized in this album.

The information has been gathered mainly from oral testimonies, local newspapers of various eras and local publications, as well as from various publications or works cited in the literature. All of the above, however, are complemented by his personal experiences, which are sometimes deliberately detailed, purely for reasons of comparison with the present day. They show the path, interests and concerns of the poor refugees of the settlement, who, with hard work, solidarity and love of giving, managed to take root and create.

In this album, therefore, many current and old residents of the district will find details and photos of their loved ones who are not alive today. The contribution of some of them to the development of the settlement through the creation of infrastructure projects or through their cultural interventions was very important.

The album contains five chapters:

• In the first one, the creation of the settlement since the beginning of the last century and its various names are described. During the 1st World War an Allied unit was created after the expropriation of fields of the Pylaiotes. This was followed by the settlement of refugees, first from Caucasus, then from Pontus, Asia Minor, Cappadocia and Eastern Thrace. At the same time, other Greeks from the free Greece until 1912 were also settled.
• In the 2nd one, the establishment of the first Primary School (19th Primary School of Thessaloniki) is described, which in turn was housed in the 16th Primary School in the Depot area, during the period of occupation in the clubhouse of the Landscaping Association of Admiral Votsis, in the period 1945-59 in the Bagiatakis clinic and then in the newly built building constructed on a plot of land for the rehabilitation of refugees in the center of the Settlement. This was followed by the establishment of other primary schools, kindergartens and the 4th and 5th Gymnasium and Lyceum.
• The 3rd describes the founding of the parish of St. Panteleimon along with the construction of the first small church, the conflicts with the IKA and the construction of the current magnificent church. Also the various diachronic activity of the parish is recorded.
• The 4th describes the establishment of the Stylianos Gonatas Cultural Association and then the Landscaping Association of Admiral Votsis (1933) with detailed references to its various sections. The activity of the music and theater departments during the period of occupation and afterwards until 1960 is noteworthy.
• The 5th chapter presents men and women, residents of the Votsis who contributed substantially to the development of the Settlement.

The 270 pages of the album include 278 photographs, 53 documents/plans/maps and 31 newspaper articles.