The grandson of a Greek political prisoner executed by Nazi forces during World War II…
Modern History
Greek Modern History
“Greece said Monday it will seek to obtain a series of photos that appear to show the final moments of 200 Greeks who were executed by a Nazi firing squad in Athens during World War II, after the previously unknown pictures appeared on an online sale site.”
Photographs believed to show the execution of 200 Greek resistance fighters at Kaisariani on May 1, 1944 have emerged in an online auction, sparking national debate. The images, attributed to a German officer, are prompting calls for official authentication and state acquisition to preserve their historical significance
Invented in Ancient Greece, the cheesecake was initially served to the athletes of the first-ever Olympic Games to provide them with much needed energy to compete.
A rare winner’s medal from the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 is set to be auctioned next month.
On 11 February 1959, Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis and Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes signed the Zurich Agreement, establishing the framework for an independent Republic of Cyprus as a bi-communal state with equal political representation for Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
February 11, 2026The Greek City Times Greece has bid farewell to a living bridge to…
February 10, 1947: Paris Peace Treaties signed. Greece received only the Dodecanese from Italy despite major losses and claims from Bulgaria & Albania.
Nikos Kourkoulos, a legendary Greek actor, left an indelible mark on both cinema and theatre. From his iconic roles in 1960s films to his transformative work as artistic director of the National Theatre, Kourkoulos’ career was defined by dedication, passion, and artistic integrity. His commanding presence and deep emotional performances continue to inspire, solidifying his place as one of Greece’s greatest actors.
Throughout nearly four centuries of Ottoman rule, Greeks launched over 120 revolts against their occupiers, starting from the 1481 Mani uprising led by Korkodeilos Kladas. Despite repeated betrayals by foreign powers and brutal suppressions, these persistent struggles—totaling 123 before 1821—culminated in the successful War of Independence, marking the birth of modern Greece.
Greece’s Ministry of Culture is advancing plans to repurpose the building at 18–20 Dionysiou Areopagitou…
The Imia/Kardak crisis of 1995–1996 brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war over two tiny Aegean islets. It all started on December 26, 1995, when the Turkish cargo ship Figen Akat ran aground on Imia, sparking a sovereignty dispute rooted in treaties from 1923 and 1932. What began as a minor maritime incident escalated into flag wars, media frenzy, and military mobilization by late January 1996, ending only after intense US diplomacy averted conflict. Greek City Times revisits how a Christmas grounding ignited one of the most dangerous modern Aegean standoffs.
Despite the 1923 population exchange that displaced most Pontic Greeks, the archaic Romeyka dialect—a variety of Pontic Greek remarkably close to Ancient Greek—continues to be spoken by several thousand Muslim communities in northeast Turkey’s Trabzon area, offering a rare living link to the language’s ancient roots.
Restoration of the iconic “Kokovikos House” in Plaka uncovers ancient Tripodon Street sections, choregic monument bases, 4th-century BC symposium pottery, Hellenistic walls, and aqueduct remains—set for protection and display as a cultural cinema venue.
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, the discreet younger sister of Queen Sofía of Spain, died at 83 on January 15, 2026, at Zarzuela Palace after decades living alongside her sister. Born in exile during WWII, she pursued a private life of humanitarian work, interfaith dialogue, and concert piano performance. Funeral services expected in Athens, with burial at Tatoi royal cemetery.
Thessaloniki, Greece’s dynamic second city, boasts a rich 2,300+ year history: founded in 315 BC, Roman trade hub, Byzantine powerhouse, multicultural Ottoman jewel (“Mother of Israel”), liberated in 1912, reshaped by the 1917 fire, and thriving today as a UNESCO-listed cultural & student capital.
A groundbreaking digital reconstruction has unveiled the strikingly modern face of a 3,500-year-old Mycenaean royal woman buried with swords and a gold mask, revealing she was likely a sibling to her tomb companion and challenging long-held views on women’s prominent, possibly warrior roles in Bronze Age Greece.
Can a men’s skirt embody bravery, resistance, and national pride?In Greece, the answer is an…
New images from Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic “The Odyssey” have been released by Entertainment Weekly, featuring Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, and Robert Pattinson as Antinous in this highly anticipated adaptation of Homer’s classic.
In 2026, the Holocaust Museum of Greece will open in Thessaloniki beside the Old Railway Station—the exact site from which nearly 50,000 Greek Jews were deported to Auschwitz in 1943. This long-awaited museum will honour the city’s lost Sephardic community and stand as a beacon of remembrance on the waterfront.
The Kalavryta massacre, also known as the Holocaust of Kalavryta, was the largest single massacre perpetrated by Nazi forces in occupied Greece during World War II. On December 13, 1943, the German Army’s 117th Jäger Division executed the entire male population of the town over the age of 12 as a retaliatory measure against the Greek Resistance.
Sydney’s iconic Discobolus Monument at Sydney Olympic Park has been added to the NSW State Heritage Register, permanently protecting this Greek Australian tribute to the ancient origins of the Olympic Games.
In 1842, French photographer Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey captured the oldest surviving image of the Acropolis from the Hill of the Nymphs – a haunting daguerreotype of the monument standing over a small, war-scarred Athens that had only recently emerged from Ottoman rule and the devastating Greek War of Independence.
The Real Santa Claus Was Greek: How Saint Nicholas of Myra Became the World’s Most Famous Gift-Giver
Myra (modern-day Demre), Turkey – 9 December 2025 – While children around the world eagerly…
Savvas Rotsidis (1935 – November 25, 1958), from the village of Mammari near Nicosia, was a dedicated member of EOKA, the Greek-Cypriot nationalist organization that fought for the liberation of Cyprus from British colonial rule and its eventual union with Greece. An accountant by profession, Rotsidis joined EOKA in 1955 and took part in numerous operations against British forces. Captured by the British in 1958, he was tortured but refused to betray his comrades. He was executed on November 25, 1958, becoming a martyr in the struggle for Cyprus’s independence.
British actor Theo James, known globally for Divergent and The White Lotus, carries a deeply…
Shocking footage shows heavy cranes inside Hagia Sophia amid 2025 seismic restoration. Turkish officials claim safety, but historians like İlber Ortaylı fear cracks and collapse. Is this preservation or peril for the UNESCO icon?
Greece and Montenegro have agreed to deepen cultural ties: new bilateral pact on conservation training, joint archaeology, underwater antiquities, and full Montenegrin support for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures.
During the Cold War, ASIO closely monitored Australia’s Greek migrant community, tracking political organisations, cultural groups, and activists from the postwar period through the 1970s. This surveillance reflected broader anxieties about communism, assimilation, and the racial politics of the White Australia era.
Greece’s Mary Chatzipavlou stunned at Miss Universe 2025 as the Winged Victory of Samothrace, wearing a dramatic gown by Mario Floros with the bold message “Take Our History Back” — the fifth consecutive year a Greek contestant has demanded the repatriation of the iconic Louvre statue.
