Deep in the heart of Crete, in the forever wonderful Amari Valley high in the hills south of Rethymno there are five or six villages on the western side of the valley on the slopes of the Kedros mountains. These villages, in 1944, were attacked by the occupying Germans and each one was razed to the ground by explosives. All the men were killed as well as several women. Just ordinary people going about the difficult business of farming for food for their families. No-one knows what zany reason the German troops had for decimating these peaceful villages. Some say it was reprisals for the kidnapping of the German General Kreipe, others suspect that it was to cover the German withdrawal. Perhaps there is no truth.
Outside the main village, Ano Meros, there has been erected a memorial to the many dead children, adults and old people that had nowhere to run and died by bullets in the terror that happened there. The memorial consists of a woman carving the names of the dead in stone.
The memorial to the dead of the Kedros villages in Amari
This is a beautiful memorial in the middle of nowhere, so to speak. It attests to the immense courage and the long memories of the people of Crete. I, and I hope you too, will never forget them.
A beautiful memorial, and what a sky behind it!
I was not alive then, but I will never forget. I think too many people do forget.
What a truly remarkable and important tribute to Crete!! A magnificent photograph and good post to read… fantastic contribution to Skywatch!
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Michele~
Mountain Retreat- Canada
War leaves such miserable memories behind. My wish is that humans will one day learn from the past. It’s good to have memorials to help us remember.
Happy Sky Watch!
That is one amazing shot! WOW! Mine is up HERE. Hope to see you there! Happy SWF!~
This is a beautiful photo, even before the explanation. Once the purpose of the monument is clear, the photo becomes touching as well as beautiful.
Very moving photo and story. Thanks for sharing..
ray, you’ve just introduced me to another amazing place on our island which i didnt know about it – there seem to be so many pockets of places to visit around here – i know what to do when i’ve got free time – christmas perhaps?!
This is a lovely memorial. Thank you for sharing the story with us.
Marnie
Magnificent image and history. Excellent post
A very sad story of extreme and senseless human cruelty. Things like this happened in my homeland of Latvia under Russian rule. Just cold blooded murder. Sorry, could not see the sky for tears in my eyes.
Just a note meanwhile to tell you that Israel TV had a short report today on iconography in Crete! If you go fast, before they take the recorded video off the Internet, you can see it.
Go to http://iba.org.il/media/ and click on the icon of the Pantocrator icon on the left side of the page.
I was so excited to see the program on my computer just now!
Thank you for making me aware of this massacre.
The monument is elegant.
Χαίρε Αθάνατη Κρητική Λεβεντιά…
Σε όλες τις δύσκολες στιγμές της Πατρίδας μας η Κρήτη είχε να επιδείξει μόνον …. Ήρωες!
Χρονια σου Πολλά για την Εθνική μας Εορτή!