THE LAST BATTLE OF THE DEMOCRATIC ARMY OF GREECE

By Maria Verivaki

The further you travel in northwest Greece, the fewer people you will come across. What may look like a large village will be very underpopulated; the region is not tourist-oriented. Most of these areas are busy in summer when the home owners come to visit from Greece and abroad; otherwise, they are very peaceful. If the mountains of those villages could speak, they have an important story to tell: many hide a very dark past in Greece’s modern history.  

When we left the touristic village of Papingo in the Zagorohoria, we didn’t realise that we would be leaving many creature comforts, like a minimarket to buy some water, or a petrol station to fill up on the way. I hadn't even booked our next overnight stay, because I wasn't really sure where dusk would find us. This caused me some stress given our previous day's driving through empty villages. Why do people visit uninhabited places? Some people like to explore nature, others like the solitude, while others like to break their own records, eg by visiting the most remote places of a country. We are not daredevils. We were simply interested in traveling through the region of the country that is the most highly connected with the Greek civil war of 1946-1949.

Most European countries celebrate 'Victory Day'; Greece doesn't. If it did, it would have to admit that the Greek state was helped by communist-leaning partisans to be freed from Nazi rule. In 1944, when Athens was liberated from the Nazis, the seeds for a new war in Greece were planted. The Greek civil war was the main cause of the desertification of most of the villages of the prefectures of Epirus and Macedonia; the subsequent loss/decline of the population caused the destruction of the fabric of the small remotely located societies that had lived and worked there for centuries. Greece has been facing up to this dark side only relatively recently, as we become more open to dialogue and questioning what seemed like unquestionable in past times; we're getting better at airing our dirty laundry. But it is too late to save what has been lost. Most of the affected areas are now in a ruined state, or they have been renovated but remain empty most of the year. The descendants of the former residents can now be found in the US, Canada and Australia, as well as the urban centres of Greece, namely Athens and Thessaloniki. Back in those dark times however, many crossed the borders, escaping to the former communist countries to avoid being killed or targeted by the national forces. Few Greeks remained there, but the damage was done: they could not return to what they remembered as their home because their villages were razed on purpose, so that they could not return even if they wanted to. The damage was final.

ELAS fighters in mountainous Greece. Courtesy of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 251010_NA1903.

We usually start talking about the Greek civil war as the fight between 'democracy' and 'communism'. In Greece, the left was not so well developed in WWII times. The left-leaning were regarded as communists, and their fighters were called 'antartes' (rebels). This is why the Greek left was regarded differently to the European left - it is only in recent times that the left was associated with workers' struggles, and in our times right this moment, it is completely splintered into many factions, which explains why we don't have a healthy opposition, coupled with the rise of the far right.

If one delves into the truth of how Athens was liberated from the Nazis in 1944, they will be surprised to discover that it was in fact the left that helped the Greek government oust the Nazis. In other words, the left had to be rewarded in a sense - something that was completely taboo according to the right-wing recognised government at the time - by being given an active role in state and military matters. This was seen by the Allied Forces as unthinkable: in December 1944, the British Army descended on Athens, shooting and killing as many rebels as possible, which defeated the communist sympathisers (members of movements known as EAM and ELAS - the Greek left was fractious even back then), many of whom also formed part of the resistance against the Nazis, resulting in their defeat as a political movement. The event is known in Greek as Dekemvriana. It is no secret that, had EAM and ELAS not been eliminated, Greece could easily have become a communist country. As a child, I always wondered how Greece stood alone below the communist countries on the EU map, and I imagined a cold war barrier in place that never let either side visit each other, something I eventually realised was not true. The barriers were actually within Greece itself, with checkpoints in the northern regions; the last remaining ones were removed as recently as the 1990s.

The defeat of EAM-ELAS led to the formation of the communist Democratic Army of Greece (DSE), which fought against the recognised Greek army during the civil war. One of our main points of interest during our travels that day was to visit the DSE Museum, housed in the old school house of the hamlet of Theotokos. The DSE Museum, rather late in coming, is dedicated to the history of those who died for their beliefs. It was established after the agreement of all the stakeholders (villagers and home owners). Many old buildings in the region are no longer used as such, but they have nearly all been maintained and repurposed by the villagers themselves, with funds often coming from families living abroad who have connections with the village. The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) which set up the museum is responsible for their upkeep.

The drive to the DSE museum was a long one, and there were many temptations that made us stop every now and then, to take in the beauty of the area. At one point, we saw a few cars parked by the side of the road where there was what seemed like a well-maintained pathway, a good sign that there is something of interest along the way. We found ourselves in the region of the Vikos gorge, right by the Voidomatis river, which seemed to be running with great force. We wondered where that water came from during the drought that the whole of Greece was living through. Further along, we stopped to watch canoeists enjoying their sport in the warm winter sunshine. Continuing our drive, we ran into the quaint but so endearing town of Konitsa where we stopped for a coffee and some people watching. The region is full of Byzantine monuments and monasteries, which makes the region perfect for religious tourism. Konitsa is famous for the residence of St Paisios, one of the newest saints in Christian Orthodoxy. Just out of Konitsa is the village of Nicanoras, where St Nicanor is revered. While at the café, I decided to book our next overnight stay so that I could stop stressing about it: I found a well priced a room in a place called Nestorio, just half an hour away from the picturesque lakeside town of Kastoria.

When we finally got to the DSE Museum in the mid-afternoon, we found it closed (not surprisingly). There was however an open mini-market serving as a cafe, located right next to it. We did ask about a contact who might have a key to the museum, but the people at the cafe had no idea. A phone number was written on the main door, but we saw it too late (advice: google the number and call before arriving). While the minimarket owners began herding their sheep, moving them into a different field, we took a wander around the museum’s yard where there were monumental plaques placed in a circle, with the names of the fallen DSE soldiers written below the name of each affected village. It is important to remember that these people may not have been included in the official state registers (names, numbers), because they were 'on the other side'. The emotions were overwhelming, exacerbated by the bleak landscape. We were in essence in the middle of nowhere, and no doubt, the museum was probably not visited often; I doubt that school trips will include such museums in their educational itineraries.

But this tells only half the story. Coach tours in the wider region are organised on weekends, weather permitting. During national holidays, KKE organises open days. In the summer, these ghost villages come to life: the locals are outnumbered by the owners of homes in the region, who come from abroad and other parts of Greece. Tables and chairs for special events, village fetes, and saints' feast days consume their squares, music and laughter fill the air, mingling with the aromas of what is cooking in the ovens and stovetops. Cafes and tavernas, hotels and rooms, work to full capacity. Summer and winter are the exact opposite in Greece, wherever you may find yourself in the country.

Before leaving Ioannina, we had our morning coffee in a cafe run by a young man who had studied in Chania (the other customer in the cafe had started his professional career in Chania, another coincidence), which is how we got chatting. He was very sceptical of the potential of the average Greek to make leaps and bounds in their daily struggle to improve their lot. He said that it's all very well for the government to urge businesses to grow bigger with a more worldly outlook, but that can't work with people who want to remain in the remote areas they were born and raised in. "Have you ever visited the 100s of Aetomilitses in the country that have just one permanent resident, and they're so old they'll be dead soon, and there won't be anyone living there ever again?"

The village of Aetomilitsa is located about 15km from the DSE Museum, just before the turnoff through the beautiful forest route that leads to the village, which is set in the foothills of Gramos mountain, bordering Albania, where the last battle of the DSE was fought. It is regarded as the highest set Greek village, at 1490m above sea level. Like nearly all the other villages in the region, Aetomilitsa was known by another name before 1923, when the Greek government began the hellenification of the country, after having sealed the borders of the country. Aetomilitsa was then known as Denisko; place names that did not sound Greek were renamed. Once an agricultural area with nomadic farmers, Aetomilitsa’s recent history is now connected with Greece's civil war. The village (as many others) was completely evacuated by the Greek army before the last battle took place. The villages were then razed to ensure that no one could return. This fate was repeated for all the villages in the area. Some people crossed the borders into the communist countries. Others asked relatives and friends in less affected areas to put them up until the troubles were over (many went to Nestorio). Most lost patience and emigrated. (When you look at a map of the region, you will see the abbreviation 'Ερ' before a village name. It stands for ερείπια, which means 'ruins')

Aetomilitsa looked like a big village as we viewed it from the road; it felt like a ghost town on entering it. It had all the elements of a working village, but without the people. We saw just one smoking chimney. A few cows were wandering around the streets, some of which were too narrow for cars to be driven. The village has since been rebuilt by the owners of the homes; some of those houses looked very grand. The village even boasts two new children's playgrounds as well as a sports centre. There is also a welcome sign most likely powered by solar energy, giving information about the village (height above sea level and temperature). It has been helped financially by business owners with origins from there, eg the Nitsiakos family who own a national poultry business. It comes to life in summer, while hunters, loggers and farmers still drive year-round through it. (We saw a couple of vehicles driving on the road but they were leaving the village.)

It was getting late, and we still hadn’t had lunch. Thankfully, we had had an excellent country-style breakfast at Papingo and a second coffee at Konitsa; after that, there was literally nothing open except couple of mini-markets. As we drove to Nestorio. We passed a sign leading to the Παρκο Εθνικής Συμφιλίωσης - the Park of National Reconciliation: a whole space dedicated to coming to terms with the most horrendous part of our country’s past. In the summer, open dialogues are held there and people can talk about what happened, how they felt, why they felt that way, and the repercussions of what had happened. We drove through the village of Kotili thinking we might find something open here: a google photo had been uploaded only two days before our visit – during the 3-day OXI weekend, of course, when the area was inundated with tourists. But there was nothing, save a couple of smoking chimneys.

Civil war means that brother fought against brother, but it is also a fact that villagers from opposing sides no longer feel enmity towards each other, and there are also many stories where a person on one side helped a person on the other side during this terrible time in our history. Whatever happened happened, and it's over now. But the legacy of the civil war still hangs over us in our modern politics. Just lately, it seems that left and right detest each other. I find solace in the fact that this is a global phenomenon, and not limited to just one country.  

Regardless of our beliefs, there comes a time when we must face up to the beliefs of others and take the time to understand them. No one can doubt that 2024 is a year when the whole world finds itself needing to do this, to take a step back and try to work out how we got to the state we are in. We won't all take the same path towards discovery, but it doesn't matter, because all the possible routes will eventually lead you to the same destination. But it is the route you take that will shape your ideology, and how you view your past, present and future.

Specialised trips in Epirus can include visiting the Byzantine monuments, canoeing, and hiking over all the old stone bridges. To visit the sites connected to the Greek civil war, you need to speak enough Greek to be able to look them up. It’s best to call the contact number before going because it is unlikely to be waiting for many people to pass by. More importantly, don't forget to keep your car filled with petrol, and make sure to carry some food in winter. Potable water can be found from the many springs that run by the road.

For more about the Greek Civil War see Matt's History of Greece

Thank you to DepositPhotos.com