The “Lykeion ton Ellinidon” holds the Greek flag on the Acropolis. Credit: AMNA/Orestis Panagiotou

The 81st anniversary of Athens’ liberation from Nazi occupation was marked on Sunday with a ceremony on the Acropolis, a powerful echo of the city’s defiant spirit. The event was held in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas.

The commemoration featured six members of the “Lykeion ton Ellinidon” dance group, who approached the flagpole dressed in national costumes and carrying the Liberation Flag. They were accompanied by students from the Ionian School.

Hoisting the Greek flag on the Acropolis. Credit: AMNA/Orestis Panagiotou

The flag was formally presented to the Presidential Guard and then hoisted. The ceremony concluded as the Air Force band performed the National Anthem.

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas delivered a moving address, stating, “Today, we honor those who fought for democracy.” He emphasized that 81 years ago, the swastika was torn down from the Acropolis and replaced by the Greek flag—a profound “symbol of hope and resistance.” He stressed that the Resistance’s message endures: to defend democracy and transform patriotism into social responsibility.

Evzones commemorate the end of the German occupation of Athens on the Acropolis. Credit: AMNA/Orestis Panagiotou

The Historic moment of the end of Athens’s Nazi occupation

The celebration looked back to the morning of October 12th, 1944.

The German withdrawal had begun gradually on the evening of October 11th. At 8:00 a.m. the next day, the few remaining German forces gathered at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier for a hasty, makeshift ceremony. The chief of the occupying forces, General Hellmuth Felmy, accompanied by the mayor of Athens, Angelos Georgatos, laid a wreath.

The final, decisive act took place shortly after. At 9:15 a.m., a German soldier completed the ignominious end to the 1,265-day occupation: he took down the hated Nazi flag from the Acropolis without ceremony, tucked the swastika under his arm, and departed with his head bowed. This single act ignited a wild, spontaneous celebration in the streets of Athens.

Related: Germany’s Occupation of Greece: A Massacre and Some “Beautiful Souvenirs”