Genti Koule: The Dark History of Thessaloniki’s Fortress of Suffering

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Genti Koule, besides known arsenic Eptapyrgio, situated atop the Acropolis of Thessaloniki, Greece—a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site—bears witnesser to a centuries-old past shrouded successful darkness.

It was built successful the aboriginal 14th period and has dominated since arsenic the highest constituent of the city. It has 10 towers and mezzanine towers: to supervise the area, to accommodate troops, and to relation arsenic a structure successful lawsuit of concern of the city. Built connected the tract of an older fortification during the reign of the Palaiologos, it is located astatine the southeastern extremity of the walls of Thessaloniki, successful the Upper Town.

After the conquest of Thessaloniki by the Ottomans successful 1430, the mediate operation was erected and fixed the sanction “Genti Koule,” by which the fortress analyzable is known. The operation is rendered successful Turkish arsenic “Seven Towers.” In Istanbul determination was a akin gathering called “Genti Koule,” known arsenic 1 of the cruelest prisons.

Eptapyrgio underwent structural changes during the Ottoman play and particularly astatine the extremity of the 19th century, erstwhile it was turned into a situation by the summation of buildings, cells and functional spaces. With the liberation of Thessaloniki, it maintained its relation arsenic a situation until 1989, erstwhile it was closed and returned arsenic a monument to the Ministry of Culture.

The situation of Genti Koule is linked to acheronian pages of Greece’s history, arsenic was revealed by scholars astatine a technological league held precocious successful Thessaloniki.

“A situation monument, a hell, that was associated with the Metaxas dictatorship, the German occupation, the Civil War and yet the Colonels’ Junta,” said the lawman caput of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Thessaloniki, Elisabeth Tsigarida.

At the conference, the conditions of detention, torture and executions of governmental prisoners were discussed.

The Gendi Koule successful the Ottoman years

Although the situation of Eptapyrgio was the astir notorious spot of detention successful the Ottoman Greek play of the city, it seems that it was neither the lone 1 nor the oldest spot of confinement of prisoners.

The University of Crete’s Christos Kyriakopoulos said that places of confinement included the White Tower from astatine slightest the aboriginal 1870s until 1900.

“In February 1907, owed to the overcrowding of the occidental prisons of Eptapyrgio, the White Tower was converted backmost into a situation and successful the archetypal signifier 400 convicts were transferred there,” helium clarified.

According to him, the saturation of the prisons was owed to the agelong duration and hold of the proceedings procedures of tribunal cases, and resulted successful prisoners of antithetic religions being held successful the aforesaid cells.

“This concern caused predominant fights betwixt Muslim, Greek, Bulgarian, and Vlach convicts,” helium said, adding that the sanitary conditions were problematic, particularly with the disposal of sewage and latrines.

“Due to overcrowding, immoderate prisoners could not find a furniture and slept connected the floor. Under these conditions, assorted diseases rapidly appeared, specified arsenic the typhus epidemic, and particularly the aged sewage pipes perpetually caused diseases specified arsenic cholera, portion a small aboriginal the smallpox epidemic broke out.”

Detention conditions astatine Thessaloniki’s Genti Koule during the interwar period

The 2nd smallest and astir miserable situation successful the state was Eptapyrgio successful 1935, according to historiographer and postdoctoral researcher astatine the Department of Political Science astatine the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Kostas Tziaras.

“In 1935, each captive successful the Eptapyrgio prisons had 2.7 quadrate meters. Overcrowding, combined with the wide conditions of detention successful the authorities of the medieval building, straight affected morbidity,” helium noted, saying that during the years 1929-1933, erstwhile the astir elaborate reports exist, it seems that much than fractional of the prisoners were consistently sick each year, chiefly from malaria, tuberculosis and puerility diseases, diseases that they astir ever developed aft entering prison.

“This percentage, 52 percent to beryllium exact, was treble the mean morbidity complaint of prisoners successful Greek prisons. The immense bulk were treated wrong the situation and lone seldom successful outer hospitals.

In 5 years, 53 deaths were recorded wrong the prison, chiefly from tuberculosis, pneumonia and different respiratory diseases. Of the deaths reported nationwide wrong Greek prisons, astir 20 percent acrophobic prisoners from Eptapyrgio,” concluded Mr. Tziaras.

Executions of governmental prisoners during the Civil War

Parthenopi Vergou, a doctoral campaigner astatine the Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies astatine the University of Macedonia, spoke connected the contented of executions of governmental prisoners.

She spoke astir the constitution of the Extraordinary Military Courts, which were liable for adjudicating cases related to violations of the solution of 18 June 1946, that is, immoderate enactment directed against the nationalist state.

“The subject courts, with last decisions and done abbreviated trials, determined the punishment of the accused, specified arsenic imprisonment and the decease penalty, which were based exclusively connected governmental criteria. And portion successful the archetypal months of the implementation of the exigency legislation, the trials acrophobic chiefly idiosyncratic acts, from 1947 they present acrophobic ample groups of citizens,” she pointed out.

She besides emphasized that successful the lawsuit wherever the decease condemnation had been pronounced unanimously by the 5 judges oregon if astatine slightest 4 of the 5 agreed, past the execution took spot successful a precise abbreviated play of clip of 3 to 5 days, without the suspect being capable to taxable a petition for clemency.

“The renunciation of communism could person the decease condemnation into beingness imprisonment, though this was not ever the rule. Therefore, the nationalist denunciation of communist ideology earlier the Court was an inducement for the accused to . . . debar the decease penalty,” she stressed.

The archetypal executions successful Eptapyrgio began successful the summertime of 1946, but owed to the ample country astir the prisons, it is hard to find the nonstop constituent of executions.

However, Vergou argued that the bodies were buried connected the spot, with the graves distinguishable lone by the curve they formed successful the ground.

“According to probe into the exceptional decease books of the Municipality of Thessaloniki for the play 1946-1949, 184 decease sentences were carried retired successful Eptapyrgio, imposed by the Extraordinary Military Court of Thessaloniki. Initially, successful 1946, idiosyncratic executions of 1 oregon 2 radical are recorded, portion the galore executions, arsenic good arsenic their greater frequency, look from 1948, specifically successful the spring,” Vergou concluded.

Mass graves astatine Genti Koule

In March 2025, two wide graves containing the remains of executed individuals from the Greek Civil War were discovered adjacent Genti Koule.

The archetypal quality remains were recovered successful precocious 2024. Although the antiquities authorization determined that the skeletons were not of archaeological interest, municipal authorities requested further excavations, citing their humanities and governmental significance.

So far, astatine slightest 22 skeletons person been unearthed, 1 of which is believed to beryllium to a woman, arsenic traces of a woman’s footwear were found. Additionally, 4 oregon 5 skeletons look to beryllium to individuals astir 20 years old.

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