Korae 4 memorial site

About the museum

The Memorial Site of Historical Memory 1941–1944 is located in the basement of the building of National Insurance at 4 Korae Street, in the centre of Athens. The building, the work of the architects Emmanouil Kriezis and Anastasios Metaxas, was completed in 1938 and had an underground air-raid shelter. During the occupation the building was requisitioned by the German Kommandantur, and the shelter was turned into a holding area through which thousands of people passed, among them members of the Resistance and dissidents.

The prisoners left names, dates, messages and sketches on the walls, which survive to this day. In 1991, on the initiative of National Insurance, the former cells were converted into a Memorial Site of Historical Memory by the Ministry of Culture and inaugurated by then Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis. During conservation, personal belongings of the prisoners were also found, such as cups, razor blades, boxes and notes, which are now displayed in showcases.

Until 2023 the site operated under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and under the responsibility of National Insurance. In that year the company donated the site to the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Athens, which now manage it jointly. Schools from all over Greece often visit it, from the sixth grade of primary school upwards.

Key themes

• Underground cells of the German Kommandantur, six metres below street level
• Scratched inscriptions, names and sketches by prisoners on the walls
• Personal belongings of prisoners in showcases
• Flag from the Nazi period and a cell door of the Gestapo

Permanent exhibition

• Μόνιμη έκθεση: Κρατητήρια της Κομαντατούρ – Underground holding cells with the prisoners’ inscriptions and sketches, and showcases with personal belongings from the occupation.

Founded

1991

Operated by

Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Δήμος Αθηναίων

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

The site refers to imprisonment and torture during the occupation; schools from the sixth grade of primary school upwards visit it.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is on Korae Street, near Korae Square and Stadiou Street, in the centre of Athens.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit