Athens - Korai 4
A few days after the Germans occupied Athens on April 27, 1941, the Germans confiscated the Greek interior ministry building on Korai 4 in central Athens. Several German military authorities were placed in the building as well as the German local commandtur. In the basement, about six meters below the ground surface, there were existing shelters which the germans converted into prison cells. Those brought to Korai 4 were greeks suspected of belonging to the resistance movement or suspected of anti-German activities. There tyeh wer interrogated, often under torture and ill-treatment to extort confessions or concessions. From Korai, prisoners were sent to other prisons, concentration camps, labour camps or directly to execution. The prison was abandoned by the Germans in mid-October 1944, when they retired from Athens.
Current status: Preserved with museum (2019).
Address: Korai 4, 105 64 Aten.
Get there: Metro to Panepistimio station.
Follow up in books: Höhne, Heinz: The Order of the Death’s Head: The story of Hitler’s SS (1969).
Korai 4 is an interesting museum in central Athens, although less known than famous ancient greek sites/museums. What makes this museum interesting and different from other similar museums is that the walls are full of carvings made by the prisoners while they were imprisoned. It is not only writings but also motifs discovered in the years after the war. The disadvantage is that it is not allowed to photograph because the museum wants exclusive rights on the carvings.