On 28 October 1940, Greece entered World War II after the attack of the Italian forces from the Greek-Albanian borders. A statue of the commander-in-chief of the Greek army, with the text of the public announcement about the Greco-Italian war, is carved in a marble sculpture in the Park of Heroes.&nbsp;Opposite the Park of Heroes is the building of the historical Epirus VIII Infantry Division. In February 1913, the leaders of the Ottoman and Greek army signed there the liberation of Ioannina. During the Greco- Italian war (1940 to 1941) it housed the headquarters of the Greek army. From 1941 to 1944, the building was requisitioned by the Italian-German occupational forces. Today, it is still used by the Greek army.&nbsp;During the first months of 1944, protests against the occupiers took place at the Park of Heroes and outside the VIII Infantry Division building. On 21 February&nbsp;1944, fighters of the Greek resistance raised the Greek flag on the top of the Clock Tower, while the city was still under Nazi occupation.&nbsp;In October 1944, the occupiers begun to evacuate the area following a series of battles between Greek Resistance fighters joined with the Allied forces against German forces. On 15 October 1944, residents of Ioannina welcomed the Greek Resistance fighters and the Allied British soldiers and celebrated together the liberation of the city.&nbsp;

Greece

Municipality of Ioannina

A bronze statue of a robed man stands on a large stone pedestal in a landscaped garden, with one raised arm and one hand near the waist. Behind it are trimmed hedges, trees, and a white statue near a fountain, with distant mountains under a blue sky.

​The fighters of the Greek War of Independence 1821 are honored at the Park of Heroes in Ioannina, together with the fighters of the Macedonian Struggle, the Balkan Wars and the World War II. ​

Park of Heroes – Fighter of Greek War of Independence 1821 ​

A three-story neoclassical building with a central portico and red doorway stands behind a black metal fence and a light stone wall. Two tall flagpoles with flags are mounted at the front, and a white cross is visible on the roofline.

 ​Ioannina was one of the first Greek cities affected by the Second World War, in 1940. The building of Epirus VIII Infantry Division building housed the headquarters of the Greek Army.​

Building of VIII Greek Infantry Division​

A white stone statue of a man stands on a rectangular pedestal in a grassy park, wearing a suit and holding an object in his right hand. Behind it is a large white monument panel covered with rows of carved text; surrounding trees fill the background.

On 28 October 1940, Greece entered the World War II. The first war announcement is engraved behind the statue of Alexandros Papagos, Commander-in-Chief of the Greek army during the Greco-Italian war.​

​Park of Heroes – Announcement of Greece entering WWII​ 

A white stone clock tower with a domed top rises above a garden area, featuring a circular clock face and an open bell section. Large green trees surround the structure.

 ​The clock tower was built when Ioannina was under Ottoman rule. The Park of Heroes where the clock is located, hosted the celebrations for the liberation of Ioannina, in 1913 (Balkan War) and 1944 (World War II).​ 

Park of Heroes - The Clock Tower of Ioannina​

A white stone statue stands on a rocky pedestal in a landscaped park, with two large cannon barrels positioned on the rocks below it. Tall white poles rise on either side. Trees and bushes surround the monument.

​The imposing marble sculpture with the canons, represents a female figure holding a nearly dead soldier. The monument honors the memory of those who fought and were sacrificed for freedom

Der Park der Helden in Ioannina

Bizaniou street, 45221 Ioannina

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