The official statement by Culture Minister Lina Mendoni certifying the authenticity of the 262 photographs of the 200 resistance fighters in Kaisariani was the most crucial step in reaching an agreement with the Belgian collector and bringing all the material under Greek state ownership, which has already been declared a protected monument. A preliminary agreement has already been signed. The collector expressed his feelings to ERT, which were nothing but joy and relief. However, the agreement still needs to be finalized. Specifically: “I am happy and relieved that everything is over and I will make no further statements. I will say nothing more until everything is finished.”
Read: Mendoni: Kaisariani photographs are authentic, Culture Ministry purchasing them
Photos of the 200 in Kaisariani: Who is the Belgian collector
MEGA’s reporting is revealing, as a journalist reported on the “Live News” program that she was outside the collector’s house in a suburb of Ghent. It was noted that this is also the headquarters of his online platform. Indeed, she emphasized that the curtains, which were open the previous day, were closed on Friday, February 20, a sign of the emotions that the collector shared with Flemish restraint, of course.
The report also mentioned information suggesting that additional material exists beyond that from the execution day of May 1, 1944, covering the entire period of Nazi occupation in Greece (1941-44). It was emphasized that he has material from the Panathenaic Stadium, the Acropolis, and generally footage describing the hardship of that period, when the Nazis entered from Bulgaria and moved down to Crete.
