Athens celebrates the liberation of the city from the Nazis, with a ceremony mimicking the actions that took place on the site in 1944. Even though it is no longer a place of worship for the Greeks, the Acropolis remains a focal point of Greek culture today.

From:
Athens News Agency

10/13/2005
Ceremony held on Acropolis to mark Athens’ liberation from Nazis

A ceremony was held on the Athens Acropolis on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the city’s liberation from Nazi occupation troops on October 12, 1944. Among those attending was President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias, while Deputy Defence Minister Vassilis Mihaloliakos represented the government and Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

As in 1944, high-school girls wearing traditional costumes carried the Flag of Liberation to the Acropolis, where it was raised as the national anthem was played.

Mihaloliakos said the ceremony was a tribute to the heroes of the Greek resistance, whose sacrifices helped bring the dawn of freedom more quickly. The wager for Greeks today was to stamp out corrupation and beat unemployment, he added.