On the slopes of Grammos mountain, the epicenter of the Greek Civil War (1946-’49), and overlooking the valley of Sarantaporos river to the north of western Greece, the monument of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) pays tribute to the fighters of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) who fought during the conflict.
The monument stands on a hill outside Kefalochori village (also known as Nea Lykorachi), 36 kms north of the city of Konitsa. Erected in 2006, sixty years after the establishment of DSE, its placement is symbolic: the central part of the monument is oriented to the direction of Petra Mouka, a spot high on Grammos where DSE based its headquarters.
The two ‘wings’ of the monument have their symbolism, too: they are ‘controlling’ the valley of Sarantaporos from the East and West. On its base, the KKE has placed a part of a cannon used at the battle of Patomata, northwest of Lycorachi. The whole monument is erected on top of an entrenchment which was protecting a hidden shooting point of DSE, during the Civil War.
In 2008 KKE completed the peripheral constructions of the monument, such as the paved forecourt, the sidewalk from Kefalochori and the stone-built fount for those who chose to get to the monument through the original pathway of the soldiers, through the woods overlooking the village.
The main battles of Grammos of the Greek Civil War took place from June to August 1948. The forces of the Greek State, the Hellenic Army (ES), were outnumbering the fighters of DSE by almost 6-to-1. By August 21st, the DSE forces retreated towards the northeast, to mount Vitsi. A year later, the Greek Civil War ended in favor the Hellenic Army, while the DSE fighters crossed the borders to seek shelter at the neighboring communist states.
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