Memorial to Genocide of Pontian Hellenism

Erected in 2006 in marble and bronze, this memorial commemorates the genocide of the Pontic Greeks carried out between 1914 and 1923 under Ottoman and early Kemalist rule, which claimed an estimated 300,000 to 360,000 lives. Greece formally recognised the event as genocide through a parliamentary resolution in 1994, designating 19 May as the official day of remembrance. Thessaloniki is a fitting location: after the 1923 population exchange, the city became the primary settlement hub for Pontic Greek refugees and remains the heart of the Pontic Greek diaspora community in Greece today. The site functions as a quiet place of mourning rather than a conventional attraction, drawing descendants of survivors particularly on the annual commemoration in May.