Fort Lisse, Military museum in Kato Nevrokopi, Greece.
Fort Lisse is a military museum housed in a stone fortification in Kato Nevrokopi, in the Drama regional unit of northern Greece. The building contains several rooms displaying weapons, uniforms, and personal items from both Greek and German soldiers of the Second World War, with information panels written in Greek and English.
Fort Lisse was the flagship of the Metaxas Line, whose 21 forts covered the Greek-Bulgarian border with 1,849 m of shelters and 4,251 m of tunnels. On 6–7 April 1941 its garrison of 12 officers and 457 men repelled German and Bulgarian attacks and was never taken; it surrendered on 10 April 1941 only after Greece's capitulation. Major Georgios Detorakis, its commander, refused to reveal the forts' construction secrets and told the Germans the fort had just one dead.
The fort is named Lisse after the old name of the neighbouring village, which was renamed Ochyro, a swap of names. Every year on 6 April memorial events take place here. The museum, renovated in 2002, displays weapons, uniforms, medals and personal items of Greek and German soldiers, plus a 1941 map of the Battle of the Forts.
Visiting in the morning is a good idea since daylight makes it easier to read the panels and see the objects clearly. Some paths between the exhibition areas can be uneven or steep, so wear shoes with a good grip.
Several of the hand grenades and machine guns on display were actually used during the fighting at this exact location in 1941, not sourced from other battlefields. Close inspection of some pieces shows visible marks left by real combat use.
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