Garden of the Heroes, Memorial park and garden in Missolonghi, Greece.

The Garden of the Heroes lies north of Missolonghi on nearly fourteen hectares, entered through the city gate. Its stone perimeter wall, rebuilt in 1838 on the ruins of the original fortification, encloses a lawn crossed by stone-paved paths and wooden benches. Tall palms, pines and eucalyptus grow around and inside the site, which holds the burial mound, the statue of Markos Botsaris and 69 monuments to Greeks and philhellenes.

The Garden of the Heroes occupies the spot where, during the Ottoman siege, the defenders of Missolonghi buried their dead because the town cemetery was cut off. In 1830 Ioannis Kapodistrias ordered a memorial garden created there; in October 1838, under King Otto and Queen Amalia, the gathered bones were reinterred in the mound near the ruins of the church of Agios Nikolaos. Otto had the stone wall built on the remains of the town's original wall, and the first trees, sent from Athens by Amalia, were planted in 1858.

The garden hosts annual memorial ceremonies on Palm Sunday, with a procession departing from Saint Spyridon Church to honor those remembered there. These gatherings show how the space serves as a focal point for the community to mark shared history.

The garden is centrally located and easy to access, with paths throughout that allow visitors to walk between the monuments. Informational displays are positioned throughout the site to help you understand the history as you explore.

The marble lion crowning the burial mound was a gift from King Otto and Queen Amalia in 1858, after they helped plant trees and lay out the grounds. The first trees, sent from Athens by Amalia, had arrived that same year.