Unveiling of the bust of Eleftherios Venizelos (Giannitsa).

The unveiling of the bust of Eleftherios Venizelos was held in Giannitsa, on June 25th, 2006. The event was organised by the Municipality of Giannitsa and the Historical and Folklore Association of Giannitsa "Filippos", with the support of the Foundation.
The main speaker was the assistant professor at the University of Thessaloniki, Iakovos Mihailidis, on the topic "Eleftherios Venizelos and the Balkan Wars – Refugee establishment in Giannitsa – The drainage of the lake of Giannitsa". A brief reference to the reforms of Eleftherios Venizelos was made by the CEO of the Foundation, Nikolaos Emm. Papadakis.
The programme comprised a photograph exhibition, cinematographic and sound documentaries about Eleftherios Venizelos, from the Foundation archive.
During Turkish occupation, Giannitsa was a sacred city for Muslims. In the First Balkan War, the victorious outcome of a decisive two-day battle (October 12-20, 1912) in the area of Giannitsa opened the way towards the liberation of Thessaloniki. Before the battle, Eleftherios Venizelos imposed the course of the Greek troops towards Giannitsa-Thessaloniki on the Commander-in-Chief Konstantinos and the area was occupied by the Greeks before the Bulgarian troops reached it.