Statue of the Unknown Soldier

The Statue of the Unknown Soldier in prefecture of Rethymno is located in Rethymno, at the homonym square, where the Ammou Gate was during the Venetian rule.

The Statue of the Unknown Soldier was placed on the square in 1930; the unveiling was made by Eleftherios Venizelos on 9 of November, on the occasion of the regular anniversary of the Arcadian self-sacrifice and the Centenary of Greek independence. A Fundraising Committee was established for the construction of this monument with Manos Tsakonas as its chairman and Perakis as a sculptor of the statue itself.

The Statue of the Unknown Soldier, located at the spot that connects the waterfront with the town beach, has received negative feedback by the locals from the first moment of its creation since it seems that the soldier is wearing the French army uniform (hence it is called “the French”). The locals would rather have a monument with a reference to the monastery of Arkadi and the self-sacrifice of its people instead.