The bloody past

You walk through the beautiful nature that timidly peeks out and blossoms. The buds burst open on a winter morning. Calm and rest for the mind and the eye. You look at the imposing monument at the top of the hill. You close your eyes. As if by magic, the calm is shattered. Sounds of war, explosions, screams. You are transported to the summer of 1913. Greek and Bulgarian troops are fighting fiercely for supremacy after their joint successful attack against a crumbling Ottoman Empire. You open your eyes to see the birds of the lake that have spotted you and are calling you. You close your eyes and are transported to World War I, to other deadly battles. The allied Greek and British troops are stationed to the south of the lake, while the Bulgarians are to the east. And if you find it hard to believe, here is the proof.

On a hill south of the lake, called Colonial Hill, stands a monument to those who fell in World War I, the British Doiran Memorial. The British Empire in all its glory. A striking and grandiose monument. The impressive obelisk can be seen from afar, dominating the landscape and marking it. The two marble lions symbolize the once mighty British Empire. In glorious memory of 416 officers and 10,262 soldiers of the British Army who fell in Macedonia and Serbia (1915-1918). So much youth wasted…

And two cemeteries further down, one for the fallen Greeks and one for the British soldiers, do not let you forget. The British military cemetery is the resting place of 1,338 dead (449 unidentified, unknown soldiers). Unknown to us, but known to God, as inscribed on the tombstone that covers them: “A soldier of the Great War. Known unto God.” My mind automatically turns to Thucydides’ Funeral Oration, spoken by Pericles: “An empty bed is laid for the unknown.” And a carefree little dog jumps between the perfectly aligned graves. “Their name liveth for evermore,” says the inscription. In the Greek military cemetery, with the graves of 102 Greek officers and soldiers who were killed in the Battle of Doiran (September 5, 1918), you can read the verses of Dionysios Solomos from the poem “On the Death of Lord Byron”:

They are those who, fighting, covered the earth,

on top of the chariots, thundering with their free bodies.

The lake today

The lake covers 42.8 square meters, 15.2 of which belong to Greece. Today, the lake has two sides. On the Greek side, we find sand dunes and dense vegetation of reeds on the shores. You walk among the reeds, your footsteps sinking into sand strewn with mussel shells that glisten in the sun and break apart. It feels like you are stepping on glass. The dry branches on the banks form shapes and static images that spark the imagination. Boats rotting on the shore, a decadent and melancholic landscape. Very few changes are allowed, as the Greek part of the lake is a protected Natura 2000 habitat. However, the part that belongs to the neighboring country is undergoing rapid development with hotels, casinos, organized beaches, and all kinds of recreational facilities, making Doirani a popular destination all year round. A lake in bipolar disorder. The two countries’ agreement on joint action seems like a pipe dream and unattainable.

The Belles Mountain Range is reflected on the lake. Eighteen species of fish and 36 species of birds, most notably the endangered silver pelican, swim in its waters. Mainly grey herons and cormorants. Even today, you may see a few fishermen who have not abandoned centuries-old fishing methods, on “plaves”, wooden rowing boats without keels. But you will definitely see them in photographs and audiovisual material at the Lake Doiranis Museum, at the entrance to the village, next to the lake. The recently renovated museum hosts a permanent exhibition structured around three themes: nature, culture, and life around the lake. It is an ideal venue for schools, especially for visits as part of environmental programs.

The old border railway station

The old border railway station of Doirani was built in 1896, when the area was part of the Ottoman Empire, and operated until the mid-1980s. It ceased operations in 1987, as it was not included in the route of the new Thessaloniki-Istanbul railway line. Over the years, refugee families from Pontus settled around the Doirani Station, thus creating the present-day village, which is the gateway to the neighboring country. Today, this remote village has fewer than 100 inhabitants. Nearby larger villages include Mouriés, Myriofyto, Agios Charalambos, Amaranta, Drosato, and Akritas. All of them have an aging population that is steadily declining. These villages need motivation, support, and encouragement, not to revive, but perhaps just to survive.

The village of Akritas

On the road right next to the border with Skopje, you can see the customs office and the first houses of Old Doirani (Star Dojran). 4.5 kilometers southwest of Doirani, just 500 meters from the border, lies the village of Akritas. The name says it all. The village has linked its name to the hero of EOKA and the Cypriot struggle for freedom, Grigoris Afxentiou. On March 31, 1951, Grigoris Afxentiou received a transfer order to the 132nd Prokalypsis Regiment for service in Doirani, specifically at the Akritas outpost. Today, the outpost operates as the “Historical Museum – Akritas Outpost – Grigoris Afxentiou.” The rich photographic material in the museum brings to life the Cypriot struggle for liberation from British occupation during the period 1955–1957: the life and resistance activities of Grigoris Afxentiou, the holocaust in the cave of Machaira, as well as other moments of the Cypriot Struggle, the gallows, the prisoners’ graves, uniforms, and personal items of the officers. The twinned municipalities of Kilkis and Lysos in Cyprus are passing on a treasure trove of historical value to younger generations.

The village of Drosato

In the village of Drosato, a gallery of copies is a pleasant surprise. This is the original “Museum of Copies of Byzantine Icons and Works by Greek Painters,” housed in the newly renovated church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. This old church, dating from 1831, with jars and vases in its construction for better acoustics, stands modestly next to the large new church.

Acritic villages, military cemeteries, rich wetlands, border stations. This diverse character of Doirani is extremely interesting and deserves to be revealed before us.