The Municipal Council of Thessaloniki has greenlighted the installation of a commemorative “Memory Marker” sign honouring internationally renowned filmmaker Costa-Gavras, next to the monument of Grigoris Lambrakis, at the junction of Venizelou and Ermou streets in the city centre. The decision was taken during a council meeting and is linked to Costa-Gavras’s forthcoming visit to Thessaloniki on 12 February.
According to the president of the Municipal Council, Spyros Vouyias, the initiative “aims to connect this specific site of public space with the memory of Lambrakis through three major cultural references associated with it: the novel “Z” (1966) by Vassilis Vassilikos, its acclaimed film adaptation directed by Costa-Gavras in 1969, and the iconic musical score composed by Mikis Theodorakis.
The “Memory Marker” will be double-sided and presented in both Greek and English. Its design will combine written texts with photographs, illustrations, or engravings arranged in carefully curated graphic compositions. One side of the sign will be dedicated to Grigoris Lambrakis, providing historical information about his life, political role and legacy. The reverse side, to be titled “Point Z”, will focus on the cultural afterlife of his assassination, featuring information about Costa-Gavras’s film “Z”, Vassilikos’s novel, and Theodorakis’s music.
The placement of the sign was approved by a majority vote of the council. At the same time, municipal authorities are finalising the full programme of Costa-Gavras’s visit to Thessaloniki, including a series of public events and tributes in his honour.
Grigoris Lambrakis, a prominent peace campaigner, became a symbol of democratic resistance in post-war Greece when, on 22 May 1963, after delivering a speech at a peace rally in Thessaloniki, he was violently attacked by far-right extremists at the junction of Venizelou and Ermou streets. His death exposed deep links between the far right and elements of the state apparatus and triggered widespread public outrage. The defining moment in modern Greek political history inspired both investigative journalism and artistic responses. The Costa-Gavras film “Z” (1969), based on the novel by Vassilis Vassilikos, tells the story of Lambrakis’ assassination through the lens of a gripping political thriller.
