Impressive, fascinating, spectacular, solemn were some of the descriptions in the dithyrambic publications of the German press for the parade, which was organized by more than fifty Greek expatriate organizations, cultural and school associations, communities and local Greek organizations on Saturday, October 9, 2021, for the 200th anniversary of the 1821 Greek Independence War, as reported by anamniseis.net.
The General Secretary for Greek Abroad and Public Diplomacy, Giannis Chrysoulakis, participated in the parade, which culminated with thousands of people transforming into a large choir to sing the Greek national anthem at the Europaviertel, which was followed by the emotion of the Diaspora Greeks and the German philhellenes.
The General Secretary for Greek Abroad and Public Diplomacy, Giannis Chrysoulakis, the Ambassador of Greece to Germany, Maria Marinaki, the Consul General of Greece in Stuttgart, Symeon Linardakis, the Military Attaché, E. Kolovis, and Bishop Bartholomew of Arianzus participated in the closing of the parade and walked together to the city library holding the Greek flag.
Before the festive event, Chrysoulakis walked down the street of the parade and met hundreds of expatriates.
Accompanying the event with the Greek music program that it had prepared especially for the parade, after the chanting of the Greek National Anthem, The Symphony Orchestra of the Stuttgart Music School played songs by Mikis Theodorakis.
The parade was attended by about 1,600 children and adults from Greek schools and cultural associations from all over Baden-Württemberg, as well as from Bavaria, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Switzerland.
It is estimated that ten thousand expatriates and philhellenes, who swarmed in the streets hiding Greek flags, attended the parade of the Hellenism of Stuttgart for the Greek Revolution.
The Greek Presidential Guard paraded with its six uniforms drew the attention of the crowd. It was the first time that the Evzones appeared in Europe outside Greece, as well as the first time that all their costumes were presented together.
Honorary guests at the event were officials of the Greek State as well as representatives of the Greek Orthodox Church in Germany.
In the framework of his visit to Stuttgart and in collaboration with the Ambassador and the Consul General of Greece, Giannis Chrysoulakis held meetings with the organizing committee of the parade, the coordinator of Greek language education, principals and teachers of schools in Baden-Württemberg, children learning Greek, representatives of expatriate organizations, cultural associations, communities, parents associations, as well as with expatriate businesspeople, scientists, doctors, lawyers, artists, musicians and radio producers.
Among other things, the general secretary agreed with the expatriates for the adaptation of the platform staellinika.com for German-speaking children.
Also, the general secretary, in the presence of part of the detachment of the Greek Presidential Guard, attended the doxology service at the Church of the Ascension and addressed the participating expatriates.
On the eve of the parade, an event was held in honor of the German philhellenes with a speech by the university professor of history and philosophy Wilfried Setzler on the historical events of the time and the philhellenic movement.
Giannis Chrysoulakis spoke at the event, pointing out the offer of the well-known “German Legion” and the followers of the German philhellenism who were eventually sacrificed as “martyrs.”
A long history of German philhellenism in favor of Greek Independence War
It is noted that 200 years ago a particularly large number of German philhellenes supported the liberation struggle of the Greeks from the Ottoman rule.
At that time, the so-called “Aid Association for Greece” was founded in Stuttgart, the first philhellenic association in Germany, after the call of Professor Krug.
Throughout Germany, the Greek Revolution sparked a pro-Greek movement with great mobilization power. There were many Germans among the approximately 1,200 philhellenes who traveled to Greece from Northern and Western Europe from 1821 onwards to support the struggle for independence.
