Olof Palme Park

Olof Palme Park is located on Aretsou beach in Nea Krini. The plot of land occupied by the park once belonged to the Georgiadis family, active in the brewing industry. Villa Georgiadis was a local landmark but was eventually abandoned to its fate. Following an agreement between the family and the Municipality of Kalamaria, part of the plot became luxury apartment buildings, and the rest was converted into Olof Palme Park. Olof Palme (1927-1986) was Sweden’s Social Democrat Prime Minister. He strongly criticised the US war in Vietnam, condemned apartheid in South Africa and participated in the nuclear disarmament campaign. Palme’s political choices provoked strong reactions in the right-wing circles of his homeland. On the night of February 28, 1986, Palme was murdered while returning from the cinema. The identity of the killer was never conclusively established. Palme’s unjust death shocked world public opinion. The Swedish politician became a symbol of resistance and was honoured with busts and the naming of streets and squares in many countries. The simple bronze bust of Olof Palme in Kalamaria is the work of Evangelos Kesidis and was placed in the park in 1995 as a tribute to the politician who stated that “politics is a matter of principles”.