Monument to the Heroes of 1821

In the heart of Fry, a few steps from the picturesque harbor of Bouka, two anchors and four small cannons make up one of the most charged monuments of Kasos — a tribute to the sailors and fighters who threw the weight of an entire fleet into the liberation struggle of 1821.

The Heroes' Monument is located in the center of Fry, just before the small port of Bouka, and consists of two ship anchors with four small cannons placed around them. It is dedicated to the Kassians who fought and fell during the Greek Revolution of 1821, and the choice of materials — anchors and cannons instead of a traditional statue — is not accidental: it directly refers to the island's naval identity, which was also the core of its contribution to the Struggle.

This symbolic choice reflects a real history of power. At the start of the revolution, Kasos had a fleet of around 100 armed ships, financed by the wealth that the island’s shipowners had accumulated through trade with Alexandria in the previous decades. As early as May 1821, Kassian ships appeared in front of the harbor of Rhodes and bombarded its fortress, while two ships patrolled the Strait of Rhodes non-stop. Thereafter, the Kassian fleet continued to harass Ottoman ships throughout the Aegean—seizing goods destined for the coasts of Asia Minor and capturing or destroying Turkish warships that dared to put to sea.

The symbolism and the relationship with the Holocaust

The monument does not stand alone; it is located in the immediate vicinity of the Holocaust Memorial, in the Town Hall Square, and together the two form a single monumental ensemble in the center of Fry. This proximity is not simply spatial, but also narrative: the Heroes' Monument honors the strength and courage of the Cassian fleet, while the Holocaust Memorial recalls the price paid by the island precisely because of this action, when the Sublime Porte and the Egyptian fleet returned in 1824 in retaliation.

The importance of this contribution was officially recognized in recent years: by a resolution of the Greek Parliament in November 2018, Kasos was officially named "Heroic Island Kasos", in recognition of its contribution to the Liberation Struggle of 1821. The Heroes' Monument thus remains not only a point of reference for visitors, but also a living symbol of this officially recognized "heroic" identity of the island.