The Up Stories team presents its research on the unknown to many “Kolokotronis wagon”.

He traveled from Athens to Tripoli and then to the Mills of Argolis in order to record a 90-year journey of one of the most precious historical relics of our country that in the year when our country celebrated the 200th anniversary of its liberation from the Turkish yoke some at OSE they decided to dismantle it into SCRAP.

Check out the Up Stories team’s road trip and learn the story of this historic wagon.

The History

On February 4, 1843, the Father of Lefteria, Theodoros Kolokotronis, died in Athens. On the night of his death, he was invited to the Royal Ball of the Palace. There he danced, ate and drank more than usual, happy as he was, since two days ago he had married his youngest child, Konstantinos (Kolinos). After the dance he returned home, which was very close to the Palaces, today’s Parliament of the Hellenes.

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His last conversation was this to his son Genneos: “I leave you as many friends as there are leaves on the branches, and take care to guard them.”

He died at the age of 73, on 04/02/1843 and “11 o’clock in the morning”. He was buried in the First Cemetery, where his bones also remained. On October 10, 1930, the bones of the Elder of Moria, at the request of the Arkadians, were transported by rail, by decision of Eleftherios Venizelos, in Tripoli placed inside a specially designed wagon, decorated with the national colors and laurels.

It was a freight car with registration number Z11 2317, manufactured in the Belgian factory of Baume Marpent at the end of the 19th century (1888 – 1892) on behalf of one of the first companies that had undertaken the construction and operation of a railway in Greece. According to friends of the railway, it is a small, elegant structure made of a metal frame and wooden cladding with a characteristic balustraded balcony, which has survived for about 130 years.

The traces of the wagon in which the bones of the Commander-in-Chief were transported were lost for many years until it was deposited as a historical monument at the old railway station of Argolis Mills.

In 2021 it was given permission to break up all together with other old wagons that were there!!! fortunately, the former then president of the municipal council of Lygouri Thanasis Galanis reacted and with his intervention forced the then Minister of Infrastructure to give an order to protect the wagon from destruction, thus saving a living monument of our history! It is worth noting that during the cutting of the remaining wagons (for the fear of the Jews and the protection of the wagon) Friends of the Argolis Railway and a delegation of Friends of the Railway from Athens (AMIZIA) were present at the train station of Mylon.

Finally, the Kolokotronis wagon was transferred to Athens in order to be preserved and decorate the “New Museum of the Greek Railways” which was inaugurated on MAY 29, 2019 in the historic building of the Rotunda, in the old engine room in Piraeus in the Lefka area, by the then Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Spirtzis, in the context of the celebration of 150 years of Greek railways.

It is worth mentioning that the Railway Museum from the very first day of its inauguration remained closed to the public, being in essence another mock-up project to the great disappointment of the residents of this degraded area who were hoping for better days with the operation of the museum.

Today and after our flight over the specific area, the image of abandonment recorded by our drone speaks for itself, while we also managed to locate a wagon that looks very similar to that of Kolokotronis.

According to information the historical wagon of Kolokotronis is in an unknown condition under the main shed and away from the prying eyes of those few who know about it and its vast history.