Thermopyles Refugee Center

Thermopyles Refugee Center

Thermopyles Refugee Accommodation Center

This site is located in a defunct resort at the hot springs of Thermopyles (Thermopylae) in Central Greece. The site is about 15 kilometers from the city of Lamia. Currently, Thermopyles houses about 450 refugees from a variety of countries.

We visited the Thermopyles Refugee Center on several occasions between May 17-19. We toured the site, talked to many of the staff, and interviewed residents from Syria, Iraq and Iran.

Hiyam’s Story

The first thing we saw when we entered the room was the cake, sitting on the floor. A beautifully decorated cake, worthy of a pastry shop display....sitting on the floor of a tiny, disheveled room with bunk beds, a tiny sink and a small dresser. This is how we met...

Back to Thermopyles

https://vimeo.com/218554102   It was a pleasure to return to Thermopyles after my initial scout, this time for four days of shooting. In 2016, when there was a mad rush to the northern border as it was closing, Giorgos Palamiotis, a journalist, managed to set up...