The Rise and Fall of a Dictator: The Controversy Over Metaxas Square in Nicosia

The first reactions to the naming of public spaces after Metaxas can be traced to the Cypriot press in 1945, following the liberation of Greece from the Germans. The reactions continued after the junta prevailed in Greece in 1967, reaching their peak in 1975. This chapter examines the process of renaming “Metaxas Square,” the central square of Nicosia, in 1975 on the first anniversary of the coup d’état, organized by the Greek junta and their accomplices in Cyprus in 1974, and the subsequent Turkish invasion. The decision is an important example of direct citizen involvement in decision-making regarding the (re)naming of public spaces. Through the analysis of primary archival material from the Nicosia municipal archives and the Greek-Cypriot press, the research brings to light the process of regaining control of public space by the citizens of Nicosia, and the imposition of their own narrative onto space.