Follow 16-year-old Katharina through one of the most dramatic chapters in Apiranthos’ history, the civil unrest of 1917. Together with her courageous mother, Mrs. Paraskevi, and the brave Florios, Katharina forms an unlikely alliance for peace and becomes a voice of reason in a time of chaos, helping to end the bloody feud that divides her people.
During World War I, Greece wasn’t just caught between warring alliances—it was torn by a fierce internal divide. Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos pushed to join the Entente Allies, envisioning a stronger, expanded Greece. But King Constantine I, influenced by his ties to Germany, insisted on neutrality. This power struggle sparked the National Schism, a deep political and social rift that split the nation in two. More than a foreign war, it became a conflict that reached into Greek homes, communities, and hearts, shaping the country’s future for decades to come.
Difficulty: Medium, with one steep ascent to the top of the village (ca. 100m elevation)
Duration: 60 min.
Apiranthos is a village built into the slopes of the Fanari mountain and you can feel it when walking its streets. This is certainly one of the more challenging hikes, with the route mounting to the top of the village in a long, slow ascent (60 minutes), then descending down again (30 minutes).
The hike takes you to historical locations: the house where Florios lived (scene 5), the location where troops where stationed in Psari Plaka (scene 10), the advance of troops from Kastri and the green window where a woman was shot (scene 11), the house where sixteen-year old Giannis was shot (scene 12a), and Theotokos church where Florios hoisted the white flag (scene 12b). It is serious subject matter and geared more towards a mature audience.
You can find some of our sources here.
Voice Actors
Katerina Kotsos: Christina Brekou
Florios Bakalos: Orestis Rouskas
All other male voice: Orestis Rouskas
All other female voices: Christina Brekou
Story development
Sofia Kritikou
and her student from the Esperino Geniko Lykeio Naxou
Maria Viktoros
Writer
Georg Struck
Shahrukh Khan
Illustrations
Katerina Kaisidou
Production Coordinator
Marcela Skenda
Sound recording
George Sarantinos
Sound Design
Shaymae Fatane
Research
Nida Khan
Soundhike Documentation Video
Director – Shahrukh Khan
Camera – Shahrukh Khan
Protagonist – Nida Khan
Web App
Prof. Claudius Coenen
The Guardians of Naxos were developed in a collaboration by Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (Department of Communication, Media and Culture, Professor Nikos Leandros and Dr Panagiotis Kapos), Cyprus University of Technology (Media Arts & Design Research Lab, Associate Professor Doros Polydorou) and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (Department of Media, Professor Claudius Coenen and Professor Georg Struck)