Greece's military heritage is among the most layered in the Mediterranean — a country that was a key NATO southern flank during the Cold War, an Italian colonial possession in the Dodecanese islands from 1912 to 1943, a German and Italian occupation zone in WWII and the site of a brutal civil war from 1946 to 1949. Each period left military infrastructure: Italian fascist barracks that became psychiatric hospitals and political prisons on Leros island, German Luftwaffe installations at Ellinikon, Cold War NATO bunkers distributed across the Aegean islands and the Greek mainland's ring of decommissioned military barracks from the junta era. Discover the 5 best abandoned military places in Greece, selected from our Greece Urbex Map — 60+ verified GPS locations.
Why Greece Has Europe's Most Historically Layered Abandoned Military Heritage
No Mediterranean country concentrates as many distinct military heritage periods in such a small territory as Greece — Italian colonial, WWII German/Italian, Civil War, NATO Cold War, and military junta (1967–1974) each left physical infrastructure now derelict across the mainland and islands.
1. Ellinikon Airport – Athens — Built 1938, Luftwaffe Base WWII, 2004 Olympic Venues, Abandoned Olympic Airways 747, Derelict Since 2001 (Known Location)
Ellinikon Airport's construction began in 1938 but was cut short by WWII. During the Nazi occupation of Greece, the Kalamaki airfield was used as a Luftwaffe base and became a target of Allied air raids. After the war, a second runway and later a second terminal were constructed. The airport served Athens for 60 years before closing in 2001. The abandoned Boeing 747 SX-OAB first flew in 1973 and remains on the tarmac. The WWII military origin adds a specific dark heritage layer to the airport's urbex experience.
🔗 Sources: CNN – The Greek Airport Left to Fall Apart | Wikipedia – Ellinikon Airport
2. Leros Italian Military Barracks – Leros Island, Dodecanese — Built by Italian Fascist Colonists 1912–1943, Reused as Political Prison 1967, Psychiatric Hospital, Extraordinary Confinement History (Known Location)
Leros island, in the Dodecanese, served several times as a place to accommodate those excluded by the Greek state. The buildings constructed as Italian military barracks in the interwar period were re-used as indoctrination institutions, mental asylum and prison cells in the turbulent post-war era. In 1967, during the military junta, former Italian barracks were transformed into a political prison for circa 4,000 political prisoners. The most extraordinary layered institutional military heritage in Greece. Leros accessible by ferry from Piraeus (7 hours).
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Greece →
3. Abandoned Military Hospital Barracks – Halandri, Athens — 19th-Century Stone Barracks, Derelict and Decaying, Reconversion Plans Pending, Athens Residential Setting
In Halandri there are plans to list the abandoned military barracks complex as a historic place and to reconvert its buildings, as it already happened for similar old stone buildings in the nearby Liberty Park, but so far the barrack complex is still abandoned and decaying — the perfect location for urban exploration. The stone construction, the institutional scale and the contrast with the surrounding residential neighbourhood create a distinctive Athens military dereliction experience. All GPS in our Greece Urbex Map.
4. Cold War Coastal Bunker – Aegean Island or Mainland Coast — NATO Anti-Landing Position, Concrete Emplacement, Sea Views, Greek-Turkish Cold War Frontier (Hidden on Our Map)
Greece's Aegean coast — NATO's southeastern frontier facing Turkey throughout the Cold War — was defended by a network of coastal bunkers, artillery positions and signal stations from the 1950s through the 1980s. Several of these concrete emplacements on the Aegean islands and mainland coast stand in states of complete dereliction: the gun slits framing views of the Turkish coast on clear days, the Cold War frontier made visible in concrete and steel. Find it on our Greece Urbex Map.
5. Derelict Junta-Era Military Installation – Central or Northern Greece — 1967–1974 Military Junta Infrastructure, Barracks or Training Facility, Post-1974 Abandonment (On Our Map Only)
The military junta of 1967–1974 left a specific infrastructure legacy across Greece — training facilities, detention centres and barracks built or expanded during the seven-year dictatorship and progressively decommissioned after the restoration of democracy. Several of these junta-era facilities in central and northern Greece stand in states of significant dereliction: concrete construction of the specific late-socialist period aesthetic, with the weight of the junta's history in every abandoned cell block and administration building. GPS in our Greece Urbex Map.
❓ FAQ
What is the most interesting abandoned military place in Greece?
The Italian military barracks on Leros island — built by Italian fascist colonists from 1912, reused as a psychiatric hospital and political prison during the 1967 junta, and still partially derelict today. The most extraordinary layering of military, colonial and political confinement heritage in the Aegean. Accessible by ferry from Piraeus (7 hours).
Were there WWII military installations in Greece?
Yes — the German Luftwaffe used Ellinikon Airport (then Kalamaki airfield) during the occupation. Italian fascist barracks were built across the Dodecanese islands (1912–1943). Several WWII-era military structures on the Greek mainland and islands remain derelict. Our Greece Urbex Map covers accessible WWII-heritage military sites.
Is it safe to visit military sites in Greece?
Always check whether a site is still in active military use before approaching — Greek military zones are strictly enforced with immediate detention. Decommissioned sites like the Halandri barracks are accessible; active military perimeters are not. Our Greece Urbex Map clearly flags all military-adjacent sites with safety notes.
Safety Tips
- Active military zones: never approach signed military perimeters in Greece — immediate detention is standard procedure; this is not negotiable
- Ellinikon security: active redevelopment site with security patrols — assess perimeter before approaching
- Leros ferry: check current Piraeus–Leros ferry times on anek.gr or bluestarferries.com — the 7-hour crossing is weather-dependent in winter
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
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