Like that of an old couple bickering out of habit, Greece and Germany’s relationship has been tested because of the crisis. But it was not always so. Around 200 years ago, the two nations had developed close bonds. A reminder of this legacy are the thousand or so residents of Paleo Iraklio, an Athenian suburb, who have never forgotten where their ancestors came from.

These are the descendants of the Bavarians who moved to the area in 1837, put down roots and became gradually Hellenized. Modern Greek-Bavarians are Catholic and have, over the years, simplified their Bavarian names: Bittlinger became Pitlinger, Wanger became Wager, Fuchs became Fix and so on. It’s not widely known but the district is considered the cradle of Catholicism in Athens with parishes, monasteries and the city’s sole Catholic cemetery.

But why Paleo Iraklio? The story goes that when Otto – the Bavarian prince chosen by the Great Powers as modern Greece’s first king – settled in Athens in 1834, he started looking for an area to build his country house and for the families of his entourage to settle. It is said that he ordered his servants to slaughter lambs and hang them from trees in various areas in Attica. He would choose the area in which the lamb would take the longest to rot, since that area would be less humid and possess a better climate in general. In the end, lambs took longer to rot in the area where Plateia Othonos (Otto Square) is located. So in 1837, Otto established the Bavarian Military Colony of Iraklio, under commander-in-chief Christoforos Nezer (Christoph Neeser), whose grandson became a famous Greek actor. Around 33 people, mainly members of the court and mercenaries, settled there, forming the core of today’s community.

“I am fifth generation,” says 60-year-old Filippos Wanger, an active member of the Bavarian community of Paleo Iraklio. “The first Wanger was a viticulturist in Otto’s court, while my son is the first Christian Orthodox in our family.