On April 24, 1944 there was a massacre of civilians by German Nazis and their local accomplices. It was the second largest German-related massacre of Greece after that of Kalavryta. The events were later the subject of dozens of documentaries and generated wide interest. Among the atrocities that were committed, 368 men women and children were killed and burned alive. Colonel Karl Schümers of 7th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment was responsible for the massacres at Pyrgoi, Kleisoura Kastoria, and Distomo Boeotia which in total included over 1,000 men, women and children. The town was completely destroyed and survivors were forced to walk to Ptolemaida. An annual memorial ceremony is held for the victims, where the president of Democracy of Greece visits the village.
