Opening hours, ticket prices, information
Well, this building is dedicated to the mythical Hero Achilles, therefore it should be written as Achilleion and not Achillion, Achilleion is the correct writing, while Achillion is wrong! see the Wikipedia linkĪnyway, we use both names on the website because many people still use the wrong name. How it should be written Achilleion or Achillion? Is the correct name Achilleion or Achillion? Today, the palace is open to the public as a museum and cultural center, featuring exhibits on the history of the palace and the island of Corfu. It is said that he came here in the summer to draw up his war plans secretly.ĭuring the First World War Achilleion palace was used as a military hospital, then fell into decay, but during the 1970s and 1980s, it housed the casino of Corfu. The Kaiser made additions to the building and built the Kaiser’s bridge, 2 km from Benitses, to use for swimming away from prying eyes, and also mooring his yacht. In the gardens of the palace are found the famous statues of the dying Achilles, Dionysus with Satyros on his shoulders, an impressive statue of Achilles 11.5 meters high, and a statue of Lord Byron.Īfter the murder of Elizabeth, the palace was bought by the Kaiser of Germany William II On the balcony of the first floor, where there were the apartments of the Empress, the Ionic columns are adjoined by busts of philosophers and statues of the nine muses. On the second floor, there is a brass statue of the god Hermes, and the central large hall is dominated by works of Italian painters, most notably that of the Austrian Franz Matt depicting the triumph of Achilles. The entrance is decorated with many statues and columns, two centaurs decorate the balcony on the first floor and four brass Mice guard the balcony on the second floor.īesides, the columns are statues of gods and philosophers. On a visit to Geneva, she was assassinated by an Italian, who later said that he had gone to Geneva to kill a sovereign, and did not mind which one he killed, as long as he succeeded!
Once the palace was finished however she lost interest in it somewhat and came less frequently to the island.
She was well known in the vicinity, and much loved as she had a well dug in lower Gastouri which saved the women walking long distances to get good water. She then demolished the simple house and built the Achilleion Palace. She traveled extensively for her health, and this became almost manic following the suicide of her son Rudolf, who shot himself and his mistress in a suicide pact at a hunting lodge called Mayerling.Ĭoming to Corfu she fell in love with the estate of the diplomat and philosopher Petros Vrailas -Armenis, and he gave it to her. She was the younger daughter of the Duke of Bavaria, and the Emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph, was told by his mother to marry her elder sister, but he fell in love with her instead.Įlizabeth felt stifled by the very strict protocol, dominating mother-in-law, and the regimented life in Vienna, and appears to have suffered minor breakdowns and depression frequently. South West Corfu Sandy Beaches and Villages.
0 kommentar(er)
