Achilleion (Corfu) facts for kids
| Αχίλλειο / Αχίλλειον | |
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| Location | Αχιλλειοι 49084, Greece |
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The Achilleion (Greek: Αχίλλειο) is a beautiful palace on the island of Corfu in Greece. It was built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, often called Sisi. She decided to build this summer home after a very sad event: the loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, in 1889. The palace became a peaceful place for her to escape.
The Achilleion is located in a village called Gastouri, about 10 kilometers south of Corfu city. From the palace, you can see amazing views of the city and the Ionian Sea.
The palace was designed to look like an ancient Greek palace from myths. Its main theme is the Greek hero Achilles, which is where the name "Achilleion" comes from. Corfu was Empress Elisabeth's favorite vacation spot. She wanted a palace that showed her love for Greece, its language, and its culture.
Today, the Achilleion is a popular museum. It is managed by the Hellenic Tourism Development Company, which is part of the Greek National Tourism Organization.
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History of the Achilleion Palace
Empress Elisabeth's Dream Palace
The land where the Achilleion stands used to belong to a philosopher from Corfu, Petros Brailas-Armenis. It was known as "Villa Vraila." In 1888, Empress Elisabeth visited the spot and decided it was the perfect place for her own palace on Corfu.
The palace was designed by an Italian architect named Raffaele Caritto. It was built on a large area of land, about 200,000 square meters. Elisabeth's husband, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, also owned some land nearby.
Elisabeth wanted her palace to be a tribute to Achilles, a famous Greek hero. She asked a German sculptor, Ernst Gustav Herter, to create statues inspired by Greek mythology. His famous statue, Dying Achilles, was made in Berlin in 1884. It is a main feature in the Achilleion Gardens. The palace itself was built in a Pompeian style. Elisabeth decorated it with many statues and paintings.
She once wrote that she wanted "a palace worthy of Achilles, who despised all mortals and did not fear even the gods." The Achilleion was her private escape from the world. She only welcomed her daughters, Archduchess Marie Valerie and Archduchess Gisela, and their husbands there. Her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, never visited the palace because he did not like sea travel.
The gardens on the hill offer beautiful views of the green hills and the Ionian Sea. Elisabeth visited the Achilleion often until 1896. After that, she lost interest and even thought about selling it. Sadly, in September 1898, Empress Elisabeth tragically died in Geneva.
Kaiser Wilhelm II's Summer Home
After Empress Elisabeth's death, her daughter, Archduchess Gisela, inherited the Achilleion. However, she did not use it much. In 1907, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany bought the palace. He used it as his summer home.
During the Kaiser's visits, the Achilleion became an important place for diplomacy in Europe. The Greek royal family, especially Wilhelm's sister Sophia of Prussia, who was the crown princess of Greece, often visited Corfu. The Kaiser also invited smart people, like the German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld, to his palace. He was very interested in the plants in the park. He even hired a famous botanist, Carl Ludwig Sprenger, who lived at the palace for about three months each year.
Kaiser Wilhelm usually came to Achilleion during the Easter season. He enjoyed the local festivals and cultural events. The German imperial family stayed on Corfu for about a month every year until World War I began in 1914.
Kaiser Wilhelm added his own statue of Achilles to the gardens. He asked sculptor Johannes Götz to create a large bronze statue. This statue stands as a guardian of the gardens, looking north toward the city.
The Kaiser's statue shows Achilles in full hoplite armor. It has many details, like a gorgon's head on the shield, which was meant to scare enemies. This tall statue is surrounded by palm trees. Kaiser Wilhelm visited the palace until 1914, when World War I started. He also enjoyed attending shows at the Municipal Theatre of Corfu while on vacation at the Achilleion.
While staying at Achilleion, Kaiser Wilhelm was also involved in digging up ancient ruins at the temple of Artemis in Corfu. He also removed a statue of the German poet Heinrich Heine that Empress Elisabeth had put in the Achilleion.
The World Wars and Beyond
During World War I, the Achilleion was used as a military hospital by French and Serbian soldiers. After the war, in 1919, the palace became the property of the Greek state. This happened because of the Treaty of Versailles and the agreements about war payments.
From 1921 to 1924, the palace housed an orphanage for Armenian orphans from Constantinople. In the years between the two world wars, the Achilleion was used for different government purposes. Some of its valuable items were sold off.
During World War II, the Axis powers used the Achilleion as their military headquarters. After that war, the palace was managed by the Hellenic Tourist Organisation.
In 1962, a private company leased the Achilleion. They turned the upper floor into a casino and the lower areas into a museum. In 1983, the lease ended, and the Greek Tourist Organisation took over the palace again.
Achilleion's Modern Role
The Achilleion has recently been used for important European meetings. In 1994, it hosted a European summit. In 2003, it was the meeting place for European ministers of Agriculture. Today, it mainly serves as a museum, and the casino has moved to a different location in Corfu.
Achilleion in Movies
The Achilleion palace has been featured in movies. The casino scene in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (1981) was filmed there.
The palace also appears in the film-poem The Gaze of the Gorgon by British poet Tony Harrison. In the film, a group of tourists talks about the palace and its future meetings.
Gallery
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Statues in the terrace
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Ceiling painting by Vincenzo Galloppi at the main entrance
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The chapel
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The main staircase
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Kaiser's Bridge around 1918, before it was destroyed by the Wehrmacht, at the foot of the Achilleion
See also
In Spanish: Achilleion para niños
