Social Program

Visit to the Achilleion Palace and the Old Fortress and Greek night.

The Achilleion Palace can be found in the Village of Gastouri, 10 km’s south west of the town of Corfu. The stunning appearance of this stately palace takes the visitor back in history to when the palace was inhabited by two great figures from European history whose only common bond was their adoration for Corfu, Greece and its culture, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (known as 'Sissi') and Kaiser William II of Germany. Empress Elisabeth built the palace to escape the tragedies of her life, such as the untimely demise of her son. The palace was completed in 1891. The Empress herself decorated the inner and exterior parts of the palace with pieces of art from Greek mythology and history. The name Achilleion was given to the palace because of her unique passion towards the central hero in the mythological story, the Iliad and the Trojan War. After her unfortunate death, the Kaiser (Emperor) of Germany, William II, bought the palace in 1907. The Kaiser began making changes to the palace, such as the moving the statue of the 'Dying Achilles'. In its place he erected the huge statue of the 'Victorious Achilles' which was more suited to his personality. One of the things that the Kaiser took care of first was the restoration of the beautiful gardens of the palace. For this reason, he brought famous agriculturalists, gardeners, and also rare trees and plants. These trees and plants that still live in the gardens in our times. After years of rebuilding and restoration, the palace has been restored to its former beauty.

The Old Fortress of Corfu Town was built by the Venetians upon the remains of a Byzantine castle and was completed in two stages. During the first period (1400-1500) the Venetians strengthened the Byzantine walls and dug the Contra Fossa moat, turning the promontory into an artificial island accessed by a movable bridge. In more recent times the Contra Fossa became notorious as the classic site of romantic suicides. The second period (16th-18th centuries) began with the completion of this work (1546-1588) and ended with the additions and alterations made by the British. Today two impressive bastions remain, which bear the names of the Italian engineers Martinengo and Savorgnan, as well as later British buildings and accretions, such as the church of St. George, built in 1840 as a basilica with Doric columns.