The Achilleion Palace, Corfu

Corfu is one of those wonderful Greek islands so beloved by tourists of all nationalities. Tourists though go for the beaches and sun, and miss out on so much of the island’s history. The island has influenced Greek culture for many thousands of years, and has brought more than the modern package holidaymakers to the island.

The Achilleion Palace is the result of one 19th century tourist’s desire to build a residence on the island. 1890 saw the arrival of the Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Elisabeth, also known as Sissi, spent the latter years of her life travelling around the Mediterranean. In mourning for the suicide of her son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889, Elisabeth settled for a short while on Corfu and built herself a summer palace, though it should be noted she wasn’t in the companionship of her husband Franz Josef.

Achilleion Palace - Jean Housen - CC-BY-SA-3.0

The summer palace was created with the hero Achilles in mind, and was subsequently named after him. The supposition was that the Empress built the palace to symbolise her son as Achilles. The palace was constructed in the neo-classical style by the Italian architect Raffaele Carito near to the village of Gastouri, some 10 kilometres from Corfu Town.

Within the palace there were numerous paintings and statues dedicated to Achilles, especially from the time of the Trojan War. The principle painting is found in the main hall, showing a triumphant Achilles. The Triumph of Achilles’ was painted by Franz Matsch, shows the body of Hector being dragged around the walls of Troy. Most tourists take note of the swastika on the gates of Troy, but it must be said the painting was done years before the rise of the Nazi party and is an ancient symbol in itself.

Statues of note within the building include a bronze winged Hermes, as well as statues of the Olympian gods, Zeus and Hera. The other main feature of the internal structure is a fresco of the Four Seasons’, with the seasons symbolised as women.

In the gardens there are further statues of Hermes, Apollo, Artemis and other Greek gods. The main statue though was a creation of the German sculptor, Ernst Gustav Herter. Made from marble, it shows Achilles at his most vulnerable, dying from Paris’ arrow wound to his heel. The statue faces skywards as if seeking assistance from his mother, the goddess Thetis. The symbolism is of course obvious, as the Empress sought to remember her son, Prince Rudolf, as if he had been asking for her help.

Empress Elisabeth was assassinated in Geneva in 1898 but an anarchist looking for any royal to kill. The summer palace was left unoccupied for almost ten years, until Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany purchased the palace. Wilhelm did little to alter the palace or gardens, although he did employee the botanical architect Sprenger to make some slight alterations.

The Terrace at the Achilleion Palace - Thomas Schoch - CC-BY-SA_3.0

Wilhelm’s big impact was the construction of the Kaiser’s Bridge’. The bridge came to symbolise the Kaiser’s vanity, spanning as it did from the palace gardens down to the beach, and avoiding the need to cross the main road. Today it is difficult to visualise in its entirety as the middle section of the bridge was removed by the German army during the Second World War.

For a short while after the Second World War, the palace operated as a Casino. Film enthusiasts may indeed recognise the palace as the casino in James Bond’s For Your Eyes Only’.

Today it is still very much worth a visit. Purchased by the Greek state, the palace has been turned into one of Corfu’s finest tourist attraction with a museum and a superb garden. The palace is packed with artefacts from the island, as well as remnants of Empress Elisabeth’s and Kaiser Wilhelm’s time. Pictures and photos of Elisabeth and Wilhelm abound, some are the original works and some are original copies. The gardens have superb views over the island, and of course the statues still remain.
Whilst I would not suggest spending the day at the palace, I would say that an excursion to the nearby village of Gastouri could make the two last a good part of the day. Gastouri is one of the largest villages on Corfu and is a good way of seeing the traditional side of Corfu life.

Copyright - First Published 6th March 2008