Corfu – Achilleion

In the Ionian sea off the Greek coast lies the island of Corfu. An island that the Empress of Austria and the queen of Hungary Elisabeth was very fond of, so much she between 1889 and 1891 built a holiday palace about ten kilometres south of Corfu town. Elisabeth was fascinated by Greek mythology, especially Achelleion, and in his honor the palace was named after him. The palace was built on a forest hill with magnificent views and Elisabeth let adorn it with all kinds of luxury. Elisabeth visited the palace as often as she could but tragically she was assassinated in 1898 in Geneva. The palace remained empty until 1907, when Elizabeth’s heirs sold the palace to German emperor, Wilhem II.

The emperor visited the palace regularly and it became a diplomatic stronghold until 1914 when the First World War broke out. Wilhelm also built a pier and a bridge (Emperor Bridge) on the shore where guests could arrive by boat. Via the bridge (which crossed a road) the guests walked up to the palace. The bridge was ironically destroyed by the Germans in 1944 because it was too low and therefore made it impossible to transport troops to the south of the island.

During First World War, the palace was used as a military hospital for French and Serbian troops. After the war the palace was handed over to the Greek state. During the interwar period, the palace and adjoining buildings were used for various purposes and institutions. Between 1941 and 1944, the palace was used as military headquarters by Italy. After Italy withdrew from the war in September 1943 the palace was used by the german army. After the war it was returned to the Greek state and between 1962 and 1983 it was rented out to a company who opened a casino on top floor.