Achilleion (Corfu)

About

The Achilleion (Greek: , Katharevousa: ) is a palace built on Corfu for Empress Elisabeth of Austria after a suggestion by the Austrian consul Alexander von Warsberg. Elisabeth was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria following the Mayerling incident in 1889, and a year later she had this summer palace built as a refuge. Achilleion is located at Gastouri, a village about ten kilometres south of the city of Corfu, and provides a panoramic view of the city to the north, and the southern part of the island, framed by the Ionian Sea to the east. The architectural style was designed to suggest an ancient palace of mythical Phaeacia. The motif centers on the hero Achilles of Greek mythology, from which the name is derived. Corfu was Elisabeth's favourite vacation destination and she wanted a palace to gratify her admiration for Greece, its language and its culture. The property currently operates as a museum under the management of the Hellenic Tourism Development Company, within the Greek National Tourism Organization. The Achilleion property was originally owned by Corfiote philosopher and diplomat Petros Vrailas-Armenis, and was known as "Villa Vraila". In 1888, the Empress of Austria after visiting the place decided that it was the ideal location for her own palace on Corfu. The palace was designed by Italian architect Raffaele Caritto and built on an area of 200,000 m2. Elisabeth's husband, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, had owned some nearby land as well. The German sculptor Ernst Herter was commissioned to create works inspired from Greek mythology. His sculpture Dying Achilles (Ancient Greek: ), created in Berlin in 1884 as inscribed in the statue, forms the centrepiece of the Achilleion Gardens. The architectural design was intended to represent an ancient Phaeacian palace. The building, with the classical Greek statues that surround it, is a monument to platonic romanticism as well as escapism and was named after Achilles: Achilleion. Paintings and statues of Achilles are abundant, both in the main hall and in the gardens, depicting contrasting heroic and tragic scenes of the Trojan War. The building is of Pompeian style and was decorated by Elisabeth with representations and statues. Elisabeth wrote that "I want a palace with pillared colonnades and hanging gardens, protected from prying glances — a palace worthy of Achilles, who despised all mortals and did not fear even the gods." She used the Achilleion only as a private palace, as a refuge from the world and her past; she received only her daughters Archduchess Marie Valerie and Archduchess Gisela with their husbands there. Elisabeth's husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, did not like sea voyages and never saw the palace. The gardens on top of the hill provide a scenic view of the surrounding green hills and valleys, with the Ionian Sea in the background. Elisabeth frequently visited Achilleion until spring 1896. She lost interest in her palace though and even considered selling it. Much of the interior was moved back to Vienna. In September 1898 Elisabeth was assassinated by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni in Geneva.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.