Achilleion
Achillion is a magnificent palace on the island of Kerkyra in Greece, built for the Austrian Empress Elizabeth of Bavaria in 1890. The main theme for the design of the palace was the Greek hero Achilles.
The land on which the palace is located used to belong to the diplomat Petros Vrailas Armenis, but after Elizabeth of Bavaria visited his villa, she decided to buy it out and build a residence for herself. But according to the construction plan, 20 hectares of land were needed, and neighboring plots had to be bought for this. The sculptor Ernst Gerter, whose sculpture "The Dying Achilles" has become one of the main attractions of the palace, was invited to decorate the palace. The sculptures in the gardens and the walls of the halls, decorated with paintings from the life of the Greek hero, remind of Achilles. The palace garden offers beautiful views of the valley, beyond which the warm Ionian Sea is lapping very close. Elizabeth loved her palace very much and often visited it. After her death, the palace was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II from the heirs of the Empress. When he arrived at the palace, it became the center of European political life, where important treaties were signed. The Kaiser continued the theme of the park and ordered the installation of a bronze statue of Achilles, on the pedestal of which was written "To the Great Greek from the great German."
During the First World War, French and Serbian troops set up a hospital for their wounded in the walls of the Achillion Palace. After the end of the war, the palace became the property of Greece due to reparations. In 1921-1924, over a thousand children who lost their parents during the Greco-Turkish war lived in the palace. Later, Achillion was used as a government residence, and the palace's property was also sold at auctions. After the occupation of Greece during World War II, German and Italian troops established their headquarters in Achillion. After the war, the Greek National Tourism Organization began to manage all the affairs in the palace, but in 1962 the palace was handed over to private owners, who made a casino on the second floor, and a museum on the first floor. This went on for 21 years, until the contract ended and Achillion became a tourist attraction (museum) again.
The palace has been the subject of several meetings of European leaders and ministers. Fans of the James Bond movie will surely recognize the palace, because it was the setting in the movie "For Your Eyes Only."
