Achilleion

Achilleion is a magnificent palace on the island of Kerkyra in Greece, built for the Austrian Empress Elizabeth of Bavarian in 1890. The main theme for the decoration of the palace was the Greek hero Achilles.

The land on which the palace was located used to belong to diplomat Petros Vrailas Armenis, but after Elizabeth Bavarian visited his villa, she decided to buy him a residence for herself. But according to the construction plan, 20 hectares of land were needed, for this I had to buy neighboring plots. For the decoration of the palace, sculptor Ernst Gerter was invited, whose sculpture "Dying Achilles" became one of the main attractions of the palace. About Achilles are sculptures in gardens, walls of halls decorated with paintings from the life of a Greek hero. From the territory of the palace garden, beautiful views of the valley open, beyond which the warm Ionian Sea splashes very close. Elizabeth loved her palace very much and often went here. After her death, the palace was bought by Kaiser Wilhelm II from the heirs of the empress. When he arrived at the palace, he became the center of political life in Europe, where important agreements were signed. Kaiser continued the theme of the park and ordered the bronze statue of Achilles, on the pedestal of which it was written "To the Great Greek from the great German".

During World War I, within the walls of the Achillion Palace, French and Serbian troops set up a hospital for their wounded. At the end of the war, the palace became the property of Greece against reparations. In 1921-1924, over a thousand children lived in the palace who lost their parents during the Greco-Turkish war. Later, Achillion was used as a government residence, and the property of the palace was also sold at auctions. After the occupation of Greece during World War II, German and Italian troops organized their headquarters in Achillion. After the war, the Greek National Tourism Organization began to manage all the affairs in the palace, but already in 1962 the palace was handed over to private residents who made casinos on the second floor, and the museum was on the first. This went on for 21 years, until the contract ended and Achillion again became a tourist destination of the ( Museum ).

The palace several times became the object of a meeting of European leaders and ministers. Fans of the James Bond movie will surely recognize the palace, because it was a decoration in the movie "Only for Your Eyes".