Achillion Palace

Achilleion is a palace built in village of Gastouri and it is about 10 kilometres to the south of the city of Corfu. This beautiful Palace was built in 1890 exclusively for Elizabeth, also known as Sissi, the then Empress of Austria. The palace was designed by Italian architect Raffaele Caritto and as its central theme have the mythical hero Achilles. The palace, with the classic Greek statues that surround it, is a monument to platonic romanticism as well as escapism and was, naturally, named after Achilles: Achilleion. The place abounds with paintings and statues of Achilles, both in the main hall and in the lavish gardens depicting the heroic and tragic scenes of the Trojan war. The architectural style isPompeian and has many parallels to that of the Russian imperial residence in Crimea.

Achilleas thniskon in the gardens of the Achilleion. Note Achilles’ gaze skywards as if to seek help from Olympus: his mother Thetis was a goddess

Achilles as guardian of the palace in the gardens of the Achilleion. He gazes northward, toward the city. The inscription in Greek reads: ΑΧΙΛΛΕΥΣ i.e. Achilles. It was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II