Achilleion

The Achilleion is a castle located on the island of Corfou (Greece), built for the empress of Austria Elisabeth (Sissi) in the years 1890 - 1892.

It was set up on the ground of famous the corfiote Petros Vrailas Armenis , a friend of Sissi, after the death of this one. It was named according to Achille that Sissi admired for its force. The entirety of the installation as of the architecture of the building takes as a starting point the Greek Mythologie. The architect was the Italian Raffaele Caritto.

Until its death in 1898, the empress went regularly in her castle. His/her two children, Gisele and Marie-Valerie had visited the castle only once, her husband, the emperor François-Joseph, never went there. She also remained in this castle at the time where his son, the crown prince Rodolphe to Habsbourg-Lorraine, committed suicide with Mayerling.

After the death of Elisabeth, the emperor of Germany Guillaume II., which since was always interested by this castle and which often remained with Corfou, bought the Achilleion with the heirs in 1907. It transformed the castle, previously used as place of private stay, in diplomatic center and much of elements of the installation of Sissi were replaced by objects coming from Berlin.

During the First World War, the castle was used like military hospital by the French armies and Serb. After the war, following the Treated of Versailles, the castle became the property of the Greece.

During the Second world war, the Achilleion was used as general headquarter to the German occupants and after the war it turned over again at the Greek State. In 1962, it was sold to private owners, who transformed the ground floor into museum and the first stage in casino. But in 1983 the Greek State took again the building. The casino and the gantry of the castle were used as slide with film of James Bond " Only for your eyes ".

During the period of the Greek presidency of the the Council of the European Union in 2003, the castle completely was renovated and used at the time of important diplomatic meetings. Since, it is one of tourist attractions of predilection on the island of Corfou.

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