• The main gate, built around 1550 it is flanked by two spacious vaulted chambers (Venetian guardhouses)
• The Savorgnan, Martinengo and Mandraki bastions
• Towers towards the sea and the mainland
• The church of Saint George – basilica in the form a traditional ancient Doric temple, it was built around 1840 and was the official Anglican church under British rule.
• The Roman Church, a catholic chapel, the prison building.
• British barracks and the British hospital.

At the entrance to the bridge of the Old Fortress is a statue of Austrian Reichsgraf Marshal Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg (1661-1747) who defended the island against the Ottoman Turks in the siege of 1716.

The New Fort

The New Fort of Corfu is built on a hill above the old port and is a section of the first line of Venetian fortifications after the 1571 siege by the Ottoman Turks. It has underground galleries, cisterns and significant fortification. At the New Fort you will see the British barracks, the CeramicArt Museum and the outdoor theater.

Kassiopi Castle

It is unknown exactly when the castle of Kassiopi was built .

The Venetians , considering that it would be hard to defend both the castle and the port, blew upparts of the castle and evacuated the village. Few parts of the castle are there to remind of its glorious past.

Agelokastro Castle

Agelokastro is the westernmost fortress of the Byzantine empire and the Despotate of Epirus, which included Corfu until 1267.

It was constructed in the early 12th century, with the transfer of Palaiokastron (the actual monastery of Palaiokastritsa) to a more strategic position . In its prime, it could protect, if necessary, the entire population of the region (4000 people).

 Achilleion

Myth , imperial luxury and plain natural beauty . The imperial villa of the sad emperess « Sissy »is the emblem of a whole era .

Palaeopolis

The archaeological site of Palaeopolis and the Mon Repos is the site of the ancient market of Corfu town, as it evolved from the ancient times till the 6th century AD. The most important monuments of the site are the following: the agora, the doric temple of Kardaki, the roman baths and a pre-Hellenistic round building, which was transformed into a Christian church during the first Christian era.

Temple of Artemis Gorgo (6th b.C) 

The unique stone gable of the temple is at the Archaeological Museum of Corfu.

Here, visitors have the chance to see the well-preserved doric temple and thelarge altar .

Memorial Menekratis

The monument is located in Menekratis Garitsa in the area of the ancient Corfu cemetery, opposite to the gate of the port of Alcinous. Circular tomb constructed in the 6th century BC with spectacular archaic sign, which is considered one of the oldest inscriptions in Greece.

Temple of Artemis Gorgous

Temple 6th BC century in the area of Cannon Palaeopolis. The unique stone gables of the church is located in CorfuArchaeologicalMuseum. Here the visitors can see the well-preserved Doric temple and the big altar.

Museum of Asian Art

The Museum of Asian Art was founded in 1927 and is owed to a remarkable Greek collector of Asian art: In 1919, Grigorios Manos donated his extremely interesting collection to the Greek state under the condition that a museum would be established in Corfu, specifically in the Palace of St. Michael and St. George.

Some of the most interesting artifacts to be seen in the Museum are the Masks of the No Theater in Japan, dated to the Edo period I1615-1868), the wood-cuts of Kitagava Utamaro from Japan (1753-1806), Chinese porcelain vases of the green group dated to the K’ang-hsi period (1662-1722), Statuettes from China, dated to the T’ang dynasty (7th-8th centuries A.D.), objects made from nephrite (Ch’ing dynasty, 1644-1912) and Hindu wood carving for the 17th-19th centuries.

Address

Palea Anactora (OldPalace) – Spianada

Tel: 26610 – 30443, 20193

Dyonisios Solomos Museum

The house where our national poet lived from 1828 to 1857 and where he died is in the town of Corfu and is converted into a museum.

The museum includes his personal items, photographs of his life and his works as well as historical material including old editions of the ‘Hymn to Liberty”.

Address

1, Arseniou Street, Mouragia, OldTown

Contact

Tel: 26610-30674

Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum of Corfu hosts exhibits exclusively from the island of Corfu which reveal the island’s everlasting cultural presence in the ancient world. The aim of the museum is to bring visitors close to their ancestors through their creations. Also to present the cultural continuation of the island of Corfu and provide the foundation for all to experience their cultural identity and appreciate the necessity of its preservation.

Address

1, Vraila Street, Corfu

Contact

Tel: +30 26610 30680

In the central part on the entablature of the building you can see anaglyph allegoric pictures of the seven Ionian islands. The interior of the building is decorated with sculptures and paintings. Most of the sculptures are made by the sculptor Proselenti.
The palace was used as a residence of the English Commissioner and as seat for the tagma of Saints Michael and George from whom it took its name. It was also the seat of the Ionian Senate. After the Ionian islands attached to Greece it was the rural house of the royal family.
From 1913 until 1993 the palace hosted the museum of Sino Japanese art. Today it hosts the museum of Asiatic art, the City Library, various cultural events and periodic exhibitions.

ANAGNOSTIKI COMPANY 

The Anagnostiki Company inCorfu is the most ancient spiritual institution of latest Greece. It was established in 1836 according to the Company of Geneva whose members were Kapodistrias, Kalvos and other personalities of Eptanisian islands. The founders of Anagnostiki Company were graduates of Italian universities and most of them were banished from Italy as carbonars. Members of this company were also Dionysios Solomos, Nikolaos Mannjaros, Lorenjos Mavilis, Ntinos Theotokis, etc.
Ionian Library is the main source of Anagnostiki Company. It is member of the European Confederacy of Societies and Institutions “Europa Nostra”. It organizes conferences, lectures, seminars and music events. It writes out annual bulletins with projects on various matters.
In 1978 it was awarded for her action by the Academy of Athens.

PUBLIC LIBRARY OF CORFU

The Public Library was established during the 18th century. It operates as a lending library but also has a reading room for the study of older publishes and files (magazines, newspapers) that can’t be borrowed. The Library has significant activity in the field of diffusing books, mostly among youth. It organizes books’ exhibitions and conferences. It has more than 75.000 books!

Plati Kantouni (Strada Larga under Venetian rule)

One of the most interesting mansions in the town of Corfu from the Venetian rule era (possibly of the 17th century). Originally it had two floors. Its most typical feature is the portico on the ground floor with its elegant row of arches decorated with the busts men and women, which refer to the decoration of the Loggia. There was a balcony on the second floor above the portico. It was from here that town officials watched the tournaments taking place on this street during carnival. The building has sustained newer additions of floors and is completely altered from the exterior.

Cobici Mansion (1680) at 43-49 N. Theotoki Street (Calle d’Erbe)

In the center of town across from the church of Agios Vasilios. It has the typical loggia on the ground floor, which is common to most buildings on this street and is the main feature of commercial areas around town. According to the inscription on the side it was built in 1680 by Daniel Cobici and was remodeled in 1728; it has been modified many times since then. The interior arrangement of Piano Nobile is very luxurious and the façade is elaborate with decorative horizontal bands at various levels, stressing the axis of symmetry. The loggia has been modified by newer reinforcement efforts.

City Hall Square

This was the most important square under Venetian rule. Loggia nobilei, (the loggia of noblemen) was in the area where the City Hall is now. It took 30 years to build (1663-1691) and is made of the best material: Sinia rock.

This was the meeting place for local nobles even after 1720 when the Loggia was converted into the first opera in the East. Taking its name from the nearby catholic cathedral, the San Giacomo Theater featured impressive Italian melodrama performances for two centuries.

The theater moved in 1903 and a new floor was added to the building when it became the Municipal Theater. The two main sides are decorated with stone masks and various historic inscriptions and symbols. Above the main entrance is the emblem of Corfu and on the eastern side is the bust of Francesco Morosini with an inscription describing his virtues and accomplishments. The catholic Cathedral and the residence of the catholic Archbishop were built in the 17th century, which now houses the Bank of Greek after serving as a courthouse for a while.

Spianada

The largest, liveliest and most impressive square in the Greek territory was formed from Venetian military fortifications to protect the city during the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the enormous grounds of Spianada you will see:

• The Maitland Rotunda at the southern end of the Spianada is an unadorned, circular, Ionian style monument erected in honor of the first British High Commissioner Thomas Maitland (1816- 1824), even though his years in office were the harshest and darkest period for the Ionian Islands.

Rotundas were a very popular type of monument at the time. It is the work of British military engineer G. Whitemore, who also designed the Palace of Saints Michael and George, in Maltese stone. The sculpted decoration is Corfu sculptor Prossalentis. You will also hear it called the cistern, as the monument covered an old Venetian cistern.

• Enoseos Square with the pavilion where the Resurrection Mass is performed during Easter and the local Philharmonic orchestras mount various concerts and further down the monument in honor of the Unification of Eptanisa with Greece in 1864. Etched on the monument are the emblems of all Ionian Islands.

In front of the bridge leading to the Old Fortress, are the statues of Schulenburg and Guilford. The marble statue of German marshal Mathias von der Schulenburg is the work of sculptor Corradini; it was erected in honor of the Marshal whose contribution was determinative for the defense of the town from the Turks, in the siege of 1716. The statue is made with Carrara marble by Italian sculptor Antonio Gorradini. On the pedestal there is a latin inscription referring to the battle of the marshal during the 1716 siege and creation of statue during the same year. The second statue is in honor of British philhellene Frederic North, Count of Guilford (1766-1827), who reestablished the IonianAcademy under Commissioner Adams; the academy was an important cultural institution that established the Greek language for the first time and operated for 40 years (1824-1864), until the Ionian Islands were unified with Greece.

In front of the Doric colonnade of the Palace of Saints Michael and George stands the bronze statue of British High Commissioner Lord Frederic Adams, one of the most memorable British Commissioners, known for the significant construction projects in town, including the aqueduct. The statue is the work of sculptor Pavlos Prossalentis and the characteristic movement of one hand of the statue towards the water flowing in the small pond that surrounds the statue refers to the important project the British Commissioner bequeathed to the town.

A good part of the square is taken by the cricket field. The love of the Corfiates for cricket, a team game of British origin, is rooted in the British rule era (1814-1864).

Liston

Liston in Spianada is a complex of multi-storied buildings of French architecture, with its typical arcade and venetian lanterns. Under the Venetian rule, only those included in the Libro d’Oro could walk here. The bistros and restaurants of Liston are today the meeting point for most residents and visitors.

The Philharmonic bands.

The Philharmonic Bands of Corfu are a unique world phenomenon as regards the ratio of number bands to population ’ . The founding of the philharmonic bands took place following the trend of the creation of popular clubs and societies which took place in Europe after the Industrial revolution, especially in the 19th century and was introduced in cosmopolitan Corfu through the local youth who studied in universities in Europe, as well as by merchants . This phenomenon was intensified in the 20th century, based on economic development, a trend to imitate and a kind of localisms, deriving from the idiosyncratic composition of the population of Corfu of groups of economic and politican immigrants. Nowadays, a population of 110.000 people all over Corfu are educated by 19 philharmonic bands , who support musical education through their schools , as well as through their presence at celebrations and festivals, both in Corfu and in other places.

Musical events

Throughout the summer, Corfu enjoys really interesting musical events . The International Festival of Corfu“ Ionian Concerts ” co-organized by the Musical Department of the Ionian University , the Prefecture of Corfu and the Municipality of Corfu is the most important cultural event . This big celebration is the peak of aninternational musical meeting called ” Summer Academy “, in whichfamous musicians coexist with students from America , Europe , Far East and Greece . It is a festival of high quality .