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Museums in Corfu

In Corfu there is a large number of Museums too!
Museums in Corfu Town.

Achilleon Palace.
corfu’s most famous building contains a museum displaying possessions of its previous owners, Empress Sissi and Kaiser Wilhelm II, plus lovely gardens.

Mon Repos Palace.
Of a typical colonial architectural style, the Mon Repos Palace was built in the early 19th century – between 1824 and 1831 – by the British commissioner Sir Frederick Adam, as a gift to his Corfiot wife, Nina Palatianou. This is also the house where Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elisabeth II, was born.It has an important archaeological value as it has been built upon the remains of Palaeopoli, the ancient town of Corfu. Next to the palace are the remains of a temple of the 7th century BC dedicated to Hera, the mother of Gods. It is considered one of the biggest temples of Palaeopoli.

Archaeological Museum of Corfu.
The exhibits came from:
– An old collection of unknown origin.
– The excavations of the ancient town of Corfu.
– The excavations of the ancient town of Cassiopi in northern Corfu.
– The excavations of Thesprotia on the opposite coast of Epirus.

The collections are comprised of:
Bronze statures from the Archaic to the Roman era. Funeral offerings from the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic eras, from the cemeteries of Garitsa and Almyros, as well as a rich collection of ancient coins.
Findings from the Prehistoric era and findings from the 7th and 6th century B.C. with the exceptional Menecrates lion, clay pottery and terracotta statuettes from the shrines of Corfu and the impressive Gorgon-Medusa pediment from the great temple of Artemis, made in 585 B.C., excavated in 1911 near the monastery of Aghioi Theodoroi, the oldest, so far, stone-pediment of an ancient Greek temple.
In other halls of the Museum there is another impressive limestone pediment (500 B.C.) from a Dionysos temple at Figaretto, 13 identical terracotta statutes of Artemis, exhibits from the 4th century B.C. to the Roman period, and the marble heads of the poet Menander and historian Thucydides. Finally there are exhibits from Paleopoli and Cassiopi, like: bronze surgical tools, clay oil-lamps and bone-tools of everyday use.

Museum of Asian Art, Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George.
The only museum of its kind in Greece, it holds 11,000 objects donated from private collections, with provenance mainly from the Far East and the Indian continent (China, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Indochina, Tibet, Nepal). Amongst the items on display the early Chinese bronze ritual urns stand out (1200 – 1027 BC), as does the collection of idols (6th to 9th c.). Also worthy of note is the Chinese porcelain ware dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries; the painted cylinders (12th to 18th c.); the Japanese weapons and part of the armour of a Samurai warrior (16th to 18th c.); the Japanese Noh Theatre masks (1338-1578); lacquered wood objects , and the singular prints on fabric and paper (17th to 19th c.) Especially interesting is the unique Helleno-buddhist collection with sculptures from Gaddara in Pakistan, which dates from the 1st to the 5th centuries AD, and underlines the Hellenistic influence in the region, a legacy of the presence of Alexander the Great .

Antivouniotissa Museum.
Housed in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Antivouniotissa (single-nave, wooden-roofed basilica with exonarthex on three sides ) which is one of the oldest and richest churches in Corfu, representative of the ‘Ionian basilica’ style. Since 1984 it has been home to a fine collection of icons and relics, including important works dating from the 15th to 19th centuries, by known and unknown artists, underlining at a high aesthetic level the mingling of Byzantine tradition with western influences. From Tzafouri, Michael Damaskinos and Emmanuel Lombardos to Emmanuel Tzanes, Victor and Michael Avrami: five centuries of religious art are represented at the Antivouniotissa Museum.

Numismatic Museum, Ionian Bank Building, Square of the Heroes.
The only museum of its kind in Greece and the most interesting of its type in the world. Opened in 1981 by the Ionian Bank, it displays a huge collection of banknotes, as well as printing dies, proofs, bank documents, stamps, etc. It also reproduces in great detail the process by which modern banknotes are produced: the engraving of the master on the metal plates, the manufacture of the special paper, the method by which the watermark is incorporated, the finishing touches with modern printing machinery, the storage and distribution of banknotes.

The Kapodistrias Museum.
The museum’s contents are donations by Maria Desylla-Kapodistria, who held the office of Mayor of Corfu from 1956 to 1959. The museum is built on the family property of Greece’s first governor Ioannis Kapodistrias.
Collections and contents: Furniture and artefacts of the era, personal articles of Ioannis Kapodistrias.

 

The Solomos Museum.
This museum is a tribute to the life and times of Dionysios Solomos, Greece’s national poet who wrote the poems “Eleftheri Poliorkimeni” (Free Besieged) and “Ymnos eis tin Elefthrian” (“Hymn to Freedom”) from which the two first stanzas became the Greek National Anthem.
Collections and contents: Library ,furniture, portraits, photographs and personal articles of Dionysios Solomos.

The Historical Folklore Museum of Middle Corfu (Sinarades).
This museum focuses on traditional everyday life of the 19th century inhabitants of Corfu villages. Established in: 1989 .Collections and contents: Furniture, crafts, cookery utensils, the interior of a village house, tools, musical instruments, costumes.

The Serbian Museum.
The Serbian Museum exhibits relics that belonged to the Serbian Army that found refuge on Corfu after the Austro-Hungarian attack during WWI. Collections and contents: Ammunition, uniforms, flags, medals, religious items and other minor artefacts .

Olive Oil Museum (koinopiastes).
An old olive press with original machinery, beautifully converted into a museum dedicated to olive oil production and to local agricultural traditions. Kinopiastes, beside Tripa Taverna.

Corfu Shell Museum (Benitses).
The Corfu Shell Museum is not only unique in Greece, but also is one of Europe’s best museums dedicated to shells and other treasures of the Deep. It contains thousands of exhibits, scientifically labelled. Unusual shells for collectors and exotic souvenirs are on sale.

National Art Gallery(kopakiana).
Located in the Castellino Building at Kato Korakiana near Dassia, it carries changing exhibitions, mainly centered on Greek art.

Reading Society.
Fine collection of old books, documents and prints, mostly relating to the Ionian Islands

Municipal Art Gallery.
Exhibiting Corfu Artists of the 19th Century and other works, including paitings by 20th century local artists. Palace of Saints Michael and George

Suggested Tour

Private Tour

The best of Corfu

This is a half day taxi private tour, including all highlights of Corfu Island. Port, Aggelocastro, Lakones, Paleokastritsa, koinopiastes, Achillion Palace, Kanoni and the Mouse Island, Corfu town and the Port. We stop on the way at the highlights and panoramic places for pictures, etc…

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Private Tour

Sokraki Village

Is a beautiful village of the municipality of Feakes Corfu with a history about 2000 years, which keeps the traditional style with no visible signs of deterioration by tourism. The small tavern in the village square in Sokraki for lunch – lovely fresh Greek salads, saganaki and Greek sausage. It’s an adventure driving up there, and once we get there..

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Private Tour

Sinarades Village

Is a large, well-preserved village with buildings from the Byzantine and Venetian eras. Also of interest in the village is a campanile dating from the 15th century (not the one in the square, which is Venetian), and a little way on, up an alley, an old bakery fired by wood, where bread is still made in the old style. A..

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Private Tour

Sidari Village

Sidari is situated on the shores of a great gulf in the north of Corfu. With its fantastic sandy beaches, it is a very popular holiday area, ideal for families. It is famous for the ‘Canal d’Amour’ a rock formation that once formed a tunnel where, it is said, lovers who kissed beneath, would never forget each other. This and..

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