Why Visit
It is the northernmost of the Ionian Islands and the closest to the West.
The entire island is covered with lush vegetation, among which the most common Cypress, olive and citrus trees. Many beautiful beaches in Kerkyra, where you can go skiing and motorcycling, canoe, scuba diving or windsurfing. The most popular beaches-Acharavi, Sidari, St Stephen, Kind and Glyfada.
The capital of the island is the town of Corfu, founded in the 8th century BC, the Different conquerors built forts and palaces here, so the capital of the island is a unique combination of multiple cultures.
Visit the old and new castles, the famous square, Spanada Palace of Saints Michael and George, hosts the Museum of Asian art, as well as the archaeological museum, where you can see the ruins of the Temple of ARTEMIS.
History
Ancient times
Corfu, known as Kerkyra in Greek, owns its name the Nymph Korkira, the daughter of the River God, Aesopos. According to the myth, Poseidon, God of the Sea, fell in love with Nymph Korkira, kidnapped her and brought her on this island. Archaeological excavations have proved that the island was inhabited since the Paleolithic Era. In the ancient times, Corfu was a very important commercial centre inhabited by the Phoenicians. There was trading with all the towns of the Adriatic Sea, making Corfu a strong naval power and an important colonial town.
During the Peloponnesian War, Corfu asked for military help from Athens for an important battle against Corinth. The alliance between Corfu and Athens lasted for a century, until the Macedonians (under the rule of king Philip II), having won an important battle, conquered Corfu in 338 BC and took control of the island. From 300 BC, Corfu was successively attacked and conquered by Spartans, Illyrians and Romans, who stayed on the island from 229 BC to 337 AD. During the Roman times, the island was allowed to keep part of its autonomy and, in return, the Romans could use the port of the town.
The Roman contribution to the island included roads, and public buildings including bath houses. In 40 AD, Jason and Sossipatros, two disciples of Saint Paul, brought Christianity on the island and built the first Christian church which they dedicated to Saint Stephan.
Medieval times
With the split of the Roman Empire, Corfu united with the Eastern Roman Empire. During the Medieval era, the island was regularly subject to pirate raids and to attacks from barbarians, Goths or Saracens. Many towers were built to protect the island, such as the Kassiopi Tower. Then Corfu came under Norman rule, followed by Venetians, who marked a prosperous period in the history of Corfu. In 1267, Charles of Anjou, French King of Sicily, took the island and attempted to replace the existing Orthodox religion by the Catholic one. The Christian Orthodox were persecuted and all the church converted to Catholic churches. But the attempt of conversion fell and Corfu returned under Venetian rule in 1386. Corfu stayed under Venetian domination for a long period of four centuries during which avast amount of buildings, monuments an other constructions were built becoming the symbols of Venetian architecture in Greece.
Many insurrections were exploding because of the exploitation of the nobles, but those insurrections were severely repressed. Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice and, in 1797, Corfu became part of the French State. Napoleon came as a liberator and publicly burnt the Libro d' Oro (Golden Book), which was the book enumerating the privileges of the Nobles. In 1799, the allied fleet of the Turks, the Russians and the English disembarked on the island of Corfu. After killing the inhabitants of Mandouki, in the port, they conquered the entire island. The Ionian State was established from Constantinople in order to create the Septinsular Republic but this attempt failed and, in 1807, Corfu returned under French domination. The period that followed was a period of prosperity with many agricultural and social improvements. It was then that the Ionian Academy was founded, public services were reorganized and schools were built.
Recent years
In parallel, the British began to occupy the Ionian Islands and reached Corfu in 1815, which they took under their domination. The period of English rule was a prosper period for Corfu because the Greek language became official, new roads were built, the water supply system was improved and the first Greek University was founded in 1824. Although Corfu was never under the control of the Turks, its inhabitants helped financially the rest of Greece during the Greek Revolution. In the 21st of May, 1864, the Ionian Islands were donated from the British to the new King of Greece.
In the 20th century, Corfu took part in the two World Wars and suffered great damages. In fact, the Ionian Academy, the Public Library and the Municipal Theatre were burnt and totally destroyed by German bombing in 1943 but they were then restored.
Museums - Archeological
The Museum of Far Eastern Art , the only one of its kind in Greece and one of the finest in Europe is housed in the Palace of Saints Michael and George, and constitutes the most important monument of the period of the British rule.
An Orthodox church of the 15th century, dedicated to Virgin Mary Antivouniotissa , has been turned into a Museum, to house the religious expression of the Byzantine tradition , combined with the influence from the west.
A little after that, there is the house of Dionysios Solomos, National Poet of Greece, and it is home to the museum bearing his name, as well as to the significant Corfu Studies Society. The historic building of the Ionic Bank has been home, since 1981, of the Banknote Museum, unique for Greece and one of the most interesting worldwide .
The hacienda of Mon Repos , in the splendid park of Palaiopolis , houses part of the Archaeological Museum with exhibits from the ancient town of Corfu. In the villages and the nearby islands you will visit museums which present the history, the people, the popular art, customs and traditions of the places. The Historic Folklore Museum of Messi is housed in a well preserved 19th century cottage and it contains really rich collections of traditional clothes from Corfu, everyday life items, tools, cooking utensils, and home and professional items( Sinarades ). The Olives Museum is housed in a perfectly preserved oil mill of the early 20th century, and it displays a rich collection of tools and means for the elaboration of oils and the extraction of olive oil( Kinopiastes ).
The Kapodistrias Museum , with an exhibition of personal items of Ioannis Kapodistrias, a Minister of the Ionian State, the first autonomous State to be founded on Greek territory , Foreign Affairs Minister of Russia , one of the main contributors to the Swiss Constitution and the first Governor of Greece( Evropouli ). At Benitses village, a few km outside Corfu town, there is the Sea Museum , which displays the wealth of the sea .
The Folk Museum of Paxos displays a local house and really interesting exhibits, that portray the living conditions in a local house during the past centuries( Gai, Paxos ).
Beaches
Paleokastritsa, Agios Gordios, Glyfada, Myrtiotissa, Nissaki, Issos, Sidari Canal d Amour, Acharavi, Agios Georgios Argyradon, Agios Georgios Pagon, Agios Iliodoros, Agios Ioannis Peristeron, Agios Spiridon, Agios Stefanos, Agios Stefanos Avliotes, Agni, Almyros, Alonaki, Arillas, Astrakeri, Avlaki, Barbati, Bataria Kassiopi, Boukari, Danilia, Dassia, Ermones, Gardeno, Gialiskari, Gialou, Glyko, Halikounas, Imerolias Kassiopi, Ipsos, Kalamaki, Kalami, Kalamionas Kassiopi, Kanoni Kassiopi, Kanouli, Kavos beach, Kerasia, Konto Gialos, Kouloura, Liapades, Limanaki, Marathias, Messongi, Paramonas, Pelekas Beach, Perama, Peroulades, Pipitos Kassiopi, Prasoudi, Roda, Rovinia, Santa Barbara,
Religious Monasteries and Churches
The Saints of Corfu
Several Saints have chosen to honor Corfu and Paxos by living here. Frontier holders, guardians of the extremities of the Eastern Orthodox faith, those Saints are today honored by the two major churches of the island.
Saint Spyridon , is the patron saint and protector of Corfu.
Saint Theodora the Byzantine Emperess.
Saint Gaios is the patron saint and protector of Paxos .
Moreover , several Saints and Holy relics are in Corfu and offer protection to the place and to its people.
Another Saint of the Holy Church of Russia left his trace in the history and conscience of thw Corfiot people, since, as an Admiral of the Russian fleet, he played an important part in the first independence of a Greek territory (1800). Admiral Usakof .
Corfu town has got today 35 churches in service
