Achilleion is a palace built in Gastouri on the Island of Corfu for the Empress (German: Kaiserin) Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissy, after a suggestion by the Austrian consul Alexander von Warsberg. Elisabeth was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria following the Mayerling incident in 1889, and a year later she had this summer palace built as a refuge. Achilleion is located about ten kilometres south of the city of Corfu and provides a panoramic view of the city to the north, and across the whole southern part of the island to the Ionian Sea.
The architectural style was designed to suggest an ancient palace of mythical Phaeacia The motif centers on the hero Achilles of Greek mythology, from which the name is derived. Corfu was Elisabeth’s favourite vacation destination and she wanted a palace to gratify her admiration for Greece, its language and its culture.
Entrance
The Peristyle of the Muses
The gardens
Interior
The staircase
Achilleion from above
Ownership: Public
Municipality of Central Corfu and the Diapontia Islands