Achilleion Palace

Achilleas thniskon in the gardens of the Achilleion. Note Achilles' gaze skywards as if to seek help from Olympus: his mother Thetis was a goddess.

Achilleion (Greek: Αχίλλειον) is a palace built in Corfu by Empress (German: Kaiserin) of Austria Elisabeth of Bavaria, also known as Sissi after a suggestion by Austrian Consul Alexander von Watzberg. Sissi was a woman obsessed with beauty and very powerful but tragically vulnerable since the loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in the Mayerling affair in 1889. A year later in 1890 she built a summer palace in the region of Gastouri (Γαστούρι) to the south of the city of Corfu, with the mythical hero Achilles as its central theme. Sissi spoke Greek better than any of her contemporary Greek queens and she expressed a desire to further immerse herself in the Greek culture. Her family tree is reported to lead to the Palaiologos dynasty of Byzantine Emperors. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1243 KB) Summary I am the author. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1243 KB) Summary I am the author. ... The twelve gods of Olympus. ... This article is about the Greek sea nymph. ... Pontikonisi island in the background with the Vlaheraina Monastery in the foreground. ... Elisabeth in a riding habit, from Vanity Fair, 1884. ... The title Consul has been used for official representatives of a state, outside its (metropolitan) territory, looking after its interests (a task normally largely transferred to the formal diplomacy) and, especially, those of its subjects, individuals as well as enterprises. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... Hunting lodge and Carmelites church at Mayerling The term Mayerling Incident refers to the series of events leading to the alleged suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Baroness Mary Vetsera. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles, also Akhilleus or Achilleus (Ancient Greek ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... In literature, a theme is a broads idea in a story, or a message conveyed by a work. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Double-headed eagle, emblem of the Paleologus dynasty and the Byzantine Empire. ... // For other uses, see Dynasty (disambiguation). ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ...

She bought the property from Corfiot Petros Vrailas Armenis who was also a friend. The palace was designed by Italian architect Raffaele Caritto and cost nine million gold francs, a huge sum at the time. Ernst Herter, a famous German sculptor, was commisioned to create works inspired from Greek mythology. His famous sculpture Dying Achilles (Ancient Greek: Αχιλλεύς θνήσκων), created in Berlin in 1884 as inscribed in the statue, forms the centrepiece of the Achilleion Gardens. The Oricoli bust of Zeus, King of the Gods, in the collection of the Vatican Museum. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

Achilles as guardian of the palace in the gardens of the Achilleion. He gazes northward, toward the city. The inscription in Greek reads: ΑΧΙΛΛΕΥΣ i.e. Achilles. It was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The palace, with the classic Greek statues that surround it, is a monument to platonic romanticism as well as escapism and was, naturally, named after Achilles: Achilleion. The place abounds with paintings and statues of Achilles, both in the main hall and in the lavish gardens depicting the heroic and tragic scenes of the Trojan war. The architectural style is Pompeian. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 2331 KB) Summary I am the author. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 2331 KB) Summary I am the author. ... Platonic idealism is the theory that the substantive reality around us is only a reflection of a higher truth. ... Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in late 18th century Western Europe. ... Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an escape from the perceived unpleasant aspects of daily reality. ... The fall of Troy by Johann Georg Trautmann (1713–1769) From the collections of the granddukes of Baden, Karlsruhe The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), by the armies of the Achaeans, after Paris of Troy... Pompeii is not to be confused with the Roman general Pompey. ...

Triumphant Achilles dragging Hector's lifeless body in front of the Gates of Troy. (From a panoramic fresco on the upper level of the main hall)

The Imperial gardens on top of the hill provide a majestic view of the surrounding green hill crests and valleys as the Ionian sea gleams in the background. Walls of the excavated city of Troy Troy (Greek: Τροία [Troia], also Ίλιον [Ilion], Latin: Troia, Ilium) is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle, and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. ... This article is about the artistic term Panorama. ... Fresco by Dionisius representing Saint Nicholas. ... The Ionian Sea. ...

Sissi used to visit the place often until 1898 when she was assassinated in Geneva by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni. Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German:   //, Italian: Ginevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ... Luigi Lucheni (April 22, 1873, Paris - October 19, 1910) was an Italian anarchist who assassinated the Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria (commonly referred to as Sisi) in 1898. ...

After Sissi's death, German Kaiser Wilhelm II purchased Achilleion in 1907 from her heirs and used it as a summer residence. During Kaiser's visits a lot of diplomatic activity used to take place in Achilleion and it became a hub of European diplomacy at the time. Wilhelm II of Prussia and Germany, Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Hohenzollern (January 27, 1859 - June 4, 1941) was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and the last King (König) of Prussia from 1888 - 1918. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Kaiser, expanding on the main theme of the grounds, added his own Achilles statue, an imposing bronze statue that stands tall as a guardian of the Gardens facing north toward the city. Kaiser's statue represents Achilles in full hoplite uniform with intricate detailing such as a relief of a gorgon's head at the shield, apparently to petrify any enemies, as well as lion heads as knee protectors. This tall statue is surrounded by palm trees that complement its graceful outline. Kaiser visited the place until 1914 when World War I was declared. During WWI Achilleion was used as a military hospital by French and Serbian troops. In Greek mythology, the Gorgons (terrible or, according to some, loud-roaring) were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. ... In geology, petrifaction or petrification is the process by which organic material is converted into stone or a similar substance. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... ...

After WWI the Achilleion became the property of the Greek state according to the treaty of Versailles and the war reparations that followed in 1919. The Treaty of Versailles (3010) was the peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Central Powers and the German Empire. ... War reparations refer to the monetary compensation provided to a triumphant nation or coalition from a defeated nation or coalition. ...

In the years between WWI and WWII the Achilleion property was used to house various government services and at the same time a number of artifacts were auctioned off. An auctioneer and her assistants scan the crowd for bidders An auction is the process of buying and selling things by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder. ...

During WWII the axis powers used the Achilleion as military headquarters. After WWII the Achilleion came under the management umbrella of the Hellenic Tourist Organisation (HTO). German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 1962 the Achilleion was leased to a private company that converted the upper level to a casino and the lower grounds to a museum. In 1983 the lease was terminated and the palace management was returned to the HTO. Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ...

European role

Briefly reclaiming the status of centre for European diplomacy that it possessed during the Kaiser years, the Achilleion has been used in recent times for the European summit meeting in 1994 and in 2003 it hosted the meeting of the European ministers for Agriculture. Lately it has been used as a museum while the casino function has been relocated to the Corfu Hilton. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with European Council. ... This article is about the continent. ... A minister can mean several things: A government minister is a politician who heads a government ministry A minister of religion is a member of the clergy A minister is the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... Hilton is the flagship brand of Hilton Hotels Corporation and is based in Beverly Hills, California. ...

Achilleion in film

The casino scene of the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only was filmed at the Achilleion. The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent[1] created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... For Your Eyes Only is the twelfth film in the EON Productions James Bond series and the fifth to star Roger Moore as British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond 007. ...

References

• For Your Eyes Only website
• Greek National Tourist Organisation information window at the Achilleion Grounds

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