Corfu Town: Maitland memorial
On the upper side of the Spianada stands a memorial from the era of British administration to the British Lord High Commissioner Sir Thomas Maitland. Was built in 1816 in the shape of a circular building like a Roman-style rotunda, , with Ionian columns.
Το Περιστύλιο του Maitland στην Κέρκυρα (Maitland Monument, Corfu, GR)
Το κυκλικό μαρμάρινο μνημείο που στήθηκε στην πόλη της Κέρκυρας προς τιμήν του Άγγλου Ύπατου Αρμοστή των ιονίων Νήσων Maitland.
From wikipedia.org:
The Maitland Monument, also known as the Maitland Rotunda or the Peristyle of Maitland (Greek: Περιστύλιο του Μαίτλαντ), is a neoclassical monument located at the end of Spianada Square in Corfu. It was built in 1821 to honour Sir Thomas Maitland, a British military officer who was the last Civil Commissioner and first Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands.
Maitland arrived in Corfu on 16 February 1816, and eight months later, on 25 October 1816, 46 noble Corfiots made a proposal for the construction of a triumphal arch in his honour. The monument was eventually constructed in 1821 in a completely different form of a rotunda with twenty Ionic columns. It was designed by Colonel George Whitmore of the Royal Engineers.
Like the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, the structure was built out of limestone imported from Malta, which was a British colony at the time. Maitland had simultaneously held the positions of Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands and Governor of Malta. The sculptural work was done by the local sculptor Pavlos Prosalentis.
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Corfu island, top attractions: Greece Best of | Kerkyra Guide | Ionian Sea
A majestic fort, romantic trails and beaches where the vegetation merges with the sapphire sea
Corfu, the Grand Lady of the Ionian, is characterized by a series of mythical images: Nausica, the daughter of King Alkinoos, the man who saved Odysseus when he was shipwrecked in the Country of Phaeacians, which many have identified as the island of Corfu; Sissi, the sad Empress of Austria and the Achilleion palace she built; the majestic Mon Repos, the 19thcentury summer residence built for the British High Commissioner and the Kaiser’s Observatory, from where Wilhelm II looked out upon the iridescent Ionian.
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Equally majestic are the iconic city mansions, the Liston Arcade and Spianada Square – the largest in the Balkans. Venetians, English, French, Russians, Greeks all lived and flourished here, and left their mark on the island’s numerous sights and attractions. They composed a diverse culture that you will discover in every musical note of Corfu’s marching bands, in each glass of kumquat liqueur, in the labyrinthine alleyways of Campiello, in every love affair that sparks up in the Canal d'Amour. Corfu – or Kerkyra as it is known in Greek – will certainly seduce you.
Things to do in Corfu
Corfu’s historic centre: a scene out of a classic film
Unesco has declared the island’s historic centre a world heritage site. The stately buildings with neoclassical influences will dazzle you. Who could not be moved by the Palace of St Michael and St Georgiou, the Liston Arcade, the Reading Society, the Catholic cathedral, the Maitland rotunda, the Ionian Parliament and the Kapodistrias family mansion. In the famous alleyways of Campiello, with washing lines hanging above you, and in the opulent hotels with their VIP guests, you will feel like a star in a period movie.
The city’s keepers
On the eastern side of the city, the rocky shore crowned by two low peaks gave the name Koryfo (Κορυφώ) – Corfu (meaning peak) to the island. You enter the Old Fort (Palaio Frourio), built in the 13th century, via a bridge over a seawater moat. It includes the Porta Sopranza, the British barracks, two winged lions of St Mark, the Madonna del Carmine, the Savorgnan bastion, the Tower of Sea and the Tower of the Land (Castel del Mar, Castel della Terra) and the British-built church of St George resembling a Doric temple.
It’s an open-air museum, and each sight is a journey through time. Towering above the northwest border of the capital, the other guardian, the Neo Frourio (New Fort), is a masterpiece of military architecture built by the Venetians between 1572 and 1645. It is a fortress with planes and angles reminiscent of Picasso and Braque’s Cubist periods.
Photogenic attractions: Cannon and Mouse islands
The trademark of Corfu island are actually other islands! They are the diminutive Pontikonisi, which translates as Mouse Island, just large enough to hold the Pantokrator monastery, and right next to it, the famous islet Vlacherna, with its 17th century monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary, connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Mass is held here on Easter Monday.
The city of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the Venetian citadel is cut off from it by an artificial fosse formed in a natural gully, with a seawater moat at the bottom, that now serves as a marina and is called the Contrafossa. The old town, having grown within fortifications, where every metre of ground was precious, is a labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones, sometimes tortuous but colourful and clean. These streets are known as kantoúnia, and the older amongst them sometimes follow the gentle irregularities of the ground; while many are too narrow for vehicular traffic. A promenade rises by the seashore towards the bay of Garitsa, together with an esplanade between the city and the citadel known as Spianada with the Liston arcade to its west side, where restaurants and bistros abound.
In 2007, the city's old quarter was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Corfu is a very popular tourist destination.
La ville de Corfou est la capitale de l’île grecque de Corfou. Elle se situe sur la côte Est de l’île, à flanc de collines, et possède un port qui permet de relier les villes de Brindisi (Italie), Saranda (Albanie), Patras et Igoumenitsa. La ville est également le siège du dème de Corfou.
Die Stadt Korfu ist die Hauptstadt der gleichnamigen griechischen Insel und Gemeinde Korfu. Sie liegt an der Ostküste auf einem nach Nordwesten abfallenden Vorgebirge, besitzt einen internationalen Flugplatz und verfügt über einen sicheren Hafen, der durch Schifffahrtslinien mit Brindisi, Venedig, Patras und Igoumenitsa sowie Saranda (Albanien) in Verbindung steht.
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Corfu: Anaktora Ag. Michail & Georgiou
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Palace of St. Michael and St. George is a palace in Corfu City on the island of Corfu, Greece. The Greek name is Palaia Anaktora (Παλαιά Ανάκτορα: literally Old Palace).
The palace was built by Sir Thomas Maitland, the British Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. It served as the High Commissioner's residence, but was also the home of the Ionian Senate and the Order of St Michael and St George. The foundation stone was laid on St. George's day in 1819. The location is between the old town of Corfu and the Venetian citadel.
After the union of Corfu with the Kingdom of Greece in 1864, the palace served as a Royal residence until the Second World War. It miraculously survived the Italian bombardment of Corfu City during the Corfu Incident. It suffered greater damage from its use as a temporary housing for the refugees from Epirus during the Greek Civil War. The Greek state was only able to restore the palace interiors in 1954 with the help of a private trust organised by Sir Charles Peake, the then British Ambassador to Greece. Up to 1967, the Greek king occasionally used the palace on state occasions while in residence at his nearby villa, Mon Repos.
Today the palace houses the Museum of Asian art of Corfu. The collection of the museum started in 1927 and consists mostly of donations, the largest being from Gregorios Manos with 10,500 pieces.
The palace is designed in the Regency style by the British architect George Whitmore, who was a Colonel and later a Major-General in the Royal Engineers. It primarily consists of white Maltese stone. The two gateways which flank the palace are the gate of St. Michael and the gate of St. George. The state rooms consist of a grand staircase, a rotunda in the centre leading to two large rooms, the Throne Room and the state dining room. The Palace was renovated for the European Union Summit meeting in 1994.
Corfu | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:03:25 1 Name
00:04:28 2 Geography
00:06:59 2.1 Diapontia islands
00:07:24 2.2 Lazaretto Island
00:08:39 2.3 Flora
00:09:29 2.4 Fauna
00:09:44 2.4.1 Birds
00:10:13 2.4.2 Mammals
00:11:24 2.4.3 Amphibians and reptiles
00:12:57 2.5 Climate
00:13:13 3 History
00:13:21 3.1 Early history
00:18:39 3.2 Roman and medieval history
00:23:14 3.3 Venetian rule
00:28:12 3.3.1 Venetian policies and legacy
00:31:28 3.4 19th century
00:33:23 3.4.1 British Lord High Commissioners during the protectorate
00:35:26 3.5 First World War
00:36:18 3.6 Interwar period
00:36:39 3.7 Second World War
00:36:48 3.7.1 Italian occupation and resistance
00:38:15 3.7.2 German bombing and occupation
00:40:02 3.7.3 Liberation
00:40:51 3.8 Post–World War and modern Corfu
00:42:03 4 Architecture
00:42:11 4.1 Venetian influence
00:43:55 4.2 The Achilleion
00:46:37 4.3 Kaiser's Bridge
00:47:43 5 Urban landscape
00:47:52 5.1 Old town
00:49:12 5.2 Ano and Kato Plateia and the music pavilion
00:50:22 5.3 Palaia Anaktora and its gardens
00:52:16 5.4 Churches
00:52:54 5.5 Pontikonisi
00:53:35 6 Archaeology
00:53:44 6.1 Palaiopolis
00:54:36 6.2 Kardaki Temple
00:55:45 6.3 Temple of Artemis
00:57:44 6.4 Temple of Hera
00:58:58 6.5 Tomb of Menecrates
01:00:22 6.6 Other archaeological sites
01:00:46 7 Castles
01:01:11 7.1 Palaio Frourio
01:02:17 7.2 Neo Frourio
01:03:08 7.3 Angelokastro
01:05:08 7.4 Gardiki Castle
01:06:02 7.5 Kassiopi Castle
01:07:31 8 Municipality
01:07:52 8.1 Province
01:08:15 9 Education
01:08:24 9.1 Ionian Academy
01:09:04 9.2 Ionian University
01:09:42 9.3 Student activism
01:10:33 10 Culture
01:11:15 10.1 Museums and libraries
01:14:41 10.2 Patron Saint Spyridon
01:16:44 10.3 Music
01:16:52 10.3.1 Musical history
01:18:11 10.3.2 The three Philharmonics
01:19:44 10.3.3 Ionian University music department
01:20:21 10.4 Theatres and operatic tradition
01:20:30 10.4.1 Teatro di San Giacomo
01:22:16 10.4.2 Municipal Theatre of Corfu
01:23:20 10.5 Festivities
01:23:28 10.5.1 Easter
01:26:05 10.5.2 Ta Karnavalia
01:26:48 11 Cultural depictions
01:26:57 11.1 Corfu in myth
01:27:40 11.2 Corfu in literature
01:28:55 11.3 Corfu in film
01:32:00 11.4 Corfu in popular culture
01:32:31 12 Tourism
01:34:03 13 Transport
01:36:29 14 Economy
01:38:22 15 International relations
01:38:39 16 Notable people
01:38:48 16.1 Ancient
01:39:17 16.2 Modern
01:39:25 17 Gallery
01:39:33 18 See also
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SUMMARY
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Corfu (, also US: ) or Kerkyra (Greek: Κέρκυρα, romanized: Kérkyra, pronounced [ˈcercira] (listen); Ancient Greek: Κόρκυρα, romanized: Kórkyra, pronounced [kórkyra]; Medieval Greek: Κορυφώ, romanized: Koryfó; Latin: Corcyra) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality, which also includes the smaller islands of Ereikoussa, Mathraki and Othonoi. The municipality has an area of 610,9 km2, the island proper 592,8 km2. The principal city of the island and seat of the municipality (pop. 32,095) is also named Corfu. Corfu is home to the Ionian University.
The island is bound up with the history of Greece from the beginnings of Greek mythology. Its history is full of battles and conquests. Ancient Korkyra took part in the Battle of Sybota which was a catalyst for the Peloponnesian War, and, according to Thucydides, the largest naval battle between Greek city states until that time. Thucydides also reports that Korkyra was one of the three great naval powers of fifth century BC Greece, along with Athens and Corinth. Ruins of ancient Greek temples and other archaeological sites of the ancient ...
Kerkyra | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Kerkyra
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Corfu or Kerkyra (; Greek: Κέρκυρα, translit. Kérkyra, [ˈcercira]; Ancient Greek: Κόρκυρα, translit. Kórkyra, [kórkyra]; Latin: Corcyra; Italian: Corfù) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the northwesternmost part of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality, which also includes the smaller islands of Ereikoussa, Mathraki and Othonoi. The municipality has an area of 610,9 km2, the island proper 592,8 km2. The principal city of the island and seat of the municipality (pop. 32,095) is also named Corfu. Corfu is home to the Ionian University.
The island is bound up with the history of Greece from the beginnings of Greek mythology. Its history is full of battles and conquests. Ancient Korkyra took part in the Battle of Sybota which was a catalyst for the Peloponnesian War, and, according to Thucydides, the largest naval battle between Greek city states until that time. Thucydides also reports that Korkyra was one of the three great naval powers of fifth century BC Greece, along with Athens and Corinth. Medieval castles punctuating strategic locations across the island are a legacy of struggles in the Middle Ages against invasions by pirates and the Ottomans. Two of these castles enclose its capital, which is the only city in Greece to be surrounded in such a way. As a result, Corfu's capital has been officially declared a Kastropolis (castle city) by the Greek government. From medieval times and into the 17th century, the island, having successfully repulsed the Ottomans during several sieges, was recognised as a bulwark of the European States against the Ottoman Empire and became one of the most fortified places in Europe. The fortifications of the island were used by the Venetians to defend against Ottoman intrusion into the Adriatic. Corfu eventually fell under British rule following the Napoleonic Wars. Corfu was eventually ceded by the British Empire along with the remaining islands of the United States of the Ionian Islands, and unification with modern Greece was concluded in 1864 under the Treaty of London.
In 2007, the city's old quarter was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, following a recommendation by ICOMOS.Corfu is a very popular tourist destination. The island was the location of the 1994 European Union summit.