Under this sculpture there is a inscription reading:
"Never again for any nation
Dedicated to the memory of the 2000 Jews of Corfu who perished in the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau in June 1944 by the Municipality and the Jewish community of Corfu
November 2001"
Showing posts with label Kerkyra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kerkyra. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Corfu, In memoriam
Corfu, the New Fortress
The New Fortress, also known as the Fortress of San Marco, was built by the Venetians near the Old Harbour of Corfu town between the years 1576 and 1645, shortly after the second great Turkish siege. Responsible for the works was the Italian military engineer Ferraute Vitteli.
The fortress was a strong point in the town's defense. Its structure is a complicated network of chambers and galleries. The French and later the British completed the fortifications and the buildings of the fortress.
Mon Repos, Corfu
Built in 1831 the Mon-Repos Palace is located atop a hill within a 250 acre park in the middle of Corfu's archeological centre. It was built by Commissioner Adams for his wife, although she soon vacated the palace when her husband was sent to serve in India and it became a rarely used summer house for all the governors. During the British occupation a school for clergymen was located there. After the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece, King Georgios I took pocession of the area and named it Mon-Repos. During the Italian occupation it was residence for the Italian politician Parini who governed the Ionian Islands. It was virtually abandoned when the Greek monarchy was overthrown. It soon became derelict, but was recently magnificently restored and is now a fabulous museum housing many of the Islands treasures.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Corfu - Entrance to the Old Fortress
The Old Fortress stands over the Esplanade (Spianada Square) and is linked to the town by a fixed iron bridge 60 meters in length. This bridge used to be wooden and was drawn up to isolate the fortress for greater safety.
The first fortifications of the Old Fortress were started about the 6th century AD after the destruction of the ancient city of Corcyra by the Goths, who had forced the population to abandon the ancient city and to settle on the rocky promontory with its two peaks. The Byzantines fortified one of the two peaks, the one that in Venetian times was named 'Castel Vecchio' or 'Castel a Mare'. Later the Venetians fortified the other, peak called 'Castel Nuovo' or 'Castel a Terra'. Between the 6th and 13th centuries the town of Corfu lay within the walls of the fortress. In the 15th century the Venetians replaced the old fortifications. They built bastions, winding galleries and tunnels. They also erected buildings to house the military and political authorities. These bastions are considered masterpieces of military engineering.
On the open space at the foot of the peak named 'Castel a Terra' stands the church of St. George, built in 1840 by the British in Doric style. The church turned over to the Orthodox cult at the end of the British Protectorate.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
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