---
node: spot_corfu_achilleion
type: spot
slug: achilleion
destination: dest_corfu
title: "Achilleion"
lead: "The Achilleion is a hillside palace built in 1890 for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, dedicated throughout to Achilles. After her assassination it passed to Kaiser Wilhelm II, who rearranged its statues to suit himself."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_corfu_achilleion.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corfu_Achilleion_R05.jpg"
image_author: "Marc Ryckaert (MJJR)"
image_license: "CC BY 3.0"
---

## Overview

Elisabeth read Homer, disliked the Habsburg court and wanted a retreat on Corfu; the result is a Pompeian villa with terraced gardens ten kilometres south of the town. Her centrepiece was Ernst Herter's Dying Achilles, a hero brought down by a wound. Wilhelm bought the place in 1907 and installed an eight-metre Achilles Triumphant facing the sea instead, which tells you most of what you need to know about both owners.

## Highlights

Compare the two Achilles statues in the garden; the whole building is an argument between them. The terrace looks down the east coast and is the reason the site was chosen. Buses from Corfu Town take about half an hour, and the palace served as the casino in a 1981 Bond film if the interiors feel familiar.