Corfu

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This article is about the Greek island known in English as Corfu. There is also a place named Corfu, New York.

Image:Img2005-04-30T17.43.54.JPG

Corfu (ancient and modern Greek Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, Latin Corcyra; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an island of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. It lies off the coast of Albania, from which it is separated by a strait varying in breadth from less than 2 to about 15 miles (3 to 25 km) including one near Albania near Butrint and a longer one west of Thesprotia. The island is part of the Corfu Prefecture. The principal town of the island is also named Corfu, or Kerkyra in Greek.

Corfu has ferry services to the rest of Greece with Igoumenitsa and Gaios in the island of Paxoi and as far as Patras. There is also a small port in Lefkimmi. The coastline and its beaches is about 217 km which includes capes and points. The highest point is Pantokrator, the second is Stravoskiadi (849 m).

It is linked by two highways, GR-24 in the west and GR-25 in the south. The airport is located some kilometres to the south. The runway is next to the ocean. This makes it harder for pilots to land their planes. The airport offers flights with Olympic Airlines (OA 600, 602 and 606) and Aegean Airlines (A3 402, 404 and 406). Corfu now also has a university named Ionian University. The city is covered with hills while the west is covered with hills. Capes and points include Agia Aikaterini, and Draptis to the north, Lefkimmi and Asprokavos to the southeast and Megachoro to the south. Another island is in the middle of Gouvia Bay which covers the eastern part of the island; it is called Ptychia. Campgrounds can be found in Palaiokastritsa, Agrillos, two in the northern part, Pyrgi, Gouvia and Messonghi.

1 Geography
2 Climate
3 Transportation
4 History
5 Archaeology and architecture
6 Music and festivities
7 Persons
8 External links

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Geography

Image:Corfu from ISS.jpg The name Corfu is an Italian corruption of the Byzantine Κορυφώ (Koryphō), which is derived from the Greek Κορυφαί (Koryphai), meaning "Crests." In shape it is not unlike the sickle (drepanē), to which it was compared by the ancients, the hollow side, with the town and harbour of Corfu in the centre, being turned towards the Albanian coast. Its extreme length is about 40 miles (60 km). and its greatest breadth about 20 miles (30 km). The area is estimated at 227 sq. miles (580 km²). Two high and well-defined ranges divide the island into three districts, of which the northern is mountainous, the central undulating and the southern low-lying. The most important of the two ranges is that of San Salvador, probably the ancient Istone, which stretches east and west from Cape St. Angelo to Cape St. Stefano, and attains its greatest elevation of 3300 ft (1000 m) in the summit from which it takes its name. The second culminates in the mountain of Santi Jeca, or Santa Decca, as it is called by misinterpretation of the Greek designation Άγιοι Δέκα (Hagioi Deka), or the Ten Saints. The whole island, composed as it is of various limestone formations, presents great diversity of surface, and the prospects from the more elevated spots are magnificent. Beautiful and sparkling beaches with yellow sands are founded in Agii Gordi, the Korissi lagoon, Agios Georgios, Marathia, Kassiopi, Sidari, Roda, Palaiokastritsa and many others.

Corfu is generally considered to be one of the most beautiful Greek isles, but the prevalence of the olive gives some monotony to its colouring. It is worthy of remark that Homer names, as adorning the garden of Alcinous, seven plants only – wild olive, oil olive, pear, pomegranate, apple, fig and vine. Of these the apple and the pear are now very inferior in Corfu; the others thrive well and are accompanied by all the fruit trees known in southern Europe, with addition of the kumquat, loquat and prickly pear and, in some spots, the banana. When undisturbed by cultivation, the myrtle, arbutus, bay and ilex form a rich brushwood and the minor flora of the island is extensive.

The town of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the citadel is cut from it by an artificial fosse formed in a natural gully, with a salt-water ditch at the bottom. Having grown up within fortifications, where every foot of ground was precious, it is mostly, in spite of recent improvements, a labyrinth of narrow, tortuous, up-and-down streets, accommodating themselves to the irregularities of the ground, few of them fit for wheel carriages. There is, however, a handsome esplanade between the town and the citadel, and a promenade by the seashore towards Castrades. In several parts of the town may be found houses of the Venetian time, with some traces of past splendour, but they are few, and are giving place to structures in the modern and more convenient French style. The town is as mundane as Rome, looks like Venice and has the flair of Havana (Cuba). Of the thirty-seven Greek churches the most important are the city's cathedral, the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Cave (ἡ Παναγία Σπηλιώτισσα (hē Panagia Spēliōtissa)); Saint Spyridon church, where inside lies the preserved body of the patron saint of the island; and the suburban church of St Jason and St Sosipater, reputed the oldest in the island, named after the two saints who were probably the first to preach Christianity to the Corfiots. The nearby island named Pontikonisi (Greek meaning "mouse island") has only three trees, and the highest point is about 2 m.

Othoni (Οθωνοί) is the westernmost settlement and island in all of Greece. Erikoussa is the northernmost of the Ionian Islands. All areas lie below the 40° N. About a quarter of the villages names end with -ades, while there are some villages outside Corfu whose names also end in -ades, especially in the prefecture of Ioannina on mainland Greece exactly opposite the island of Corfu. The villages at the southern part and on the Paxoi islands have names ending with -atika as well as -eika, notably Gramateika.

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Climate

Climate	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Total Sunshine Days	4	5	7	7	9	10	12	11	9	6	4	2
High temperature [°C]	14	15	16	19	23	28	31	32	28	23	19	16
Low temperatures [°C]	13	13	14	15	18	22	23	24	23	21	17	14
Precipitation	13	11	9	7	5	2	1	1	5	9	12	15

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Transportation

Greek National Road 24, Cen., W, Corfu - Palaiokastritsa
Greek National Road 25, Cen., S, SE, Corfu - Lefkimi

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History

Image:Img2005-04-27T21.00.35.JPG According to the local tradition Corcyra was the Homeric island of Scheria, and its earliest inhabitants the Phaeacians. At a date no doubt previous to the foundation of Syracuse it was peopled by settlers from Corinth, but it appears to have previously received a stream of emigrants from Eretria. The splendid commercial position of Corcyra on the highway between Greece and the West favoured its rapid growth and, influenced perhaps by the presence of non-Corinthian settlers, its people, quite contrary to the usual practice of Corinthian colonies, maintained an independent and even hostile attitude towards the mother city. This opposition came to a head in the early part of the 7th century, when their fleets fought the first naval battle recorded in Greek history (about 664 BC). These hostilities ended in the conquest of Corcyra by the Corinthian tyrant Periander who induced his new subjects to join in the colonization of Apollonia and Anactorium. The island soon regained its independence and henceforth devoted itself to a purely mercantile policy. During the Persian invasion of 480 BC it manned the second largest Greek fleet (60 ships), but took no active part in the war. In 435 BC it was again involved in a quarrel with Corinth and sought assistance from Athens (see Battle of Sybota). This new alliance was one of the chief immediate causes of the Peloponnesian War, in which Corcyra was of considerable use to the Athenians as a naval station, but did not render much assistance with its fleet. The island was nearly lost to Athens by two attempts of the oligarchic faction to effect a revolution; on each occasion the popular party ultimately won the day and took a most bloody revenge on its opponents (427 BC and 425 BC). During the Sicilian campaigns of Athens Corcyra served as a base for supplies; after a third abortive rising of the oligarchs in 410 BC it practically withdrew from the war. In 375 BC it again joined the Athenian alliance; two years later it was besieged by a Lacedaemonian armament, but in spite of the devastation of its flourishing countryside held out successfully until relief was at hand. In the Hellenistic period Corcyra was exposed to attack from several sides.

In 303 BC after a vain siege by Cassander, the island was occupied for a short time by the Lacedaemonian general Cleonymos, then regains its independence and later it was attacked and conquered by Agathocles. He offered Corfu as dowry to his daughter Lanassa on her marriage to Pyrrhus, King of Epirus. The island then became a member of the Epirotic alliance. It was then perhaps that the settlement of Cassiope was founded to serve as a base for the King of Epirus' expeditions. The island remained in the Epirotic alliance until 255 BC when it became independent after the death of Alexander, last King of Epirus. It subsequently fell into the hands of Illyrian corsairs, until in 229 BC it was delivered by the Romans, who retained it as a naval station and gave it the rank of a free state. In 31 BC it served Octavian (Augustus) as a base against Mark Antony.

Eclipsed by the foundation of Nicopolis, Corcyra for a long time passed out of notice. With the rise of the Norman kingdom in Sicily and the Italian naval powers, it again became a frequent object of attack. In 1081-1085 it was held by Robert Guiscard, in 1147-1154 by Roger II of Sicily. During the break-up of the Later Roman Empire it was occupied by Genoese privateers (1197-1207) who in turn were expelled by the Venetians. In 1214-1259 it passed to the Greek despots of Epirus, and in 1267 became a possession of the Neapolitan house of Anjou. Under the latter's weak rule the island suffered considerably from the inroads of various adventurers; hence in 1386 it placed itself under the protection of Venice, which in 1401 acquired formal sovereignty over it. Corcyra remained in Venetian hands till 1797, though several times assailed by Turkish armaments and subjected to two notable sieges in 1536 and 1716-1718, in which the great natural strength of the city again asserted itself. The Venetian feudal families pursued a mild but somewhat enervating policy towards the natives, who began to merge their nationality in that of the Latins and adopted for the island the new name of Corfu. The Corfiotes were encouraged to enrich themselves by the cultivation of the olive, but were debarred from entering into commercial competition with Venice. The island served as a refuge for Greek scholars, and in 1732 became the home of the first academy of modern Greece, but no serious impulse to Greek thought came from this quarter.

By the Treaty of Campo Formio, Corfu was ceded to the French, who occupied it for two years, until they were expelled by the Russian squadron under Admiral Ushakov. For a short time it became the capital of a self-governing federation of the Hephtanesos ("Seven Islands"); in 1807 its faction-ridden government was again replaced by a French administration, and in 1809 it was vainly besieged by a British fleet. When, by the Treaty of Paris of November 5, 1815, the Ionian Islands became a protectorate of the United Kingdom, Corfu became the seat of the British high commissioner. The British commissioners, who were practically autocrats in spite of the retention of the native senate and assembly, introduced a strict method of government which brought about a decided improvement in the material prosperity of the island, but by its very strictness displeased the natives. In 1864 it was, with the other Ionian Islands, ceded to the kingdom of Greece, in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants. The island has again become an important point of call and has a considerable trade in olive oil; under a more careful system of tillage the value of its agricultural products might be largely increased.

During the First World War, the island served as a refuge for the Serbian army that retreated there by the allied forces ships from the homeland occupied by the Austrians. During their stay, a large portion of Serbian soldiers died from exasperation, food shortage, and different diseases. Most of their remains were buried at the sea near the island; consequently, the waters around the island are known by the Serbian people as the Blue Graveyard (in Serbian, Plava Grobnica).

During the Second World War, the Italian Army bombarded the city devastating most of the area.

In late-2002 and early-2003, heavy rains ravaged the island several times including one which caused a mudslide near Messonghi Beach.

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Archaeology and architecture

Image:CorfuCityFromSea.jpg Corfu contains a few very important remains of antiquity. The site of the ancient city of Corcyra (Kerkyra) is well ascertained, about 1 1/2 miles (2 km) to the south-east of Corfu, upon the narrow piece of ground between the sea-lake of Halikiopoulo and the Bay of Castrades, in each of which it had a port. The circular tomb of Menekrates, with its well-known inscription, is on the Bay of Castrades. Under the hill of Ascension are the remains of a temple, popularly called of Poseidon, a very simple dome structure, which still in its mutilated state presents some peculiarities of architecture. Of Cassiope, the only other city of ancient importance, the name is still preserved by the village of Cassiopi, and there are some rude remains of building on the site; but the temple of Zeus Cassius for which it was celebrated has totally disappeared. Throughout the island there are numerous monasteries and other buildings of Venetian erection, of which the best known are Paleokastritsa, San Salvador and Pelleka. The Achilleon or Achilleas Thniskon is a palace commissioned by Elisabeth of Austria and purchased in 1907 by Wilhelm II of Germany; it is now a popular tourist attraction. Image:Corfubrit.jpg Corfu Town is famous for its Italianate architecture, most notably the Liston, an arched colonnade lined with cafes on the edge of the Spianada (Esplanade), the vast main plaza and park which incorporates a cricket field and several pavilions. Also notable are the Old and New castles, the recently restored Palace of Sts. Michael and George, formerly the residence of the British governor and the seat of the Ionian Senate, and the summer Palace of Mon Repos, formerly the property of the Greek royal family and birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Several movies were filmed in Corfu, including the 1981 James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only and a song was common that it was set in a city square and it was called Kerkyra which is dedicated to this city and the island. It was also set in a Corfiot beach. The most memorable scenes are of the underwater Temple, with a huge Tortuga swimming in front of the camera, and James Bond 007, Roger Moore appearing to Melina in a Swimsuit with Scuba Gear, and his wrinkles under his eyes full of love. Another memorable scene from the island, was that of Melina and 007 walking through the town streets, and her being greeted by 007 at the Pontikosini island, that is where the monastery of pantokratoros in Corfu lies. The BBC film "My Family and Other Animals", based on the writings of Gerald Durrell was made on Corfu in 1989.

During the second world war the island was bombed by the german aircrafts which resulted in a destruction of most of the building in the town inclunding the market (markas) and the Hotel Bella Venezia.

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Music and festivities

Corfiots are great lovers of music. Most people readily join in the singing of the cantadas, impromptu choral songs in two, three or four voices, usually accompanied by a guitar while other from young age join the bands (filarmonikes) that provide education in music for free. Corfu Town is home to three famous, top-quality marching brass bands, the dark red-uniformed Philharmonic Society of Corfu or Old Philharmonic or Palia, the blue-uniformed Mantzaros Philharmonic and the bright red and black-uniformed Capodistria Philharmonic. The bands give regular weekend promenade concerts and partake in the yearly Holy Week ceramonies. There is considerable but friendly rivalry among them, and their respective repertoires are rigorously adhered to. On Holy Friday the philarmonics accompany the epitaph of the town's churches from the early noon separated in squads. Late in the afternoon the squads gather together to form the whole of the band in order to acompany the epitaph of the metropolitan church. The funeral marches that the bands play differ depending on the band. The Old Philharmonic plays Albinoni's Adagio, the Mantzaros plays Verdi's Marcia Funebre from Don Carlo, and the Capodistria plays Chopin's Funeral March and Mariani's Sventura. In Holy Saturday morning the three bands of the town take part in the epitaph ( Epitaphios ) of the St. Spiridon Cathedral is corteged along with the Saint's relics. At this time the bands play funeral marches with Mantzaros playing Miccheli's Calde Lacrime, the Palia playing Marcia Funebre from Faccio's opera Amleto, and the Funeral March from Beethoven's Eroica. The custom dates from the 19th century, when the British banned the traditional Holy Friday Epitaphios cortege. The defiant Corfiotes held the litany the following morning, and paraded the relics of St. Spiridon as well, so that the british would not dare intervene.

The litany is followed by the most spectacular Corfiote celebration by far, the "Early Resurrection". Balconies in the old town are decked in bright red cloths, and Corfiotes throw large clay pots (the botides) full of water down, so that they smash on the street pavement. This is done in anticipation of the Resurrection of Jesus, which is to be celebrated that same night.

During Venetian rule, the Corfiotes developed a fervent appreciation for Italian opera. The Corfu Opera House was a fixture in famous opera singers' itineraries, and those who were successful there were given the title "applaudito in Corfu".

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