| Corfu (Κέρκυρα) | |
|---|---|
 Old Fort, Corfu City, as seen from the top of the New Fort. |
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| Location | |
  |
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| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST ([[UTC+2]]/[[UTC+3|3]]) |
| Elevation (min-max): | - m (0 - 33 ft) |
| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Periphery: | Ionian Islands |
| Prefecture: | Corfu |
| Districts: | 4 |
| Mayor: | Sotirios Micallef (since: 2007) |
| Population statistics (as of 2001) | |
| City Proper | |
| - Population: | |
| - Area:[8] | km² ( sq mi) |
| - Density: | /km² ( /sq mi) |
| Codes | |
| Postal codes: | 491 xx |
| Area codes: | 26610 |
| License plate codes: | ΚΥ |
| Website | |
| www.corfu.gr | |
 |
|
| Old Town of Corfu* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|
|
| State Party |  Greece |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Reference | 978 |
| Region† | Europe and North America |
| Coordinates | |
| Inscription History | |
| Inscription | 2007 (31st Session) |
|
* Name as
inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
|
Corfu (Greek: Κέρκυρα - Kérkyra) is a city in north-western Greece. It is the capital and main town of the island and prefecture of Corfu. The city (pop. 28,185 in 2001) is a major tourist attraction, and has played an important role since the 8th century. The city has become known as a Kastropolis (Castle City) because of its three castles.[1] In 2007, the old town of the city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.[2][3][4] The Municipality of Corfu (Kérkyra) generally stretches in a northwesterly direction from the city on the central east coast of the island, and has a land area of 41.905 km² and a total population of 39,487 inhabitants. Besides the city of Corfu/Kérkyra, its largest other towns are Kanáli (pop. 3,556), Potamós (2,365), Kontokáli (1,616), Alepoú (1,606), and Gouviá (952).
Climate
Corfu city's climate is Mediterranean. The summers are warm with moderate humidity, and temperatures reaching 33 Celsius. The winters are mild and temperatures around on or above 10 Celsius.
Layout
The town of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the Venetian citadel (Παλαιό Φρούριο in Greek) is cut off from it by an artificial fosse formed in a natural gully, with a salt-water ditch at the bottom, that serves also as a kind of marina. The old city having grown up within fortifications, where every metre of ground was precious, is a labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones, sometimes tortuous but mostly pleasant, colourful and sparkling clean. These streets are called "kantounia" (Greek: καντούνια) and the older ones sometimes follow the gentle irregularities of the ground while many of them are too narrow for vehicular traffic. There is promenade by the seashore towards the bay of Garitsa (Γαρίτσα), and also a handsome esplanade between the town and the citadel called "Liston" (Greek: Λιστόν) where upscale restaurants and European style bistros abound. The name Liston came from the English "List on" meaning the list of the vendors' fare, in other words the menu.
Architecture
The old fortifications of the town, formerly so extensive as to require a force of from 10,000 to 20,000 troops to man them, were in great part thrown down by the English in the 19th century. In several parts of the town may be found houses of the Venetian time, with some traces of past splendour, but they are few compared to the British Neoclassical housing of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The palace, built in 1815 by Sir Thomas Maitland (1759-1824; lord high commissioner of the Ionian Islands) is a large structure of white Maltese stone. Near Gasturi stands the Pompeian style Achilleion, the palace built for the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, and purchased in 1907 by the German emperor, William II.
Of the thirty-seven Greek churches the most important are the cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of the Cave; St. Spiridon's, with the tomb of the patron saint of the island; and the suburban church of St Jason and St Sosipater, reputedly the oldest in the island. The city is the seat of a Greek and a Roman Catholic archbishop; and it possesses a gymnasium, a theatre, an agricultural and industrial society, and a library and museum preserved in the buildings formerly devoted to the university, which was founded by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford (1766-1827, himself the first chancellor in 1824) in 1823, but disestablished on the cessation of the English protectorate.
Based on the ICOMOS evaluation of the old town of Corfu,[3] it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. The ICOMOS experts have noted that "about 70% of the pre-20th century buildings date from the British period" and that "whole blocks were destroyed" in the Old Town by the World War II blitzes; these were "replaced by new constructions in the 1960s and 1970s". The urban fabric was classified as being predominantly of the Neoclassical period "without special architectural features for which it could be distinguished".[3]
Government
Mayors
Up until 1866, Corfu had no mayors. This list starts from 1866 and on.[5]
- Nikolaos V. Manesis (1866 - 1870)
- Christodoulos M. Kiriakis (1870 - 1879)
- Georgios Theotokis (1879 - 1887)
- Michael Theotokis (1887 - 1895)
- Aggellos Psoroulas (1895 - 1899)
- Dimitrios Kollas (1899 - 1911)
- Ioannis Mavrogian (1914 - 1925)
- Spiridon Kollas (1925 - 1951)
- Stamatios Dessilas (1951 - 1959)
- Panagiotis Zafiropoulos (1959 - 1964)
- Spiridon Rath (1964 - 1967)
- Konstantinos Alexopoulos (1974 - 1975)
- Spiridon Rath (1975 - 1978)
- Ioannis Kourkoulos (1979 - 1990)
- Chrisanthos Sarlis (1991 - 2002)
- Alexandros Mastoras (2003 - 2006)
- Sotirios Micallef (2007 - present)
Consulates
Corfu is home to many foreign consulates.[6]
Austria: 3 K. Zavitsianou St. Corfu 49100 , Tel: +30 26610 44252
Belgium: 44 Alexandras Av Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 33788
Cyprus: 8 Sotiros St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 43915
Denmark: 12 Ethnikis Antistasis Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 38089
Finland: Hotel Annaliza Pirgi Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 93438
France: 22 I. Polyla St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 26312
Germany: 57 Guilford St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 31453
Ireland: 20A Kapodistriou St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 33411
Italy:
10 Alexandras Av. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 42433
Netherlands: Kapodistriou & 2 Idromenon St. Corfu 49100, Tel: :+30 26610 39900
Norway: 7 Donzelot St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 32423
Portugal: Hotel "Ermones Beach" Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 94241
Serbia: 19 Moustoxidou St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 33960
Spain: 3
Sofokleus Dousmani St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 36421
Sweden: Skaramaga Sq. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 31386
Switzerland: Corfu Palace Hotel Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610 39485
United Kingdom: 2 Alexandras Av & Menekratous St. Corfu 49100, Tel: +30 26610
30055
Twin Cities
- Kruševac, Serbia (19-10-1985)[7]
- Paphos, Cyprus (5-7-1992)[7]
- Famagusta, Cyprus (13-8-1994)[7]
- Meissen, Germany (26-9-1996)[7]
- Troisdorf, Germany (4-10-1996)[7]
- Asha,
Cyprus (3-5-1998)[7]
- Brindisi,
Italy (21-5-1998)[7]
Vathi,
Samos Greece (29-7-1998)[7]- Carovigno, Italy (7-5-2000)[7]
- Verona,
Italy (August 2000)[7]
Koper/Capodistria, Slovenia (7-12-2000)[7]
Sarandë, Albania (12-7-2001)[7]- Tremetousia, Cyprus (9-12-2001)[7]
- Ioannina, Greece (21-12-2002)[7]
References
- ^ Home Page. Municipality of Corfu. www.corfu.gr. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ BBC news on UNESCO World Heritage list
- ^ a b c UNESCO Advisory Body (ICOMOS) report on Corfu History retrieved 3 July 2007
- ^ Old Town of Corfu on UNESCO website retrieved 3 July 2007
- ^ History of Municipality of Corfu. Municipality of Corfu. www.corfu.gr (2005-09-20). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Municipality of Corfu: Tourism: Consulates. Municipality of Corfu. www.corfu.gr (2007-02-23). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Twinned Cities. Municipality of Corfu. www.corfu.gr (2005-09-20). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Basic Characteristics. Ministry of the Interior. www.ypes.gr. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
| World Heritage Sites in Greece | |
|---|---|
|
Acropolis, Athens ·
Archaeological Site of Aigai (modern name Vergina) · Archaeological Site of Delphi · Archaeological Site of Mystras · Archaeological Site of Olympia · Archaeological Site of
Mycenae, and |
|
| Municipalities and Communities of the Corfu Prefecture | |
|---|---|
| Municipalities | Achilleio • Agios Georgios • Corfu (city) • Esperion • Faiakes • Kassopaia • Korissia • Lefkimmi • Meliteieis • Palaiokastritsa • Parelioi • Paxoi • Thinali |
| Communities | Ereikoussa • Mathraki • Othonoi |
|
Prefectural Capitals of Greece |
|---|
| Agios Nikolaos • Alexandroupoli • Amfissa • Argostoli • Arta • Athens • Chalcis • Chania • Chios • Corfu • Corinth • Drama • Edessa • Eleusina • Ermoupoli • Florina • Grevena • Heraklion • Igoumenitsa • Ioannina • Kalamata • Karditsa • Karpenisi • Kastoria • Katerini • Kavala • Kilkis • Komotini • Kozani • Lamia • Larissa • Lefkada • Livadeia • Messolonghi • Mytilene • Nafplion • Pallini • Patras • Piraeus • Polygyros • Preveza • Pyrgos • Rethymno • Rhodes • Serres • Sparta • Thessaloniki • Trikala • Tripoli • Vathy • Veria • Volos • Xanthi • Zakynthos |
|
Capitals of Peripheries of Greece |
|---|
| • Athens - Attica • Corfu - Ionian Islands •Heraklion - Crete • Ioannina - Epirus • Komotini - East Macedonia and Thrace • Kozani - West Macedonia • Lamia - Central Greece • Larissa - Thessaly • Mytilene - North Aegean • Patras - West Greece • Ermoupoli - South Aegean • Thessaloniki - Central Macedonia • Tripoli - Peloponese |
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