Achilleion Palace gardens open to the public from 29 July
CORFU. Baron΄s renovated building will also be accessible as an exhibition area. Work at the Palace revealed impressive wall paintings that were covered in paint.
Residents and visitors of Corfu will have from 29 July the opportunity to visit the gardens of the Achilleion Palace and admire the statue of "Dying Achilles" and the statue of "Victorious Achilles", which is about 8 meters high.
The necessary works in the Museum's outdoor areas, including the placement of new flooring in the Achilleion Palace Muses Colonnade, are about to be completed, while the maintenance of the statues has also been carried out. The gardens were the only ones open to the public last year as well, from 1 June to 30 September, due to ongoing works.
Baron's building also open
As the Director of the Museum Tasos Diavatis told Enimerosi, Baron's renovated building will also be accessible on 29 July and it will even host an exhibition.
It is one of Achilleion's four main buildings. This two-storey building, along with the Palace, the Porter's building, the Barracks and the Heine's main staircase, are included in the restoration project of this emblematic monument. The project also includes preservation work on fixed and movable exhibits, wall paintings and plasterwork, the design outcome of museum educational installations and multimedia apps, the design and implementation of specific museum and exhibition lighting, the production of informative material and the implementation of the museological - museographic study for the Palace's exhibition.
The Hellenic Public Properties Company S.A. (ETAD) will soon officially announce that part of the Achilleion Museum will open again. Also according to ETAD, Tasos Diavatis will remain Director of the Museum.
Newer wall paintings
The work being carried out at the Achilleion Palace has brought to the surface impressive newer findings regarding the decorative paintings on ceilings and walls.
As the head of the Ionian Islands Region Special Management Service Kostas Aspiotis told Enimerosi, these are wall paintings of great value that remained hidden for decades as they were covered with paint. One of them is the "Shepherdess" discovered behind the elevator. As Mr. Aspiotis said, in many cases these wall paintings covered entire surfaces. Indeed, after the removal of the newer false ceilings, it was found that the actual areas of the original decorative paintings were far exceeding the estimated project.
As noted in ETAD's 8-page report, restoration work began in October 2020, initially with the reveal of the decorative paintwork on the lower surfaces of the walls and then on the upper sections and the ceilings. Since then, the discoveries continue.
In fact, during the stabilising work for the decorative artworks of the ceilings, an older decorative layer was discovered, which belonged to the initial decoration phase of the Palace. On the vertical walls an excellent quality decoration of high artistic quality was found, while construction elements were implemented in precision. Neo-Pompeian style compositions with floral decoration were discovered, as well as compositions with themes inspired by mythology.
The aim now is to highlight the decorative paintings and show them to the public in the best possible way.
The project
The project of Achilleion's restoration and preservation is implemented by ETAD in the framework of the ESPA "Ionian Islands 2014-2020" programme. It is co-funded from the European Regional Development Fund in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Ionian Islands Region.
MARIA BAZDRIYIANNI
