Archaeological Museum of Corfu

The Archaeological Museum of Corfu exhibits findings from excavation sites on the island (Paleopolis, Kanoni, Garitsa, ancient town of Kassiopi) and from excavations in the prefecture of Thesprotia, Epirus. It is housed in a modern building donated by the municipality of Corfu, in Vraila Armeni street, close to the bay of Garitsa.

Constructed in 1962-65 and inaugurated in 1967, the Archaeological Museum of Corfu was originally founded to host the important findings from the ancient temple of Artemis in Kanoni, however two more rooms were later added, when new exhibits came into light all over the island.

The Municipal Art Gallery

The Municipal Art Gallery, Corfu Island is one of the primary Corfu Island Tourist Attractions because of the amazing collection of paintings which it has possess. The country of Greece is famous for its art and craft and the ancient culture of Greece has flourished for a very long time. The Municipal Art Gallery, Corfu Island has a vivid collection of paintings and work of sculptures from the 19th and 20th century period. 

Folkloric Museum

This museum is housed in a traditional house in the village of Sinarades, 12 kilometres away of Corfu Town. Founded in 1989. The museum consists of a unique collection of furniture and artifacts, put together with knowledge and enthusiasm by members of the Historical and Folkloric Society of Corfu. On the first floor there is the reconstruction of the interior of a village house of the 19th century, with kitchen, dining-room, and bedroom, and all the furnishings and utensils they would have used then. On the second floor, Corfiot costumes, musical instruments, agricultural and artisan tools and a multitude of implements and objects from the last century, evoke a way of life that is almost forgotten.
 

Solomos Museum

Fhe National poet of Greece, Dionysios Solomos, lived for the greater part of his life and to the day of his death (1798-1857) ao the island of Corfu, where he also wrote the major and the most important part of his work, including the "Free Besieged". The house were he lived, wrote and died was destroyed by the World War II bombings, but was later restored and still stands today. In this house, the Society for Corfiot Studies founded and operates a Solomos museum and a Centre for Studies on Solomos. In it preserved the poet's desk and a small autograph. There is also on display a collection of phtographs related to the places, the people and the events of Solomo's life, work and period, an important collection of Solomo's books

Numismatic Museum

The Numismatic Museum of Corfu was founded by the Ionian Bank in 1981; it is housed in a building designed by a local architect, Ioannis Chronis, and is the only museum of this kind in Greece. It houses a rich collection of banknotes, coins, bank documents, stamps and other bank's objects

Asian Arts Museum

The Museum of Asian Art (the only one in Greece) was founded in 1927 after the donation of 10.500 items by Gregorios Manos. Until 1974 it was a Chinese and Japanese Art museum, but later it was enriched with other private collections of items from central Asia, so it became an Asian Art museum.

It is housed in a building of the British Protectorate, designed by the British architect George Whitmore. It was initially used as the Residence of the Lord High Commisioner and as the headquarters of the Knights of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. After the unity of the Ionian Islands with Greece, it was given over by the British to the Greek state.

Olive Museum

Olive Oil Museum, Corfu Island is just one of the several Tourist Attractions in Corfu Island which you should not miss while you travel to this beautiful land.

Olive Oil Museum, Corfu Island is actually an old olive press with original machinery. It has been thoughtfully converted into a museum dedicated to olive oil production and to regional agricultural traditions. In case you don’t know, olive oil is the leading product of the island and is considered to be among the best in Greece.

Vidos Islet/Serbian Museum

Situated opposite the old port of Corfu Town, this small islet houses the Serbian Museum that was constructed in memory of soldiers of the Serbian army decimated at the end of the First World War. The island has a coffee bar and restaurant, two beaches and paths from one end of the island to the other. A boat service to the island operates on a regular daily basis from the Old Port.

Ceramic Art Museum

The Museum of Ceramic Art contains a wide variety of ceramic objects that are distinctive of Corfu Island.

Byzantine (Antivouniotissa) Museum

Housed in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Antivouniotissa (single-nave, wooden-roofed basilica with exonarthex on three sides ) which is one of the oldest and richest churches in Corfu, representative of the 'Ionian basilica' style. Since 1984 it has been home to a fine collection of icons and relics, including important works dating from the 15th to 19th centuries, by known and unknown artists, underlining at a high aesthetic level the mingling of Byzantine tradition with western influences. Five centuries of religious art are represented at the Antivouniotissa Museum.
 

Palaiopolis (Mon Repo) Museum

Mon Repos Palace is situated on top of Analipsis hill, near Kanoni area, in the middle of a beautiful setting full of greenery. It was built in 1826 by the British Commissioner Frederic Adams as a gift to his Corfiot wife, Nina Palatianou. It is a small but very beautiful palace with colonial architectural elements.

Later on, the palace became the summer residence of all British governors of Corfu and when the Ionian Islands were united to Greece, in 1864, it was given as a gift to King George I of Greece. This is also the house where Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elisabeth II, was born into on June, 10th, 1921. It hosts a museum that includes many Ionian treasures. The palace itself is placed in a very nice environment and is surrounded by a big park. In fact, walking through its paths is a delight!

Capodistrias Museum

The Kapodistrias Museum and Centre for Kapodistria Studies was founded in 1981. The Building and land which are situated at the site called Koukouritsa, in the village of Evropouli, in Corfu, formed part of the property of Governor John Capodistria‘s family and were donated by Maria Desylla-Kapodistria. The exhibits displayed in the Museum are objects belonging to Capodostria.

Sea Shell Museum

The Sea Shell Museum of Corfu is housed in a modern building about 2 km before Benitses village. This interesting museum is a private initiative of the diver and collector Mr Napoleon Sagias, who lived in Australia for more than 20 years and returned in 1989 to his homeland, Corfu. Then, having a large collection of sea shells and fish fossils, he decided to open this museum, that is now managed by his family.

The Reading Society of Corfu is the oldest intellectual institution of Greece. Its model constituted the corresponding Reading Society of Geneva. It was founded as a “Literary Club” in 1836 during the period of English Protection (1814-1864) from foreign graduates of universities that were sent away from Italy as “karmponari”. The main objective of the “Club” was for its members to come in contact with political, scientific and intellectual activities of Western Europe during that period. 

The first president was the important philosopher, politician, diplomat and professor of the Ionian Academy Petros Brailas - Armenis. The role of the Reading Society proved to be decisive for the history of the island and the Eptanisa. The claiming of the members of the Company for the establishment of the free press as well as the imposition of the Greek language as an official language in the Ionian islands contributed considerably to the attribution of Eptanisa by the English in Greece of 1864. 

The priceless value of the Reading Society’s library has 10.000 volumes of Eptanesian bibliography, newspapers, booklets, old maps, engravings and photographs. The Reading Society is a member of the European Federation of Associations and Institutions “Europa Nostra” and was rewarded in 1978 from the Athens Academy for its rich and profound action. Some of the activities of the Company are the organisation of picture galleries of various artists, lectures and seminars, scientific congresses and musical happenings.