Corfu (city)

{{Infobox Greek Dimos

|name = Corfu

|name_local = Κέρκυρα
(Χώρα)

|type = municipal unit

|image_map = DE Kerkyreon.svg

|image_skyline =

File:Corfu_Montage_L.png|center|275px|alt=Corfu montage. Clicking on an image in the picture causes the browser to load the appropriate article, if it exists.

rect 15 15 989 526 View of the Old Venetian Fortress and the Old Town of Corfu

rect 458 542 610 857 Venetian Bell Tower of Corfu

rect 627 542 989 857 The Natura 2000-protected seaside from Kanoni to Mesoggi

rect 565 874 989 1139 Church of the Virgin Mary Mandrakina

rect 15 1156 990 1354 Panoramic view of the City of Corfu

rect 15 874 548 1139 Palace of St. Michael and St. George

rect 15 542 441 857 A characteristic street of Corfu

|caption_skyline = Clockwise from top: The Old Venetian Fortress and the Old Town of Corfu, as seen from the New Fortress, Venetian bell tower of Corfu, The Natura 2000-protected seaside from Kanoni to Mesoggi, Church of the Virgin Mary Mandrakina, Panoramic view of the city of Corfu, Palace of St. Michael and St. George, A characteristic street of Corfu.

|city_flag =

|city_seal =

|coordinates = {{coord|39|37|26|N|19|55|17|E|display=inline,title}}

|demonym = Corfiot
(Greek: Κερκυραίος, -α "Kerkyreos")

|elevation_min =

|elevation =

|elevation_max =

|map_caption = Location within the regional unit

|periph = Ionian Islands

|periphunit = Corfu

|municipality = Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands

|population_as_of = 2021

|pop_municunit = 40047

|pop_community = 30737

|area_municunit = 41.905

|postal_code = 49100

|area_code = 26610

|licence = ΚΥ

|website = [http://www.corfu.gr/ www.corfu.gr]

|footnotes = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site

| child = yes

| official_name = Old Town of Corfu

| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(iv)}}(iv)

| ID = 978

| year = 2007

| area = {{convert|70|ha|acre|abbr=on}}

| buffer_zone = {{convert|162|ha|acre|abbr=on}}

}}

Corfu ({{IPAc-en|k|ɔr|ˈ|f|(|j|)|uː}}, also {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|k|ɔr|f|(|j|)|uː}}) or Kerkyra ({{langx|el|Κέρκυρα|Kérkyra}}, {{IPA|el|ˈcercira|pron|el-Κέρκυρα.ogg}}; {{langx|grc|Κόρκυρα|Kórkyra}}, {{IPA|grc|kórkyra|pron}}; {{Langx|grc-x-medieval|Κορυφώ|Koryfó}}; {{langx|it|Corfù}}; {{langx|la|Corcyra}}) is a city and a former municipality on the island of Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Central Corfu and Diapontian Islands.{{Cite web|url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wFqnM3eAbJzrXdtvSoClrL87TVLbP6RgP3tIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6qSYtMQEkEHLwnFqmgJSA5UkHEKavWyL4FoKqSe4BlOTSpEWYhszF8P8UqWb_zFijOYvZQ9oVzh_eHrjhF2IgFB0wiv-nanwQoPLtSkFjBWO|title=Τροποποίηση του άρθρου 1 του ν. 3852/2010|trans-title=Amendment of Article 1 of l. 3852/2010|page=1164|language=el|publisher=Government Gazette}} It is the capital of the municipality and of the Corfu regional unit. The city also serves as a capital for the region of the Ionian Islands. The city (population in 2021: 40,047 residents and the whole island about 100,000) is a major tourist attraction and Greek regional centre and has played an important role in Greek history since antiquity.

History

{{See also|Ionian islands under Venetian rule|Septinsular Republic}}

The ancient city of Corfu, known as Korkyra, took part in the Battle of Sybota which was a catalyst for the Peloponnesian War, and, according to Thucydides, the largest naval battle between Greek city states until that time. Thucydides also reports that Korkyra was one of the three great naval powers of fifth-century-BC Greece, along with Athens and Corinth.Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.36.3 Medieval castles punctuating strategic locations across the city are a legacy of struggles in the Middle Ages against invasions by pirates and the Ottomans. The city has become known since the Middle Ages as Kastropolis (Castle City) because of its two castles.{{cite web |url=http://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/home |work=Municipality of Corfu |title=Home Page |access-date=2010-03-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704063933/http://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/home |archive-date=2017-07-04 |url-status=dead }}

From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this era when the island belonged to the Republic of Venice, with multi-storied buildings on narrow lanes. The Old Town of Corfu has clear Venetian influence.[https://bjuniornewblog.blogspot.com/2019/02/italian-corfu-city.html Italian Corfu city] The city was subjected to four notable sieges in 1537, 1571, 1573 and 1716, in which the strength of the city defenses asserted itself time after time, mainly because of the effectiveness of the powerful Venetian fortifications. Writer Will Durant claimed that Corfu owed to the Republic of Venice the fact that it was the only part of Greece never conquered by the Ottomans.Will Durant. The Renaissance. page 684. MJF Books. New York, 1981 {{ISBN|1-56731-016-8}}

In 2007, the old town of the city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6248244.stm BBC news on UNESCO World Heritage list][https://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/978.pdf UNESCO Advisory Body (ICOMOS) report on Corfu History retrieved 3 July 2007][https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/978/ Old Town of Corfu on UNESCO website retrieved 3 July 2007] The municipal unit of Corfu city has a land area of {{convert|41.905|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}{{cite web|url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |publisher=National Statistical Service of Greece |title=Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation) |language=el |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921212047/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-21 }} and a total population of 40,047 inhabitants. Besides the city of Corfu/Kérkyra, its largest other towns are Kanáli (population 4,786), Potamós (3,840), Kontokáli (1,660), Alepoú (3,149), and Gouviá (838).

Palaiopolis

{{main|Kardaki Temple|Temple of Artemis, Corfu|Temple of Hera, Mon Repos}}

File:Temple at Kardaki in Corfu.jpg]]

In the city of Corfu, the ruins of the ancient city of Korkyra, also known as Palaiopolis, include ancient temples which were excavated at the location of the palace of Mon Repos, which was built on the ruins of the Palaiopolis. The temples are: Kardaki Temple, Temple of Artemis, and the Temple of Hera. Hera's temple is situated at the western limits of Mon Repos, close to Kardaki Temple and to the northwest.{{cite journal |jstor=10.2972/hesperia.81.1.0031 |doi=10.2972/hesperia.81.1.0031 |title=The Monumental Archaic Roof of the Temple of Hera at Mon Repos, Corfu |journal=Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens |volume=81 |issue=1 |pages=31–91 |year=2012 |last1=Philip Sapirstein |s2cid=193469029 }} It is approximately 700 m. to the southeast of the Temple of Artemis in Corfu. Hera's Temple was built at the top of Analipsis Hill, and, because of its prominent location, it was highly visible to ships passing close to the waterfront of ancient Korkyra.

Architecture

File:Corfu Pinargenti 1573.jpg" of Corfu, 1573.]]

File:Corfu town houses.jpg

In several parts of the town may be found houses of the Venetian time, with some traces of past splendour. The Palace of St. Michael and St. George, 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 Gastouri 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. {{Cn|date=April 2017}} 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 British protectorate.

Based on the ICOMOS evaluation of the old town of Corfu, 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 German 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". However, they note that the layout and structure of the city, including its Venetian fortifications, make Corfu a quintessential example of a fortified maritime city.

Layout

File:Corfu town.jpg

File:20140418 corfu290.JPG

The town of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the Venetian citadel ({{langx|el|Παλαιό Φρούριο}}) 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 known as Contra-Fossa. 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. {{Cn|date=July 2017}} These streets are called "kantounia" ({{lang|el|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 ({{lang|el|Γαρίτσα}}), and also an esplanade between the town and the citadel called {{Interlanguage link multi|Liston (square){{!}}Liston|it|3=Liston}} ({{lang|el|Λιστόν}}) where upscale restaurants and European style bistros abound. The origin of the name Liston has several explanations: many former Venetian cities have a square of that name, coming from a Venetian word meaning evening promenade, but it can also refer to the closed-list aspect of an up-scale area reserved to the nobility registered in the Libro d'Oro.

The citadel was depicted on the reverse of the Greek 500 drachmas banknote of 1983-2001.[http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en Bank of Greece] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328051044/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en |date=March 28, 2009 }}. Drachma Banknotes & Coins: [http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/Banknotes/banknote_selection.asp?Value=500 500 drachmas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005003451/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/banknotes/banknote_selection.asp?Value=500 |date=2007-10-05 }}. – Retrieved on 27 March 2009.

File:20100728 Corfu island old town panoramic Greece.jpg

Culture

The city of Corfu has a long tradition in the fine arts. The Philharmonic Society of Corfu is part of that tradition. The Museum of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu presents in detail the musical heritage of the island.

Sports

Corfu is the only place in Greece where cricket is popular. It was imported into the island during British rule. The Hellenic Cricket Federation is based in Corfu and it is the only Greek sport federation that is based outside Athens.{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.cricket.gr/%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1/?lang=en|publisher=cricket.gr|access-date=17 April 2015}} The most Greek cricket clubs are based in Corfu and they star in the Greek Championship. Notable cricket clubs of Corfu are Kerkyraikos G.S. (KGS), founded in 1893, GSK Vyron, founded in 1925 and AO Phaeax founded in 1976.

In other sports, Corfu has two teams with presence in higher divisions. The football club AOK Kerkyra, founded in 1969 originally as "AO Kerkyra", that plays in A Ethniki and the water polo club NAO Kerkyra (NAOK) founded in 1935, with earlier presence in A1 Ethniki Polo.

width="150"\|Club !Founded !Sports !Achievements
class="wikitable"
+Sport clubs based in Ampelokipoi
Kerkyraikos G.S.	1893	Basketball, Cricket, Track and Field	Panhellenic titles in Cricket, earlier presence in Beta Ethniki Basketball
GSK Byron	1925	Cricket	Panhellenic titles in Cricket,
Olympos Kerkyras	1934	Football	Presence in Gamma Ethniki
NAO Kerkyra (NAOK){{cite web \|title=NAOK website \|url=https://www.naok.gr/ \|website=naok.gr/ \|publisher=NAOK}}	1935	Water Polo, Swimming	Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki Water Polo
AOK Kerkyra (originally as AO Kerkyra)	1969	Football	Presence in A Ethniki
AO Phaeax	1976	Basketball, Cricket, Handball	Panhellenic titles in Cricket

Climate

Corfu city has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa). The summers are hot and generally dry but with high relative humidity and daytime temperatures reaching {{convert|33|°C|°F}}. The winters are mild and wet, with temperatures around {{convert|10|°C|°F}}.

{{Weather box

|location=Corfu (1955-1997)

|metric first=yes

|single line=yes

|Jan record high C = 21.0

|Feb record high C = 22.8

|Mar record high C = 26.0

|Apr record high C = 30.8

|May record high C = 34.0

|Jun record high C = 41.0

|Jul record high C = 42.8

|Aug record high C = 40.0

|Sep record high C = 37.4

|Oct record high C = 31.2

|Nov record high C = 27.8

|Dec record high C = 22.4

|year record high C = 42.8

|Jan high C = 13.9

|Feb high C = 14.2

|Mar high C = 16.0

|Apr high C = 19.0

|May high C = 23.8

|Jun high C = 28.0

|Jul high C = 30.9

|Aug high C = 31.3

|Sep high C = 27.6

|Oct high C = 23.2

|Nov high C = 18.7

|Dec high C = 15.3

|year high C = 21.8

|Jan mean C = 9.7

|Feb mean C = 10.3

|Mar mean C = 12.0

|Apr mean C = 14.9

|May mean C = 19.6

|Jun mean C = 23.9

|Jul mean C = 26.4

|Aug mean C = 26.3

|Sep mean C = 22.7

|Oct mean C = 18.4

|Nov mean C = 14.3

|Dec mean C = 11.1

|year mean C = 17.5

|Jan low C = 5.1

|Feb low C = 5.7

|Mar low C = 6.8

|Apr low C = 9.2

|May low C = 12.9

|Jun low C = 16.4

|Jul low C = 18.4

|Aug low C = 18.8

|Sep low C = 16.5

|Oct low C = 13.4

|Nov low C = 9.9

|Dec low C = 6.8

|year low C = 11.7

|Jan record low C = -5.6

|Feb record low C = -4.4

|Mar record low C = -4.4

|Apr record low C = -0.2

|May record low C = 4.6

|Jun record low C = 8.7

|Jul record low C = 10.0

|Aug record low C = 11.3

|Sep record low C = 7.2

|Oct record low C = 2.8

|Nov record low C = -2.2

|Dec record low C = -2.0

|year record low C = -5.6

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 136.6

|Feb rain mm = 124.6

|Mar rain mm = 98.1

|Apr rain mm = 66.7

|May rain mm = 37.0

|Jun rain mm = 14.1

|Jul rain mm = 9.2

|Aug rain mm = 19.0

|Sep rain mm = 81.3

|Oct rain mm = 137.7

|Nov rain mm = 187.4

|Dec rain mm = 185.6

|year rain mm = 1097.3

|Jan rain days = 16.1

|Feb rain days = 14.6

|Mar rain days = 14.5

|Apr rain days = 12.9

|May rain days = 8.0

|Jun rain days = 4.9

|Jul rain days = 2.3

|Aug rain days = 3.4

|Sep rain days = 7.0

|Oct rain days = 11.8

|Nov rain days = 15.7

|Dec rain days = 17.5

|year rain days = 128.7

|Jan humidity = 75.4

|Feb humidity = 74.3

|Mar humidity = 73.4

|Apr humidity = 72.8

|May humidity = 69.5

|Jun humidity = 63.4

|Jul humidity = 60.0

|Aug humidity = 62.2

|Sep humidity = 70.4

|Oct humidity = 74.6

|Nov humidity = 77.5

|Dec humidity = 77.2

|year humidity = 70.7

|Jan sun = 117.7

|Feb sun = 116.8

|Mar sun = 116.0

|Apr sun = 206.5

|May sun = 276.8

|Jun sun = 324.2

|Jul sun = 364.5

|Aug sun = 332.8

|Sep sun = 257.1

|Oct sun = 188.9

|Nov sun = 133.5

|Dec sun = 110.9

|year sun = 2545.7

|source 1 = Hellenic National Meteorological Service{{cite web

| url = http://www.hnms.gr/hnms/english/climatology/climatology_region_diagrams_html?dr_city=Kerkyra

| title = Mean Corfu Climatic Averages

| publisher = Hellenic National Meteorological Service

| access-date = 1 March 2015

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150124011440/http://www.hnms.gr/hnms/english/climatology/climatology_region_diagrams_html?dr_city=Kerkyra

| archive-date = 24 January 2015

| url-status = dead

}}

|source 2 = NOAA (extremes and sun 1961−1990){{cite web

| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_VI/GR/16641.TXT

| title = Kekira Climate Normals 1961–1990

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 1 March 2015

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200713032917/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_VI/GR/16641.TXT

| archive-date = 2020-07-13

| url-status = dead

| date=January 2015}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=global-summary-of-the-day&stations=16641099999&startDate=1700-01-01&endDate=2023-12-31&dataTypes=MAX,MIN,PRCP

| title = Global Surface Summary of the Day - GSOD

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| accessdate = January 26, 2023

}}}}

Government

File:2001-09 Corfu-Stadt-14.jpg]]

File:Corfu Town Hall R01.jpg).]]

File:Ionische Akademie 1.JPG, by sculptor Leonidas Drosis, with the Ionian Academy in the background.]]

File:Estàtua de Sir Frederick Adam, Palaia Anaktora, Corfú.JPG, with the statue of Sir Frederick Adam, which houses the Museum of Asian Art]]

=Mayor history=

Up until 1866, Corfu had no mayors. This list starts from 1866 and on.{{cite web |url=http://www.corfu.gr/en/profil/dimhis.html |title=History of City Councils from the Municipality of Corfu |work=Municipality of Corfu |date=2005-09-20 |access-date=2007-03-30 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050409010616/http://www.corfu.gr/en/profil/dimhis.html |archive-date = April 9, 2005}}

Nikolaos V. Manesis (1866–1870)
Christodoulos M. Kiriakis (1870–1879)
Georgios Theotokis (1879–1885)
Ioannis Padovas (1885–1887){{cite web|url=http://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/dim2?p_p_id=bs_documents&p_p_action=1&p_p_state=exclusive&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-3&p_p_col_count=1&_bs_documents_struts_action=%2Fext%2Fdocuments%2Fget_file&_bs_documents_mainid=9935&_bs_documents_loadaction=view&_bs_documents_redirect=%2Fweb%2Fguest%2Fdim2|title=Municipal council of Corfu, 5th period (1883-1887)|access-date=17 September 2014}}
{{Interlanguage link multi|Michael Theotokis|el|3=Μιχαήλ Θεοτόκης}} (1887–1895)
{{Interlanguage link multi|Angelos Psoroulas|el|3=Άγγελος Ψωρούλας}} (1895–1899)
Dimitrios Kollas (1899–1911)
Ioannis Mavrogiannis (1914–1925)
Spyridon Kollas (1925–1951)
Stamatios Desyllas (1951–1955)
Maria Desylla-Kapodistria (1956–1959), first female mayor in Greece.[https://web.archive.org/web/20041015102214/http://www.corfu.gr/en/proties/desila.htm Municipality of Corfu from the Internet archive] Quote:In the elections of 1954 Stamatios Desillas was elected Mayor for a second term and remained in office until his death, Christmas Day 1955. Soon after a bye-election took place in Corfu in which the widow of the deceased Maria Desilla - Kapodistria, was elected Mayor with 5,365 votes in a total of 10,207. Maria Desilla became Mayor of Corfu on 15 April 1956 until 9 May 1959. She was the first female Mayor in Greece.
Panagiotis Zafiropoulos (1959–1964)
Spyros Rath (1964–1967)
Municipal councils (1967–74)
Konstantinos Alexopoulos (1974–1975)
Spyros Rath (1975–1978)
Ioannis Kourkoulos (1979–1990)
Chrisanthos Sarlis (1991–2002)
Alexandros Mastoras (2003–2006)
Sotirios Micallef (2007–2010)
Ioannis Trepeklis (2011–2014)
Kostas Nikolouzos (2014–19){{cite web|title=Mayor of Corfu|url=http://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/corfu/major|publisher=corfu.gr}}
Merope Hydraiou (2019–)

International relations

=Twin towns - sister cities=

Corfu is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Αδελφοποιήσεις Δήμου|url=https://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/corfu/twinnings|website=corfu.gr|publisher=Kerkyra|language=el|access-date=2020-01-10}}{{cite web |title=Sister Cities|url=https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/Meet-Your-Government/Sister-Cities|website=bethlehem-pa.gov|publisher=City of Bethlehem|access-date=2020-01-10}}{{cite web|title=Gradovi pobratimi|url=https://bar.me/gradovi-pobratimi/|website=bar.me|publisher=Bar|language=cnr|access-date=2020-01-10|archive-date=2021-09-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905094528/https://bar.me/gradovi-pobratimi/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=MV-U-7/19: KD Okvirni sporazum putovanja|url=http://zemun.rs/mv-u-7-19/?script=lat|website=zemun.rs|publisher=Zemun|page=7|language=sr|date=2019-06-01|access-date=2020-01-10}}{{cite web|title=Αδελφοποιημένες Πόλεις|url=http://www.mytilene.gr/%CE%B4%CE%AE%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%82-%CE%BC%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BB%CE%AE%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%82/%CE%B1%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BB%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%82-%CF%80%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%82/|website=mytilene.gr|publisher=Mytilene|language=el|access-date=2020-01-10|archive-date=2020-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129012650/http://www.mytilene.gr/%CE%B4%CE%AE%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%82-%CE%BC%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BB%CE%AE%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%82/%CE%B1%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BB%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%82-%CF%80%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%82/|url-status=dead}}