Museum of Palaiopolis – Mon Repos: A holistic experience for all six senses

The mansion currently housing the Museum is located two kilometres outside the town of Corfu, in a lush park surrounding the former royal estate of Mon Repos. It’s a lavish two-storey building, an excellent example of neoclassical architecture of the Regency period.

Built during British rule, between 1828 and 1831, it was designed by British architect George Whitmore, of the iconic Palaces of Saint Michael and Saint George. The mansion was originally constructed as a summer residence for the High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands, Frederick Adams and his wife, Diamantina Palatianou, and later went on to serve other purposes. Among others, it housed the School of Fine Arts and the Seminary, accommodated important visitors from Europe and was used by the royal family of Greece between 1864 and 1967.

The Museum’s permanent exhibition, inaugurated in 2001, is divided into two sections and spreads across fourteen halls. On the ground floor, time has stood still: a photo exhibition takes us back to the 19th century, during the island’s British rule, while decorative elements and original objects from this period, namely rare documents, portraits, furniture, works of art and personal effects, illustrate the history of the building and the lives of the Adams family and other prominent residents.

The atmosphere shifts on the second floor, which is dedicated to ancient Corfu and the strategic role of the island in the Mediterranean Sea. It also features finds from the excavations in Palaiopolis, complemented by texts and pictures, with particular emphasis on the ancient agora, the Roman baths and the sanctuaries.

The captivating air of the past accompanies visitors while walking through the idyllic gardens of the park and the surrounding area, where, next to rare plant species, monuments of different ages are to be found: the sanctuaries of Hera Akraia and Apollo Corcyrean and the Doric temple in Kardaki (the best preserved ancient temple in Corfu), as well as the Post-Byzantine church of the Saviour and the monastery of Saint Euphemia.