Archaeological Museum of Corfu
1 Arm. Vrailas St. - Tel. 06610 30680

Houses ancient artifacts which from time to time the Corfiot soil has surrendered and which are the most direct witnesses to the art and culture of the great sea power of the Ionian, which reached the height of its power in the 6th and the first half of the 5th centuries BC. Amongst the objects displayed at the Museum (ancient tombstones and funeral gifts from the cemetery at Garitsa, statues of a kouros and a kori, the pediment of Dionysios with the representation of a banquet, tools and materials for the making of ceramics, a rich collection of coins, marble statues of the Hellenistic period); the one that stands out, due to the scale of its size and artistry, is the pediment of the Gorgon. Dating from 585 BC this decorated the western side of the great Doric Temple of Artemis, and is the oldest stone pediment in existence in Greece.

 

Museum of Asian Art
Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George - Tel. 06610 30443

The only museum of its kind in Greece, it holds 11,000 objects donated from private collections, with provenance mainly from the Far East and the Indian continent (China, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Indochina, Tibet, Nepal). Amongst the items on display the early Chinese bronze ritual urns stand out (1200 - 1027 BC), as does the collection of idols (6th to 9th c.). Also worthy of note is the Chinese porcelain ware dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries; the painted cylinders (12th to 18th c.); the Japanese weapons and part of the armour of a Samurai warrior (16th to 18th c.); the Japanese Noh Theatre masks (1338-1578); lacquered wood objects , and the singular prints on fabric and paper (17th to 19th c.) Especially interesting is the unique Helleno-buddhist collection with sculptures from Gaddara in Pakistan, which dates from the 1st to the 5th centuries AD, and underlines the Hellenistic influence in the region, a legacy of the presence of Alexander the Great .

 

Antivouniotissa Museum
Arseniou St. (Mouragia), tel. 06610 38313

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. From Tzafouri, Michael Damaskinos and Emmanuel Lombardos to Emmanuel Tzanes, Victor and Michael Avrami: five centuries of religious art are represented at the Antivouniotissa Museum.

 

Solomos Museum
Arseniou St. (Mouragia) tel.06610 30674

The house where the Greek national poet, Dionysios Solomos lived most of his life (1798-1857) is now a museum, and home to the Solomos Society for Corfiot Studies. The poet's desk is preserved at the museum as well as a small collection of the poet's manuscripts and much photographic material. In addition, there is an extensive library, which includes amongst other things the entire collection of old published copies of the 'Hymn of Liberty' and a series of portraits of the poet and the members of the so-called Solomos School.

 

Numismatic Museum
Ionian Bank Building, Square of the Heroes, tel. 06610 41552

The only museum of its kind in Greece and the most interesting of its type in the world. Opened in 1981 by the Ionian Bank, it displays a huge collection of banknotes, as well as printing dies, proofs, bank documents, stamps, etc. It also reproduces in great detail the process by which modern banknotes are produced: the engraving of the master on the metal plates, the manufacture of the special paper, the method by which the watermark is incorporated, the finishing touches with modern printing machinery, the storage and distribution of banknotes.

 

Museum of Ceramic Art
British Barracks, New Fortress tel. 06610 27370

In this Museum a large number of surviving examples of Corfiot ceramic art are gathered, witness to a form of art which once flourished here. It includes some outstanding examples of folk art, distinguished by their simple and elegant form, the variety of shapes and their austere painted decoration.

 

The Historical and Folkloric Museum of Mesis
Sinarades Mesis.

Founded in 1989 and housed in a traditional two-storey house in the village of Sinarades. 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.