Mon Repos, Corfu

Mon Repos
Established	1828
Location	Corfu, Greece
Website	Archeological Museum Palaiopolis

Interior

Small building at the park

Mon Repos is a villa on the island of Corfu, Greece. It lies south of Corfu City in the forest of Palaiopolis.

History

The villa was built as a summer residence for the British Lord High Commissioner Frederick Adam and his second wife (a Corfiot), Diamantina 'Nina' Palatino, in 1828–1831, although they had to vacate the villa soon afterwards in 1832 when Adam was sent to serve in India. The villa was rarely used as a residence for the later British governors. In 1833, it housed a school of fine arts, while in 1834, the park was opened to the public. Empress Elisabeth of Austria stayed there in 1863. Here she fell in love with the island, where she later built the Achilleion Palace.

After the union with Greece in 1864, the villa was granted to King George I of the Hellenes as a summer residence; he renamed it Mon Repos. The royal family used it as a summer residence up to the end of the monarchy in 1967. The villa subsequently became derelict, but was restored in the 1990s.

Several royal births have taken place at the villa, including those of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 10 June 1921, and Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark on 10 July 1965.

Court rulings

The villa was confiscated under controversial circumstances some years after the declaration of the Hellenic Republic in 1974. Its confiscation, and the confiscation of other property of the deposed and exiled King Constantine II, without any compensation, led to a court case in the European Court of Human Rights.

The King's argument centered on the claim that the property in question was acquired by his predecessors by legal means and was therefore subject to regular personal inheritance. The Greek state argued that the property was either used by the royal family by virtue of its sovereign status or obtained by taking advantage of that status, and therefore, once the monarchy was abolished, the property should revert to public ownership automatically.

The Court struck a midway course in reaching its verdict and ordered the Hellenic Republic to pay the exiled king compensation of less than 1% of its worth, while allowing the Greek state to retain ownership of the property.

Archeological museum

The villa and its gardens are the property of the Corfu municipality, and are now being used as an archeological museum.

Notable persons born at Mon Repos

• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark

References

• Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism – Archaeological Museum of Palaeopolis

Bibliography

• Kardamitsi-Adami, Maro (2009). Palaces in Greece. Melissa Books. ISBN 978-960-204-289-2. 
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Landmarks of Corfu Palaces and castles Achilleion Angelokastro Gardiki Castle Kassiopi Castle Mon Repos New Fortress Old Fortress Palace of St. Michael and St. George Churches Saint Spyridon Church Museums Archaeological Museum of Corfu Banknote Museum Byzantine Museum of Antivouniotissa Other Ionian Academy Municipal Theatre of Corfu (destroyed) Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo di Corfù Old Town of Corfu Palaiokastritsa Spianada Square Temple of Artemis Venetian arsenal, Gouvia

Coordinates: 39°36′22″N 19°55′33″E / 39.60611°N 19.92583°E / 39.60611; 19.92583