CORFU TOWN

German Kaiser Wilhelm II was also fond of taking holidays in Corfu. Having purchased the Achilleion in 1907 after Sissi's death, he appointed Carl Ludwig Sprenger as the botanical architect of the Palace, and also built a bridge later named by the locals after him—the "Kaiser's bridge" (Greek: ηγέφυρατουΚάιζερ transliterated as: i yefyra tou Kaizer) -- to access the beach without traversing the road forming the island's main artery to the south. The bridge, arching over the road, spanned the distance between the lower gardens of Achilleion and the nearby beach; its remains, a monument to imperial vanity, are an important landmark on the highway. The bridge's central section was demolished by the Wehrmacht in 1944, during the German occupation of World War II, to allow for the passage of an enormous cannon, forming part of the Nazi defences in the southeastern coast of Corfu.

The present municipality of Corfu was formed in the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 15 former municipalities, which became municipal units:

·         Agios Georgios

·         Achilleio

·         Corfu (city)

·         Ereikoussa

·         Esperies

·         Faiakes

·         Kassopaia

·         Korissia

·         Lefkimmi

·         Mathraki

·         Meliteieis

·         Othonoi

·         Palaiokastritsa

·         Parelioi

·         Thinali