KAISER'S ROOM
In the Kaiser's room can
be seen above the writing desk, a water colour of the Kaiser ,dressed in
naval uniforn1 on the terrace of Achilleion. The picture shows him hiding
his left arm behind his back which was a characteristic pose of his due to
his left arm being deformed to the extent that it was smaller in stature
than his right arm. Because of this complex, he used always to conduct
meetings from swiveling saddles (like the one below the writing desk),
liking to be above the heads of his guests and, in all the palaces
connected with the Kaiser, as well as in the place of his exile in Dom,
Holland, these same swiveling saddles can be seen .The saddle seat is an
original and was formerly situated in one of the rooms on the first floor
set in the middle of the room. The writing desk is in no way connected to
the seat, but it is an original from the Kaiser's day. To the right and
left of the portrait are three impressive water colours, by the
excellent German seascapist - William .Stower, who also did the
portrait of the Kaiser, though portraits weren't his speciality. The two
pictures to the right show the royal yacht 'Hohenzollern' (the
Kaiser's family name) in Corfu~ The one to the left is a picture of the British
battleship' Implacable' which visited Corfu in 1908, again by
Stower Under the painting of the "moonlit" Hohenzollem survives an original porcelain stove (
cast iron interior).
To the right of the
window upon the chest is an original
Bavarian porcelain washbasin and jug with the royal monogram, together
with the Prussian coat of arms. In the portfolio of photographs, which
were purchased in 1962 for the museum, can be seen photographs of King
George I of Greece with his successor Prince George II and Prince
Alexander; Sofia, sister of the Kaiser and also William II himself
with his wife Augusta Victoria (Princess of Schleswig Holstein)
with their daughter, Victoria Louisa (grandn1other of the last King
of Greece) .Another photograph shows the sailors from the Kaiser's yacht
carrying sections of the huge bronze statue of Achilles which was
assembled here. Underneath the photographsis the Kaiser's barber's chair.
Inside the showcase are items relating to his life which were bought in
recent years. A bust of his father, William Ion the left and his
Grandfather,
Friedrich III, together with a memorial plaque of 1888, the year he
became Emperor of Germany. There are also three porcelain dishes; There is
also a medal depicting a black eagle which was awarded
to him. The Prussian ensign has the words' For the Glory of The Country,
written upon it, as the Kaiser was also King of Prussia To the right of
the cupboard hangs a portrait of
Ferdinand Bontempo who was responsible for the palace after
Elisabeth ' s death and
up until 1915 when war broke out
whereafter he escaped to Egypt. The portrait was done by well-known
Corfiot painter - George Samarzis.To the back of the room are
displayed two telegrams from the Kaiser, whilst he was in exile in
Holland, to Ferdinand Bontempo and his wife asking after their health in
Egypt. Underneath are official notices of the Hohenzollern ' s last trip
to Corfu with the Kaiser in 1913. Below can be seen a scaled down model of
the Hohenzollern which was built in 1893 by the German shipbuilder Vulcan
Stat tin. The ship was 116 metres in length, 14 metres wide with a
depth of 6.1 metres. It had
323 crew member
s
and ran off coal-fired engines, travelling at a maximum speed of 21 mph
Hanging above the model is an original
flag from the
Hohenzollern,
with the year that the German states and Prussia joined the Geffi1an
Empire in
1870. To the right is another collection of photographs with more pictures
of the Kaiser at Achilleion: the Kaiser writing in the gardens; in his
famous Mercedes (one of the first to exist on Corfu).