Reading Society of Corfu
The Reading Society of Corfu is housed in one of the most characteristic and well-known buildings of the Old City, in the corner of the nowadays streets Kapodistrioy and Sofokleoys Dousmanis. This building, of renaissance rhythm, originates from the period of the Venetian occupation. It has three floors with a surface area of about 300 square meters and its main entrance is on the first floor through an external stone-stairway where, a covered landing is formed with a series of arches. The main facade of the building has an unobstructed view of the Ionian Sea.
The Reading Society of Corfu was founded in 1836 and was the first spiritual institution of modern Greece. Members of this institution were eminent personalities of the Corfiot society, including among others, the Metropolitan Bishop of the Union Athanassios Politis, Andreas Kalvos, Dionysios Solomos, Iakovos Polylas, Gerasimos Markoras, Georgios Theotokis, Nikolaos Mantzaros, Spyros Samaras and Lorentzos Mavilis.
The Reading Society of Corfu, apart from the general library with 50.000 books which also operates as a Reading Room, also has the priceless, specialized Ionian Library with 7.000 books, one of its kind, collections of paintings, old maps and engravings, old brochures, leaflets, flyers, newspapers and photos. The Society organizes or hosts art exhibitions, lectures, seminars and scientific conferences.
In the ground floor of the building is the lounge where, a restaurant operates for the members of the Society. This space is also rentable for social events. The Reading Society of Corfu is open for the public, Monday – Saturday from 9:30 – 13:30.
