At a height of 270 meters above sea level, at the top of Pelekas village, west of Corfu, lies the majestic and imposing Kaiser stone throne, also known as the Kaiser Observatory.
At a height of 270 meters above sea level, at the top of Pelekas village, west of Corfu, lies the majestic and imposing Kaiser stone throne, also known as the Kaiser Observatory.
According to historical evidence, it was the favorite site of the last German emperor and king of Prussia William II, popularly known as Kaiser.
Kaiser used to go up to the top of Pelekas Hill every time he came to Corfu, and from there overlook the panoramic view of the island and the magnificent red-golden sunset.
The stone throne, the Kaiser Observatory, was built shortly after 1907, when the last emperor of Germany, at the suggestion of the then King of Greece, George I, bought Achilles.
Kaiser's love for Corfu was felt from the early years of his presence on the island, while he had actively assisted in the excavations of the Theodore in Garitsa, then calling on the German archaeologist Dairfeld. Findings from the excavations are on display today at the Archaeological Museum of Corfu.
Corfu today houses several buildings under the name of Kaiser, among them the Kaiser Bridge, built to allow the emperor to go from his palace, Achilles, to the nearest beach, without being noticed.
The Pelekas Observatory is said to be William II's last work on the island, as his 1914 trip to Corfu was supposed to be his last.
The Kaiser Observatory is in fact an iron platform sculptured on the rock.
Small stone steps lead the visitor to the "imperial throne" and reward him with the colors of the sunset.
The observatory is surrounded by a stone wall. Passing through its heavy iron railing door, measuring more than 100 years old, the visitor enters the olive grove to finally reach the imperial throne, ascending the stone path.
It is rumored that Kaiser built the observatory to get away from the world and its courtyards and to target himself, like an eagle, over the oak-clad slopes of Corfu, at a point where the look is lost in the deep blue of the Ionian Sea.
The Kaiser throne attracts hundreds of tourists every year, who visit it to enjoy the magnificent panoramic view over the entire island of Phaakos, and to give vows of everlasting love under the blue sky.
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