Mathildedal is one of the three Teijo area ironworks villages. It offers all the elements of an idyllic environment: Wooden houses painted with traditional red paint, buildings of the ironwork, history, culture, nature and of course the living village itself.
The origins of Mathildedal ironworks go back to 1686. Mr Lorenz Creutz from Teijo was granted a right to build a forgery in Hummeldal.
In 1825 Mr Robert Bremer discovered ironstone in the ground starting the glory days for Hummeldal factory and the whole area. His son Viktor Zebor Bremer continued running the ironworks after him.
The last ironworks factory was established in Hummeldal in 1852 by Viktor Zebor Bremer and he renamed the village to Mathildedal after his wife Mathilda. The whole environment represents a typical 19th century ironworks milieu. And today the remaining buildings serve as a centre for cultural tourism.
The naturally beautiful area is the gateway to Archipelago. We offer a variety of occasions and services thoughout the year. The high class meeting and festival service guarantees a successful day with its cosy meeting room, tasty food and additional activities. For culture enthusiasts we have an exhibition of the old ironworks, guided tours, open air summer theater, concerts, art exhibitions and other events.
The colourful café Kyläkonttori & Puoti and the restaurant Ruukin Krouvi serve tasty delicacies for food lovers. Ruukin Kehräämö & Puoti is a lifestyle boutique specializing in knitted alpaca wool clothing. In Huldan Puoti you can make great findings among vintage and antiques.
Old factory buildings, friendly service and the park-like surroundings near the sea offer experiences, harmony and rugged beauty for all senses.
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Angelokastro is a Byzantine castle on the island of Corfu. It is located at the top of the highest peak of the island"s shoreline in the northwest coast near Palaiokastritsa and built on particularly precipitous and rocky terrain. It stands 305 m on a steep cliff above the sea and surveys the City of Corfu and the mountains of mainland Greece to the southeast and a wide area of Corfu toward the northeast and northwest.
Angelokastro is one of the most important fortified complexes of Corfu. It was an acropolis which surveyed the region all the way to the southern Adriatic and presented a formidable strategic vantage point to the occupant of the castle.
Angelokastro formed a defensive triangle with the castles of Gardiki and Kassiopi, which covered Corfu"s defences to the south, northwest and northeast.
The castle never fell, despite frequent sieges and attempts at conquering it through the centuries, and played a decisive role in defending the island against pirate incursions and during three sieges of Corfu by the Ottomans, significantly contributing to their defeat.
During invasions it helped shelter the local peasant population. The villagers also fought against the invaders playing an active role in the defence of the castle.
The exact period of the building of the castle is not known, but it has often been attributed to the reigns of Michael I Komnenos and his son Michael II Komnenos. The first documentary evidence for the fortress dates to 1272, when Giordano di San Felice took possession of it for Charles of Anjou, who had seized Corfu from Manfred, King of Sicily in 1267.
From 1387 to the end of the 16th century, Angelokastro was the official capital of Corfu and the seat of the Provveditore Generale del Levante, governor of the Ionian islands and commander of the Venetian fleet, which was stationed in Corfu.
The governor of the castle (the castellan) was normally appointed by the City council of Corfu and was chosen amongst the noblemen of the island.
Angelokastro is considered one of the most imposing architectural remains in the Ionian Islands.