Situated near the village of Gastouri, the Achilion Palace was built in 1889 for the Austrian Empress 'Sissy' Elizabeth. Supervising Italian architects Landi and Carito were unable to unite the Doric, Ionian and Corinthian architectural themes. Elizabeth requested the palace be filled with decorations based on ancient Greek history and mythology. The Achillion Palace obtained its name from a stunningly realistic statue of the 'Dying Achilleus" trying to remove an arrow from his heel. After the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni assassinated Elizabeth, the Achillion remained empty until 1908 when German Emperor Wilhelm II bought it from Elizabeth's daughter Gisela. After the defeat of Germany inWW1, the Kaiser lost his throne and the Achillion, ownership passing to the Greek government. The Italians and Greeks used the palace as a military hospital during WW2 after which it became a residence for children and featured an engineering college and a boarding school. It is now beautifully restored and open to the public.