Pondikonisi (Corfu)
Pontikonisi (Ποντικονήσι) | ||
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Pontikonisi | ||
Waters | Ionian sea | |
Archipelago | Ionian islands | |
Geographical location | 39 ° 35 '10.7 " N , 19 ° 55' 3.7" E | |
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length | 120 m | |
width | 80 m | |
surface | 1 ha | |
Residents | uninhabited |
Pontikonisi ( Greek Ποντικονήσι ( n. Sg. ), Also Pondikonisi , mouse island ') is a small Greek island in the Ionian Sea . It belongs to the Ionian Islands and is only a few meters east of Corfu . The island is located in front of the Bay of Chalikipoulou about four kilometers south of the town of Kerkyra ( Corfu ) and 150 meters south of the Kanoni peninsula .
The flat and originally only two meters high island measures around 100 meters × 110 meters and has an area of a good one hectare . In the middle of the island there is a Byzantine chapel on an artificially constructed hill, the origins of which date from the 12th, possibly the 11th century. The chapel is surrounded by tall cypress trees, which give the island a striking appearance.
It is reminiscent of the five versions of the painting Die Toteninsel by Arnold Böcklin ; However, it is rather unlikely that it served the painter as a concrete model for his paintings, since Böcklin never stayed in Corfu.
Today the bay with the island of Pontikonisi and Kanoni with the Vlacherna monastery, next to the old town of Corfu Town and the Achilleion, is one of the main attractions on Corfu. Excursions to the Mouse Island are offered from the dam leading to Vlacherna .