The largest, most vivid and impressive square of Greece , is the result of military fortifications of the Venetians to protect the city during the 17th and 18th century .
In the large open area of Esplanade, you can see:
- The cloister of Maitland , at the southern end of the Esplanade a plain , circular Ionic monument erected in honor of the first English Commissioner Thomas Maitland (1816 - 1824), despite the fact that his term of office was one of the toughest and darkest for the Ionian Islands .
- The cloister as a monument has been very popular in its era. It is the work of the English military engineer G. Whitemore who designed the Palace of Saints Michael and George, built of Maltese stone. The sculptural decoration is made by the Corfiot sculptor Prosalentis. It is also called “sterna” (“cistern”) as an older Venetian cistern was covered by this monument.
- The Union Square with the gazebo , where at Easter the Resurrection mass is celebrated and the Philharmonic concerts are given, and just below the Memorial Union of the Ionian dedicated to the Union of the Ionian Islands with Greece in 1864. Engraved on them are symbols of all the Ionian islands.
In the square in front of the bridge that leads to the Old Fortress, are the statues of Schulenburg and Guildford . The marble statue of the German Marshal Schulenburg (Mathias von Schulenburg) is the work of sculptor Corradini and was erected in honor of Marshal , whose contribution has been determinant at the defense of the city prevented the Turks during their siege in 1716. The statue is sculpted from Carrara marble by the Italian sculptor Antonio Gorradini. At its base is an inscription in Latin, which refers to the battle strategies of the siege in 1716 and the creation of the statue in the same year. The second statue honors the philhellene lord Guilford, Frederick North (Frederic North 1766 - 1827), who refounded the Ionian Academy, the period of residency Adams which was an important cultural institution in the city, that has established for the first time the Greek language and run for 40 years ( 1824-1864 ), until the Union of the Ionian Islands with Greece .
In front of the Doric cloister of St.Michael and George Palace is a bronze statue of Lord Frederick Adam, one of the most famous British Commissioners, known for his significant technical projects contributed for the city, including the aqueduct . The statue is the work of sculptor Paul Prosalentis and the characteristic gesture of the hand of the statue pointing to the water that falls on the small pond that surrounds it, refers to the great technical work the British Commissioner that the city inherited.
Much of the square is covered by the cricket court. The love of the Corfiots for the cricket, a British team play, has its origin from the period under British rule ( 1814-1864 )