Fort Schulenburg is one of three ruined fortresses on the island of Vido, in front of the east coast of central Corfu. The fortress is located in the northwest of the island. The other fortifications are Fort George and Fort Wellington.
To defend the island against Ottoman attacks, Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, a German general of the Venetian army, started the construction of fortifications on Vido in 1716. In 1727, the project was completed with an enclosure around the entire island. The large fortress was named Fort Schulenburg, after the general.
Under French rule, the existing fortifications, including Fort Schulenburg, were strengthened and expanded. Two new fortresses, called Napoleon’s Redoute and Signal Redoute, were built and connected to the existing fortifications by tunnels.
When the British took over the rule of the Ionian Islands, they demolished all the French buildings and constructed three new fortifications to replace the French ones. The defensive structures were designed by Lieutenant W. Worsley and were built in secret. Maps were even drawn incorrectly to deceive potential enemies.
Fort Schulenberg was the only of the three fortresses to keep its original name under the British reconstruction. The fortress was renovated and expanded with towers with four canons on top.
The new British defensive system was, however, never used. As part of the agreement of the Unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece of 1864, the fortresses were blown up again. Fort Wellington is however, the best preserved fortress and lies partly hidden in the forest under an overgrown hill.
Once you’ve found the entrance, you can enter through a small tunnel which leads to two galleries with loopholes looking out at the sea.
