The Corfu Reading Society is the oldest cultural foundation of modern Greece. It is housed in an architecturally remarkable building located in one of the city’s prime locations, at the intersection of modern-day Kapodistriou and Sofokleous Dousmani streets. It was established in 1836, modelled after the Geneva Reading Society, by fourteen young Corfiot scientists, who belonged to the then-emerging urban middle class. The Corfu Reading Society was the upshot of the particular historical juncture of the 19th century, which was a most significant time for the social and cultural life of Corfu and the Ionian Islands in general. Its establishment was preceded by that of the Ionian Academy, the first Greek university, founded in 1824 as a result of actions taken by Frederick North, Earl of Guilford. Members of the Reading Society have included poets D. Solomos and A. Kalvos, I. Polylas, L. Mavilis and many more remarkable figures of the arts and letters, politics and science. Gradually the Society developed a quite significant library containing numerous volumes of mostly Ionian interest. The Society is a member of the European network of cultural organisations ‘Europa Nostra’ and has been awarded for its work by the Academy of Athens (1978). Its activities include various cultural events aimed primarily at preserving and promoting the culture of the Ionian Islands.