Corfu

Corfu (Ipsos)

Location: Greece (Corfu Island)
Type of village: Tents then huts
Year opened: 1952
Year closed: 2004

A little history: In 1952 when Gérard Blitz rented the 60-hectare property, the place was known as bringing bad luck. Cluttered with invasive vegetation that revealed here and there a few buildings like an old dilapidated sheepfold, the place seemed rather gloomy, damp or even flooded during heavy rains, and invaded by insects. But while visiting the village, we also discovered the long avenue lined with cypress trees that leads to the sea. Robert Beaudin will once again make this place a village.     

The village opened in June 1952. Tony Hatot opened the resort as village manager. Judith Blitz (Didy), after a brief stint in Golfo di Baratti, joined Corfu and became the host. The village was a success despite a long, uncomfortable journey and numerous imperfections and inconveniences during the stay. With a capacity of 1,000 people, this made Corfu the largest tent village of the Club Méditerranée. 

Corfu IPSOS first village of huts:
The tents marked the beginning of the club, but they required maintenance and replacement every year. It was then that Gérard, on the advice of his wife Claudine, had the idea of ​​replacing the aging tents with Polynesian huts. All the villages were asked to test different models.
In 1953, in Corfu, 5 huts were erected at the back of the bar by Jean MAHUT (then head of works in the village). Their robustness had to be tested against the island's climate, particularly during the winter. The test was conclusive. During the summer of 1954, the building materials arrived discreetly under Didy's supervision and were stored near the sheepfold.
In 1955, Corfu opened in a new light. In place of the tents, the GMs discovered brand new Polynesian-style huts with very appreciable comfort.
The first Club Méditerranée village of huts was born. Until the "Agadir" revolution of 1965, it served as a model for the other Club villages which would be opened.

At the beginning of the 1960s, Ipsos had up to seven annexed villages. Among the best known were Paléokatritsa, hosted by Marcel Contal, and Parga, located on the mainland and directed by Maurice Vidalin. (Maurice Vidalin would also become known as the lyricist for Gilbert Becaud (Le petit oiseau de toutes les couleurs, La vente aux ventes aux ventes) and other performers such as Marcel Amont, Barbara, Claude François, and Mireille Mathieu with Paris en Colère.

The Journey

In the early years, the journey lasted about 36 hours. The GMs took the Simplon Express from the Gare de Lyon in Paris to Venice and then, after some free time, boarded the S/S Agamemnon or S/S Miaoulis to Kerkira (Corfu town) after a stopover in Brindisi. The rest of the journey was made aboard the Club's caiques, which took the "triumphal way" escorted by water skiers to the village. From 1964 onwards, the journey time became shorter with the development of modern means, but the last 20 kilometers remained just as majestic.

The drama

On July 16, 1977, a dramatic event took place in the village. A hold-up at the cash register ended tragically with the death of Jean Maurice PICIMBONO, known as Narbonne, a sports GO shot dead by the criminals as they fled with the loot (more than a million francs). I recommend you read "Death is not a game" which tells the story of the hold-up and the police investigation led by the OCRB (Central Office for the Repression of Bandism) of Charles PELEGRINI which, after 16 months of investigation, led to the arrest of the criminals.

The End
The story came to a sad end in 2004. The crisis, Henri GISCARD D'ESTAING's policy of upgrading, and vandalism by some young GMs forced the club to sell. Today, the land is still unused, and the existing facilities and the remaining huts are in a pitiful state.

Throughout its history, Ipsos has been one of the Meccas of Club Méditerranée, as have also been Djerba, Cefalu and Caprera, and yet the site where the village was located did not initially predict that success would be there and that the village would last more than 5 decades.

Personalities who have marked the history of Corfu and Club Méditerranée

Judith BLITZ: She is Gérard's sister. The one we call Didy was sent to Corfu during the summer of 1952 as a community leader after spending a few weeks in Golfo di Baratti. In 1953, she took over the village and ensured its transformation. Ipsos is a bit like her garden. She was the village chief for nearly 8 seasons before leaving to open the village of Agadir.

Jean WEILER: You may not know this character, but he left his mark on the history of Club Méditerranée, starting with Corfu. He was an architect and decorator and participated in the Club's "design office." In 1961, in Corfu, he implemented two revolutionary innovations that were later adopted in the other villages. The niche bar, which allowed for a more suitable service than the existing circular bar, and the installation of bleachers around the dance and performance floor. This is the reinvented amphitheater that is now present in every Club Med bungalow village.
Jean WEILER is also Cadaques, Agadir...