|
|
Lefkosia
|
One of a kind
Without a doubt, this 1000 year old
capital should be on every visitor’s agenda. It lies roundly
in the center of the island, within easy reach of the other
towns and a day in Lefkosia will be a day well spent.
The old walled city is unique
and definitely the place to head for first. Encircled by
strong fortress walls built by the Venetians in the 16th
century, the enchanting old city is scattered with buildings
of historical interest as well as little shop, cafes and
tavernas. The Lefkosia Jewellery Museum and the Municipal
Arts Center are both well worth a visit. The “Leventeion’
Municipal Museum of Lefkosia, with an imaginative presentation
of the capital’s history, was awarded the title ‘1991 European
Museum of the Year’.
To walk though the old city
is to step backwards in time. Narrow streets and old houses
with ornate balconies jut from weather-beaten sandstone
walls, and craftsmen in small workshops practice trades
unchanged for centuries. ‘Laiki Geitonia’ - Folk Neighborhood
- is a pedestrian section which has been carefully renovated
to evoke the atmosphere of past days.
|
|
The two main streets of
old Lefkosia, Lidra and Onasagorou, are lined with shops of
every type, and both streets are pedestrian-only.
Not to be missed, is the unique Cyprus Museum, housing the
island’s most important collection of Cypriot antiquities
and treasures from the Neolithic Age to the Roman Period.
In contract to these ancient fiends is the State Collection
of Contemporary Art, and on the other side of town, just off
the main Lemesos road, is the Cyprus Handicraft Center. |
 |
Another award winner is the city’s
renovated ‘Pyli Ammochostou’ - Famagusta Gate - one of the
original entrances to the old city, which won the Europa Nostra
award for its restoration. Many old churches are to be found
in this part of town, and other places of interest are the
Folk Art and Byzantine Museums, the Archbishopric, the Cathedral
of Agios Ioannis with its beautiful frescoes, the National
Struggle Museum and the intriguing house of Chatzigeorgakis
Kornerios - a fine example of 18th century architecture -
which houses the Ethnological Museum. |
| Not far from these monuments is the
infamous ‘Green Line’ that divides the Republic from the illegally
occupied area to the north. It has been in existence since
1974 when the Turkish troops invaded the island and claimed
37% of modern Cyprus as a breakaway pseudo-state that has
since been recognized by no nation, other than Turkey. |
 |
The modern city
that has developed outside the walls is a cosmopolitan center
of business and culture. Lefkosia is regarded as the shopping
heart of Cyprus, with a variety of restaurants, discos and
bars.
|
 |
| Within easy reach of the capital are
such historic gems as the 12th century painted church of Asinou,
the regal tombs at Tamassos, the ancient city-kingdom of Idalion
and the enchanting villages of Fikardou and Kakopetria. |
|
|
| |
|
Mega
Shop
