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Location:
Europe, Cyprus,
Limassol
Category:
City View
Description:
View of Mesa Geitonia street in the
main shopping district of Limassol
Location
Information:
Limassol or Lemesos is the
second-largest city in Cyprus, with
a population of 228,000 (2008). It
is the largest city in geographical
size, and the biggest municipality
on the island. The city is located
on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's
southern coast and it is the capital
of Limassol District.
Limassol is the biggest port in the
Mediterranean transit trade. It has
also become one of the most
important tourism, trade and
service-providing centres in the
area. Limassol is renowned for its
long cultural tradition, and is home
to the Cyprus University of
Technology. A wide spectrum of
activities and a number of museums
and archaeological sites are
available to the interested visitor.
Consequently, Limassol attracts a
wide range of tourists mostly during
an extended summer season to be
accommodated in a wide range of
hotels and apartments. There are
also plans to build a large marina
in Limassol.
Limassol was built between two
ancient cities, Amathus and Kourion,
so during Byzantine rule it was
known as Neapolis (new town).
Limassol's tourist strip now runs
east along the coast as far as
Amathus. To the west of the city is
the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area of
the United Kingdom. The medieval
castle is one of the nine castles of
Cyprus (the others are at Kolossi,
Larnaca and Paphos now in the
Republic of Cyprus controlled area,
and Famagusta, Kantara, Buffavento,
St. Hilarion and Kyrenia now within
the de facto but internationally
unrecognised state of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus). It was
built by the Byzantines around 1000
AD. Around the same period, a chapel
was also built there. Richard the
Lionheart is supposed to have
married his fiancée Princess
Berengaria of Navarre on this site
after her ship was grounded nearby
in 1191 as she accompanied him to
the Third Crusade, on his way to
Holy Land. The Castle was used as a
prison, between 1790-1940.
Paphos
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