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Lefkosia
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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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.
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| 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. |
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