New museum to record history of Limassol

LIMASSOL is finally getting its own History Museum, which will be housed at the old building formerly used as the residence of the District Administrator. The building will undergo extensive renovation and refurbishment, and the museum is scheduled to open its doors to the public by April 2009.

“The time is approaching for the realisation of a dream of every Limassolian,” said Andreas Christou, Mayor of Limassol. “This museum will shed light on unknown aspects that contributed to the creation of a significant town in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Christou added.

Construction work is due to start in July, and will be completed within nine months. The project’s architects and planners Giorgos Kapnisis and Miltos Potamites said the renovation would leave the building’s character untouched, with as few interventions as possible to the structure.

The project will cost a total of €512,000; the Nikos and Despoina Pattichi Foundation will provide €300,000 for this purpose, while the rest of the cost will be covered by Limassol Municipality’s town planning department.

The 19th century colonial building initially housed the British Administrator and since the island’s independence, was used as the residence of Limassol’s Distrct Administrator. In the last decade, however, the building had been empty and was periodically used as the venue for social and cultural events.

The museum’s creation and operation is expected to contribute to the greater understanding and better documentation of Limassol’s transformation from a small hamlet to a budding seaside town. “From now on, Limassol will never be the same,” commented Mimis Sofocleous, Director of Limassol’s Historical Records.

The museum will comprise three segments: the town records, main museum, and research centre. “We have already gathered records, from newspapers, photographs, interviews and other documents. The genealogical history of Limassol’s families can be tracked at the records segment,” Sofocleous explained.

The main museum will offer exhibits documenting Limassol’s development and will be featuring audiovisual tools. “For example, we will have an educational programme themed ‘sounds of Limassol’ focusing on traditional Limassolian cantades,” he added.

Plans are also under way for the future creation of a Nautical Museum and a Carnival Museum in the vicinity of the History Museum.

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