Historical Limassol

Limassol is home to many historical treasures, and to their credit, the Municipality has put many of these to good use. As part of the ancient Greek empire, Cyprus has a long and rich history; in fact there is nine thousand years’ worth of recorded history of the island.

But perhaps one of the most famous events which happened in Cyprus wasn’t that long ago - the marriage of Richard the Lionheart, King of England, enroute to the Holy Lands for his crusade, to Princess Berengaria of Navarre, who was the only Queen ever to be crowned outside of England - took place at the site of the current Limassol Castle. As it stands now, the castle was built in the 13th century and houses the Medieval Museum, which shows an assortment of Lusignan armour as well as treasures from 650AD.

If you like castles, you can also visit the Kolossi Castle with its imposing presence and narrow spiral staircase. Built by the Knights of Saint John in the 13th century, it had to be rebuilt in the 15th century after attacks by the Genovese (Cyprus has a long and varied history of invasion). One of the most important features of this castle though is that the Knights planted vineyards around it, which today still produce the same sweet dessert wine, called Commandaria that they produced when the castle was first built. In fact, Commandaria is an indigenous Cypriot wine which is protected by law; it is not allowed to be produced anywhere else in the world.

If you like your history a little more recent and enjoy the social aspect of life more, spend some time at the Folk Art Museum, where you’ll be able to see over 500 folkloric items from the last two centuries. A recipient of the Europa Nostra Award, the six rooms of the museum will show you traditional costumes as well as a traditional carved wooden bed, set up in a bedroom of the early twentieth century.

We can’t discount the ancient Greek influence though and the best place to see this is at Ancient Curium, with its main attraction of an amazing Greco-Roman theatre, dating from the second century BC. After careful renovations, this theatre is once again in use and the acoustics have to be heard to be believed. Picture of the feeling of watching a Shakespearean performance or an ancient Greek tragedy under the clear Mediterranean star-filled night skies…