The town of Limassol is situated between
the ancient towns of Amathus and Curium.
Today is a thriving friendly harbor(biggest
on the island, also there is a second "old harbor" for fishing-boats
and yachts, many luxurious hotels may also have their own marine) at the south cost of
Cyprus and the second largest city on the Island (after
Nicosia),where hardly a month passes without any
festival or celebration, and
is also the island's largest
seaside resort .It offers
kilometers of sandy beaches, luxurious hotels and apartments of all
categories. Apartment buildings with tropical green surrounds,
boulevards with little boutiques, snack bars, restaurants and at
every corner, disco bars, and also you may find a
few big WaterParks.
A
visitor may enjoy the many water-sports on offer, including
windsurfing, parasailing and boating, or just relax on the beach and
bask in the warm Mediterranean sunshine.After Turkish invasion in 1974, Limassol became the distance
center of all cities of
Cyprus. Also when
Famagusta City(Eastern Cyprus),
one of the most important tourist areas of Cyprus was occupied by
the Turkish troops, Limassol rapidly expanded. As
I say, Luxury hotels, restaurants and numerous places of
entertainment were built, so that the town soon became a center of
commerce.But mainly it is
Cyprus center for the spirit and wine industry, which is
celebrated in September with plenty of free wine and the famous KEO
beer.
Now a
little about history, when the British took over in Cyprus in 1878
from Turks, the first British governor of Limassol was Colonel
Warren, where he showed a big interest in Limassol, and even from
the very first days the condition of the town showed an improvement.
The roads were cleaned, the animals were removed from the center,
roads were fixed, trees were planted, and docks were constructed for
the loading and unloading of those ships that were embarked away
from the shore. Lanterns for the lighting of the central areas, were
also installed in the 1880. In 1912, electricity finally replaced
the old lanterns. From the very first years of the British
occupation, a post office, a telegraph office and a hospital began
to operate. In 1880 the first printing press started working. At the
end of the 19th century the very first
hotels began to operate and schools, theaters, clubs, art galleries,
music halls, sport societies, football clubs etc. were all set up,
and meant a great deal to the cultural life of Limassol. The rise of
the population birth rate during the late 19th and 20th c.
(1878-1960) was 70%. The number of inhabitants was 6.131 in 1881,
while in 1960 the number had risen to 43.593. The number of the
Greek population was estimated at 37.478, while the Turkish
population at 6.115. Now population
consist of Greek-Cypriots only and reaches 152,900 . Job opportunities
concerned with the wine and ceramic industries, as well as the commerce
and tourism development, mainly due to Tourism and the nearby harbor .Visit
to places of interest would include "Limassol’s Castle", which
houses The Medieval Museum,
The District Archaeological Museum, The Folk Art Museum,
the "Kolossi Castle", the Municipal Art Gallery, the zoo and the Municipal
Gardens.
