 Ancient
writers mention nothing about the foundation of the
town. But in the 5th century
ad,
there is documentation that the bishops of
Theodossiani, Amathus and Arsinoe were involved in
the foundation of a city that was later known as
Neapolis. By the 10th century
ad,
the city was referred to as Nemessos, by, amongst
others, Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos.
The history of Limassol is largely linked to the
events of 1191, that put an end to the Byzantine
dominion of Cyprus. When his fiancée, Berengaria,
and sister, Joan of England (and Queen of Sicily)
found shelter from rough seas on Cyprus while
travelling to the Holy Lands, King Richard I the
Lionheart came to the rescue. The Byzantine Governor
of Cyprus, Isaac Comnenus, extended no welcome for
the queens, eventually leading to a clash with
Richard I and the fall of Cyprus to the crusaders,
that put an end to Byzantine rule on the island.
Richard destroyed Amathus and the inhabitants were
transferred to Limassol. A year later, in 1192,
Cyprus was sold to the Templars, rich monks and
soldiers whose aim was the protection of the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The knights enforced high
taxes, in order to earn back the money that
had been given for the purchase of Cyprus. This led
to the revolt of the Cypriots, forcing Richard I to
seek a new purchaser: Guy de Lusignan, a Roman
Catholic Frank. Cyprus was thus handed over to the
Frankish dynasty of the Lusignan kings.
For a period of about three centuries (1192-1489)
Limassol enjoyed a remarkable
prosperity--until the occupation of Cyprus by the
Turks in 1570. Limassol was conquered in July
1570 without any resistance. The Turks devastated
and burned it.
 Descriptions
of visitors during the Turkish occupation inform us
that the town of Limassol resembled a village with a
considerable number of inhabitants. The
Christians used to live in small houses of such low
height, that one had to bend in order to enter the
house. This was deliberately done to prevent the
Turks from riding a horse into the houses.
The British took over in Cyprus in 1878. With
Colonel Warren appointed the first British governor
of Limassol. He showed a particular interest in the
city and improvement was apparent very quickly.
Roads were cleared, animals were removed from the
centre of town, trees were planted and docks were
constructed for the loading and unloading of
ships, that previously had to anchor off-shore.
Public street lighting was introduced in
1880. In 1912, electricity finally replaced the old
oil lanterns. From the very first years of the
British occupation, a post office, a telegraph
office and a hospital were put in operation. In 1880
the first printing press started working. It
was at this printing press that the newspapers
"Alithia", "Anagennisis" and "Salpinx" were
published from 1897 onwards. The first hotel was
established at the end of the 19th century--amongst
them the "Europe" and the "Amathus".
The rise in birth rate during the late 19th and 20th
centuries (1878-1960) reached 70%. The number of
inhabitants climbed from 6,131 in 1881 to
43,593 by 1960 (37.478 Greeks and 6,115 Turks).
The Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants of Limassol
were transferred to the north of Cyprus in 1975
after the Turkish invasion in Cyprus in 1974.
Accordingly, many Greek-Cypriots who became refugees
after fleeing from the north, settled in Limassol. |
|
|
The city of Limassol,
situated on the south coast of Cyprus, will host the 2010
European Junior & Under 23 Weightlifting Championships, to be held
19-28 November.
Getting There: The main
gateway to Cyprus is Larnaca International Airport, at a
distance of 70 kilometres east of Limassol. A second
international airport operates at Paphos, 69 kilometres to
the west of Limassol. Cyprus is well-connected by air to
most major centres of Europe and the Middle East. In
addition to regular flights, dozens of holiday flights daily
connect Cyprus with the rest of the world in season.
Accommodation:
Limassol
and its environs have an almost inexhaustible supply of
accommodation, ranging from the really budget to the
magnificently luxurious.
Orientation:
Limassol is
located on the south coast of Cyprus, some 85 kilometres
from the capital of Nicosia. The city and its suburbs form a
strip along the Mediterranean waterfront, extending several
kilometres either side of the old town. The main street runs
parallel to the waterfront, one block inland. The Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre, that will host the
Commonwealth Weightlifting
Championships is located inland, on the western outskirts of Limassol, with easy access to the
Paphos-Limassol-Nicosia-Larnaca highway.
Getting Around:
Transportation
for all participants and members of delegations to/from
airports will be provided by the organisers. A shuttle-bus
service linking official hotels and the competition hall
will also operate games time.
Limassol has the most extensive public transportation
networks in Cyprus, enough to cover the needs of most
visitors--with public buses running along the main street
and linking most hotels with the town centre. Taxis are also
readily available.
Numerous car- and motorcycle-hire outlets operate in
Limassol.
Money:
As of 1 January
2008, Cyprus is a member of the euro zone and the official
currency is now the euro, which has replaced the Cyprus Pound. Most major currencies may be exchanged at major
banks (open Monday to Friday 08:30-13:00), as well as at the
larger hotels. Round-the-clock exchange facilities are
available at both Larnaca and Paphos International Airports.
Outside
most
bank branches, ATMs dispense local currency.
Most major credit cards are widely accepted at almost every
tourist-oriented establishment.
Time: In winter, Cyprus time is
two
hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Summer time, as in the
rest of the European Union, is in effect from the last
Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, bringing
Cyprus three hours ahead of GMT. Summer time in Cyprus is
three hours ahead of GMT.
Electricity:
Electricity in Cyprus is
230V, 50 cycles, with UK-style, square-pin plugs.
Adaptors are widely available at supermarkets, grocery
stores, etc. Hotel receptions may also be able to provide
assistance.
Telephones: Direct dial
phone service is available between Cyprus and all countries
of the world. International calls may be placed from any
private or public phone. Public payphones come in three
types: Coinphones, outdoor cardphones and indoor cardphones.
All public phones have instructions posted in English and
other languages. Telephone cards are widely available at
kiosks and newsagents. To call overseas, dial 00 + country
code + area code + local number. The international code for
Cyprus (when calling from abroad) is 357.
Mobile phone networks in Cyprus are compatible with the
European-wide GSM 900/1800 standards, but not with the
systems available in the USA and Japan. Cytamobile-Vodafone
and MTN are the two mobile phone service providers in
Cyprus. Both offer roaming in cooperation with foreign
providers, as well as cheap PAYG (Pay-As-You-Go) local phone
numbers and pre-paid cards.
Languages: Greek and
Turkish are the official languages of Cyprus, but English is
also very widely spoken. German and French are also spoken
within the tourism industry.
