Lemesos & the South - Cyprus - page 117

featureless roadstead, before a town whose desolate silhouette suggested that of a tin-min-
ing village in the Andes'.
Lemesos grew up quickly following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, replacing
Famagusta (Mağusa) as the nation's main port. It also needed to expand to keep up with
the Republic's growing tourist boom. Originally comprising what is today known as the
old town, around the historic fishing port, Lemesos has outgrown its original geographic
limits to now encompass a sprawling tourist suburb. Signposted as the 'tourist centre', this
is a riotous confusion of hotels, bars and restaurants, and you could be excused for forget-
ting that the sea is there at all.
1 Sights & Activities
Most of the main sights are set within the compact historic quarter. Beach lovers should
head west out of town, where several popular beach resorts are strung along the coast.
Less commercialised, more attractive beaches are located further west, including Kourion,
Melanda and Avdimou.
o Lemesos Castle CASTLE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; admission €4.50; h 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 1pm Sun)
This 14th-century structure, built over the remains of a Byzantine castle, has been utilised
by conquerors throughout Cyprus' turbulent history. The Venetians vandalised it, the Otto-
mans gave it a facelift for military use, and the British used it as a colonial prison. Appar-
ently, Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria in the chapel of the original castle in
1191, where he also grandly crowned himself King of Cyprus and his wife Queen of Eng-
land.
In the courtyard surrounding the castle walls there's an old olive press that dates from
the 7th to 9th centuries.
The interior of Lemesos Castle contains a series of chambers on varying levels which
are home to the Medieval Museum ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) . The collection of Byzantine and
medieval artefacts on display include tombstones, suits of armour, weaponry, religious ob-
jects and Ottoman pottery. Climb up to the rooftop terrace afterwards for views of the city.
Archaeological Museum MUSEUM
( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Vyronos & Kaningos; admission €2.50; h 9am-4.30pm Mon-Sat)
This museum includes an extensive collection of pottery, and a selection of items dating
from neolithic and Chalcolithic times (primarily shards and implements for domestic use)
through to Mycenaean pottery. A multitude of terracotta figures on show are thought to be
the remains of votive offerings. There is a display of classical pottery, jewellery and oil