Pyrgos is the easternmost border of the Limassol urban area.
Formally, Pyrgos is a commune (κοινότητα) with its own local government and commune center five kilometers from the sea. However, the coastal part of Pyrgos (the tourist area) is infrastructurally linked with Limassol. Today we will explore the tourist area of Pyrgos and assess how suitable it is for living and investing.
The past
The name Pyrgos means "tower".
There are two other villages in Cyprus with the same name - Kato Pyrgos (Lower Pyrgos) and Pano Pyrgos (Upper Pyrgos) in Tillyria, an area in the north-west of the island. The word "pyrgos", which was spelled exactly the same in Ancient Greek, gave the name to the city of Burgas in modern Bulgaria.
And in general, the word "pyrgos" goes back to the Proto-Indo-European word bʰerǵʰ-, which means "high", "lofty" and "hill, mountain". In Proto Slavic, it turned into "bergъ" ('shore'), and for Germanic languages it gave the form "burg" with the meaning "fort, fortification": Edinburgh, St. Petersburg, Salzburg, etc. So we can say that Pyrgos by its name is a distant relative of all of them.
The village of Pyrgos has been known since the Middle Ages. On old maps it is called Pirgo or Birgo.
Here is the village of Pyrgos (Pirgo) on the map by Abraham Ortelius (1573)
What tower gave its name to the village of Pyrgos?
Unfortunately, this is not known for sure. Probably, it was the residence of local feudal lords, although there is a version that should likt it to a Byzantine tower. It is impossible to determine exactly. Thus, it remains to turn to folk legends.
According to the legends, there was a royal tower, in which the heroine of many Cypriot fairy tales lived, Regina or Rigena (Ρήγαινα), as she is called by Cypriots. This is not a historical character, but a collective image of a medieval lady from high society (the word regina in Latin means "queen"). This mythical residence of the queen in Pyrgos was allegedly connected to Amathus by a tunnel, and countless treasures were stored in the dungeons of the castle and, in particular, the golden chariot on which Rigena moved. By the way, almost all the towers left by the Franks and Venetians are associated with the legendary Rigena in the popular consciousness.
This is how medieval Cypriots could imagine their queen on a golden chariot
Much less legendary are those finds that are associated with prehistoric times: the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.
In the town of Mavrorachi, a team of archaeologists led by Maria Rosaria Belgiorno discovered in 2006 the remains of ancient workshops for the processing of copper and the production of threads. The finds were dated to about 2000 BC. An ancient olive press was found nearby, where oil was produced, which then served not at all for food, but as fuel for stoves.
After the Turkish conquest, the village of Pyrgos remained ethnically Greek Cypriot. During its history, it has not experienced any special demographic shocks. The population here has been gradually increasing since 1881, reaching 2,363 people by 2011 (last census). According to unofficial data, about 3,500 people live in Pyrgos today.
The tourist area of Pyrgos occupies a relatively small area (less than 1 m2), but it is here that the main buildings and projects of interest to us are concentrated: completed, under construction or only planned.
There is a power plant to the east of the tourist part of Pyrgos, there are no residential buildings there.
The only relatively attractive place for residents and visitors of the island for many years remains the decrepit Monte Caputo banquet hall.
But there is a beautiful view from here.
Present
The tourist area of Pyrgos is grouped around two large hotels - St. Raphael and Parklane.
This means that this area is full of tourists during the summer season. Two beaches attract many visitors and locals. The first of them is Aorati beach (Aoratoi), named after the red-fruited juniper tree, which is called "aoratos" in Cypriot Greek (αόρατος). This beach is different in that it is quite rocky. The rocky bottom forms a natural bay, fenced off from the rest of the sea by rocks protruding from the water, thanks to which it is shallow here, and the water warms up quickly. This place is ideal for families with children. To find a good, not 'childish' depth, you need to walk along the pier and go down the stairs into the water.
This beach turns into Panagies Beach, located directly opposite the St. Raphael Hotel. This is a pleasant sandy beach, it has all the amenities necessary for a comfortable stay. The marina of Agios Raphail (Saint Raphael) separates the beach of Panagies from the beach of Parekklisia. By the way, the marina itself is quite intimate, small yachts and boats are usually anchored here. It is especially convenient for owners of their own vessels to live in this area, since the boat can be moored within walking distance from the house.
Investors are attracted to Pyrgos by two new high-rises built right next to the two main hotels. These are The Tower at the St. Raphael Hotel and the Park Tower at the Parklane Hotel.
The ten-story Park Tower offers buyers huge apartments with an area of 271 m2. The 600 m2 penthouse is still waiting for its owner.
The 14-story Tower is located one kilometer from the Park Tower.
Living in The Tower combines the independence of a condominium with the exclusive service and amenities of a 5-star hotel.
One-, two- and three-story private houses have been built around these two towers. Many of them rent out for the summer, but in general, this area does not suffer from the lack of residents in the off-season, as some people live here permanently.
There is also a residential quarter Thera Complex.
Of all the private houses, The Residence complex stands out with its unusual style.
By the way, the wall above the entrance gate can be easily climbed by stairs, it is accessible to everyone.
In general, this area can be called quite nice, but the lack of normal infrastructure necessary for everyday life, for example, large supermarkets, shopping centers or schools, is a little depressing.
A little out of the way, east of the Park Tower high-rise, there is another area of low-rise buildings.
To the south of it, the G. Frantzis Group company planned to build a residential quarter of Limassol Royal Residence, but the state of the project today can be expressed in one photo.
As mentioned above, the Pyrgos tourist zone is crossed by Amathountos Avenue. Most of the residential area is located to the south of it. To the north there is a small residential block and a detached office building of a bizarre shape.
Future
The good news is that Pyrgos is one of the most promising areas of Limassol. Following the already built Park Tower and New hotels, residential complexes, apartment buildings and shops should appear within walking distance of The Tower.
Perhaps the most ambitious complex of Pyrgos can be safely called the new project of Allea Group, which unites the first hotel of the international Hyatt hotel chain in Cyprus - Grand Hyatt Limassol, premium apartments and villas.
According to the project, it should combine a 16-story residential tower and two nine-story hotel complexes. So far, there are no signs of the beginning of construction work on the huge site, there is only an open-air warehouse of building materials.
Pyrgos is waiting for other new projects, not only Grand Hyatt Limassol.
On the easternmost outskirts of Pyrgos, the plot was acquired by Planetvision.
It is known that the developer is planning two of his projects in Pyrgos: the residential quarter Allusion Residences and the boutique resort Beyond.
If you move along Amathountos Avenue to the west, then on the right you can see a huge plot intended for the construction of the Meridian Plaza shopping and residential complex. The developer, Admare company, promises to create a space with 8,000 m2 of residential real estate and 3,600 m2 of commercial premises.
Even further west, a large plot of land was acquired for construction by the Marr company, here they plan to build apartments and maisonettes.
On the contrary, right across the street, a pit is ready for the Dreams Residence residential complex.
If all these projects are implemented, Pyrgos will soon become unrecognizable.
It will combine tourist development, luxury real estate and commercial premises. The prospects of this place are really difficult to overestimate.
Graffiti in the Monte Caputo parking lot
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See also:
- Parekklisia: a walk through the homeland of cats
- Where to live in Limassol? Coastline vs mountains
- How to buy property in Cyprus?
- TOP 6 apartments in new buildings with breathtaking views in Cyprus
- The most popular areas of Limassol to live
- First acquaintance with Larnaca
- Permanent residence permit in Cyprus
