Larnaca Municipality has announced its intention to complete the renovation of the promenade along the village of Oroklini in the near future.
The works will cover a stretch of approximately 1km from the Lebay Hotel (where the existing promenade ends) to the area of the former oil refineries.
As part of the project, a seafront promenade, recreational areas and green spaces will be created. The total cost is estimated at around 4.5 million euros. Barring any force majeure, the tender will be published by the end of 2024 and the works will start in early 2025.
It should be recalled that in 2004 the local authorities asked the architects Margarita Danu and Sevina Floridou to develop a unique project for the Oroclini promenade.
The aim was to unite the private and public coastal areas. In addition to paths, landscaping and other standard infrastructure, the proposal included changing rooms, a small pavilion and an outdoor seating area. The walkway was widened in places with wooden decking. The plan also included an 850-metre pedestrian promenade on one side, surrounded by a sandy beach and the sea, and an artificial lake on the other.
In 2004, the Oroclini Promenade project was included in the Phaidon Atlas of Modern World Architecture, a comprehensive survey of the most outstanding works of modern architecture from around the world. The first part of the project was completed, but the second part was delayed.
The village of Oroklini lies to the north-east of Larnaca. The exact date of its foundation is unknown, but there is evidence that it was abandoned by its inhabitants in the 16th century and remained deserted until the mid-19th century. The village was then revived thanks to the intensification of metal mining - mainly copper - in the nearby quarries of Xylofagou. It was in one of these quarries that the famous French poet Arthur Rimbaud worked from 1878 to 1879, leading a team of workers who ended up in Cyprus in search of a livelihood.
Since 1981, hotels have been built in Oroklini. The tourist industry developed rapidly. Today, Oroklini remains one of the most popular tourist destinations, mainly because of its beaches.