A major project worth €5.5 million has been launched in Limassol. On Wednesday 27 November, work began on the modernisation of the city's famous Heroes' Square.
This was announced by the Limassol municipality.
According to the mayor's office, the work will be carried out in several phases. The first phase will take 5 months and will include the streets of Pavlou Melas, Vassiliou Makedonos, Kostas Kouzaris, Eleni Paliologonas and Kyoseoglou streets. The second phase will last 2 months, the third 7 months and the fourth 4 months. During the works, many roads near the square will be closed to traffic.
It should be remembered that the project for the reconstruction of the square, which is very popular with the people of Limassol, was developed by the architectural firms AA&U and KIS Architecture. Their idea won the second place in the 2020 competition (the first place was not awarded to any of the participants). The idea is to level the road and the square. Public spaces will be created around four pavilions at the corners of the square. Trees and shrubs will be planted along the perimeter of the square. The lighting will be in the form of hinged lanterns and all the fixed lanterns will be moved to the western side of the square.
The central monument of the square will also be included in the overall image. Once a month, the "Square of Everyday Heroes" campaign will take place here. The monument will be adorned with a removable fabric cover with a theme-related image. Thanks to the renovated pavements, the public will have direct access to the historic streets of Independence, Agios Andreas and Gladstonos, as well as to the area of the Municipal Library. According to the municipality, all necessary measures will be taken during the construction of the facility so as not to affect the shops and centres in the area.
It should be noted that Heroes' Square is located in the centre of Limassol and is a popular recreational area for the locals.
In the centre of the square is a monument to the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of Cyprus and Greece. It is surrounded by cafes, bars, taverns and clubs, as well as the buildings of the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK) and one of the city's cultural centres, the Rialto Theatre. The square is the traditional venue for carnival processions and the Limassol Rock Festival, as well as other cultural events in the city.
Until the early 20th century, the square was the site of a Turkish quarter called 'Kesoglides' or 'Kessugludkia' after the local wealthy Syrian Turkish landowner Kioseoglu (Κιοσέογλου). Christian townspeople were afraid to come here for fear of being stoned. In 1910, on the initiative of the mayor's office, several old buildings were demolished and a square was built in the neighbourhood. The monument to the heroes was erected in 1946. The last reconstruction of the square took place in 1999.