Another building on the list of historical and cultural heritage has burnt down in Limassol.
A fire recently broke out in the centre of the city on Medjid Street, severely damaging the Apollon cinema, which had been abandoned for several years.
The building was built in 1958-59. The cinema was first called "Halk Cinemast", then "Taksim" and, after the partition of the island, "Apollon".
Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about an hour, but there was virtually nothing left of the building. The occupants of the two-storey building, which shared a wall with the cinema, had to be evacuated. No one was injured, but their homes are now in need of major repairs.
During the investigation, traces of flammable substances were found at the scene and the police said it was arson. However, the culprits have not yet been found. Meanwhile, the head of the Cyprus Chamber of Science and Technology, ETEK Constantinos Constantis, has accused the Limassol municipality of indifference to the problem of abandoned buildings in the city centre.
It should be noted that some areas of the old town of Limassol have undergone significant changes in recent years. At the same time, there are still many places in the centre where houses and shops are abandoned and overgrown with grass. Even the rather lively Anexartisias Street, with its bars and restaurants, which recovered well after the financial crisis of 2013, is now losing momentum - branded retail outlets are closing down. Second-hand shops are taking their place.
Recently, a similar incident occurred at the villa of Kristallia Pavlidis.
On the morning of Wednesday 21 February, a fire broke out in an abandoned two-storey building in the historic centre of Limassol, near the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK). The mansion was built in neoclassical style and is a listed building in Cyprus. As a result of the fire, the house of Christallia Pavlidis was completely destroyed: the roof and the floor of the ground floor collapsed and the building was burnt out from the inside. This particular building is one of the oldest mansions in the city centre.