In Paphos, work is well underway to transform the old police station building into a new historical documentation centre.
As part of the project, the site has been fenced off and the old roof removed. Workers from N. Gavriel and Sons Ltd, who won the tender, are reinforcing the walls of the building and removing rubble. Workers are also busy beautifying and landscaping the surrounding area. The work is expected to take 15 months to complete. The total cost of the project is estimated at €10 million.
Recall that the new Historical Documentation Centre will appear near John F. Kennedy Square.
The project envisages the restoration of the historic building with an area of 950 m2 and landscaping of 18 thousand m2. A modern space will be added to the historic building, where a museum of the city's history will be opened. It will be connected to the city centre by a pedestrian route that will start at the Armenian Genocide Park and end at the city square to the north of the centre, where resting places and sanitary facilities will be provided.
From there, visitors will be able to access the museum area through a modern building where they will learn about the history of Paphos from 332 BC to the present day. The tour will take place both through the exhibits already collected and in the form of a digital tour.
It should be noted that the building of the former police station was built in 1884. It housed not only offices for police officers, but also cells for prisoners and a room where prisoners were executed by hanging.
In the same year, 16 prisoners from Limassol were transferred to the police station to relieve the prison (which was then located in Limassol Castle). The British sent prisoners to do forced labour in the quarries, landscaping the public gardens and clearing rubbish from the police station outside the city. The police station remained in this building after Cyprus became independent, until 2019, when a new building was constructed for the Paphos police.