Today, the coastal front of Limassol is the main area for leisurely strolls and beachside games, boasting kilometers of walkways, cycling lanes, and parks. This was not always the case in the past, however, as many of the city’s buildings (usually residences or commercial buildings belonging to prestigious citizens) were once built right on the shore, with the waves literally reaching the walls.
These majestic and usually 2-storey seafront homes in Limassol had for almost an entire century been a point of reference in the area of Akti Olympion. A characteristic example is the house of Marneros Eleftheriades, originally built in 1870, at the end of the Turkish domination on the island. The residence faced the southern courtyard which looked out towards the sea, while a tall wall behind the house protecting the building from storms.
Other houses in that area that also reached all the way down to the sea, such as the Skyrianides residence, were constructed in a similar fashion. In fact, in some cases, small wooden docks were constructed that connected the homes directly to the sea. Besides the residences, there were also commercial buildings built on the coastline, such as the Kirzis Offices, while at the eastern end of the city there were even larger seaside developments, such as the factory facilities that remain known to this day as the Theodosiou Warehouses.
Large waves during a storm would inevitably affect the homes that had been built directly on the seafront.
These houses were demolished one by one, with the construction of the walkway and the widening of the seafront road. In 1985, the Eleftheriades residence, the last home built on the sea, was demolished, and the Warehouses followed soon after, in the mid-90s. These changes helped shape the seafront of Limassol to what it is today.
Information source: Tasos Andreou, "Limassol – Memory Flashback", 2009
Photos: Dimitris Theodorou, Tasos Andreou, Mimis Yiannakas, Limassol Historical Archives, Edwards
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