The first Limassol hotel which was turned into a hospital, a poorhouse, a cable-car and eventually a parking lot!

28/06/2021
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During the first years of the British rule, Limassol was at the first stages of development, and the city vibe was slowly starting to take on a more European vibe. Seeing this change, Giorgos B. Kyriakos decided to invest the money he had earned abroad to realize his vision of a modern, luxurious hotel in the city.

And thus, the symbolically named Hotel "Europe" was erected in Limassol, and housed in the area where Enaerios stands today. The hotel’s completion cost 2,000 pounds, which was considered to be a very large amount in 1890, when construction of the hotel began. The furniture was imported from England and the kitchen equipment from Egypt.

Sadly for him and for the city, Mr.Kyriakos did not realize that Limassol, which at the time was still a village with a few thousand inhabitants, was still not quite ready for a 5-star hotel. As it was not a viable enterprise, the hotel soon closed and in 1900 the building was used to house the city hospital. 

Relevant

In 1920, the hotel was transferred to the building known today as the headquarters of the District Administration, and the space became the Municipal Poorhouse, and later on in the 1950s, the Children's Shelter. An even lesser known part of the history of the building is the fact that it once hosted group of boy scouts during the period between 1963 — 1964.

The area is best known as the terminal of the cable-car that was in operation from the early 20th century, bringing ore from the asbestos mines in Troodos, to the dock of Limassol. 

Just as unknown is the fact that this same building hosted the foundation “Agios Stefanos”, which undertakes the care of people with mental disabilities, during the period 1969 — 1993. In the 1990s, following years of neglect, the building was demolished. And so, the first Limassol hotel became part of the city’s "invisible" history. 

Source: Mimis Sofokleous, Limassol Historical Archive 

* NOTE: The tributes of the Project "History of Limassol" present information that has emerged from historical research thus far. Any new data is embedded into the tributes, once it has been confirmed.

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