It has been in the center of attention throughout the city's history, but it never had the vitality it has now. The Castle Square, the heart of the old town and a point of reference for Limassol, did not always have the image it has today, neither it was a meeting place to relax and have fun in.
The majestic Medieval Castle, back in the beginning and the mid-20th century, was surrounded by warehouses, workshops and little shops, which were part of the activity of the nearby harbor. It was an area with a lot of traffic, with busy people, cars and even animals constantly going up and down, until the night would fall.
The Castle, which was constructed in the 12th century, did change significantly during the Ottoman Empire, since it was turned into a jailhouse for around 400 centuries. It was still operating as a jailhouse until 1950, when the central jailhouse was established in Nicosia. Due to the bicommunal conflict during 1963 — 1974, the Castle was turned into an outpost for 1 decade and it only started looking like a square after the 1980s.
Get an idea of the new image of the square here.
* 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.
