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Καλώς ήρθατε · Hoş geldiniz

Land

Zypern

9 Orte · 20 Museen

📷 Iakovos Hatzistavrou, European Commission · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
museumtickets.com-Reiseführer · Zypern

Welcome to Cyprus

The island of Aphrodite, of copper and of painted mountain churches: 10,000 years of history at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Cyprus gave copper its name, and its museums show why so many peoples wanted the island. In Nicosia, the Cyprus Museum keeps the Neolithic idols, the gold of the kings and hundreds of clay warriors from Agia Irini. In Paphos, the Roman villas have some of the finest mosaic floors in the Mediterranean, and on the coast nearby, the rock of Petra tou Romiou marks where Aphrodite rose from the sea. In the Troodos mountains, ten small churches with wooden roofs hide walls covered in Byzantine paintings. Limassol's castle holds the Cyprus Medieval Museum, Larnaca has the church of Saint Lazarus, and Choirokoitia shows a village of round stone houses from 7000 BC. Buses link the towns; there are no trains. Since 1974 the island has been divided, and Nicosia is the last divided capital in Europe. This museumtickets.com guide follows Cyprus district by district.

  • 7000 BCround houses are built at Choirokoitia, one of the oldest villages in the Mediterranean
  • 10painted churches of the Troodos mountains on the UNESCO list
  • 2004Cyprus joins the European Union

Cyprus in 9,000 years

Copper, kings, empires and a divided capital.

  1. 7000 BC

    The first villages

    Farmers build round stone houses at Choirokoitia and bury their dead under the floors.

    Zu sehen in: Cyprus Museum
  2. 2500 to 1100 BC

    The copper island

    Copper from the Troodos mountains is shipped across the Mediterranean; Mycenaean Greeks settle on the island.

    Zu sehen in: Cyprus Museum
  3. 58 BC to 330 AD

    Roman Paphos

    Paphos becomes the capital of Roman Cyprus; rich families cover their floors with mosaics.

    Zu sehen in: Paphos Archaeological Park →
  4. 1191 to 1489

    Crusaders and kings

    Richard the Lionheart takes the island; the French Lusignan kings build cathedrals and castles.

    Zu sehen in: Cyprus Medieval Museum
  5. 1489 to 1878

    Venice and the Ottomans

    Venice rules until the Ottoman army takes Nicosia and Famagusta in 1570 and 1571.

    Zu sehen in: Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia
  6. 1960

    Independence

    After British rule from 1878, Cyprus becomes an independent republic.

    Zu sehen in: Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia
  7. 1974

    A divided island

    After a coup backed by the Greek military government, Turkey sends troops and the island is divided; the Green Line still runs through Nicosia.

    Zu sehen in: Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia

Women who shaped Cyprus

A goddess, the last queen and the lacemakers of Lefkara.

Aphrodite

In Greek myth the goddess of love was born from the sea foam off Paphos; her sanctuary at Kouklia drew pilgrims for a thousand years.

Zu sehen in: Paphos Archaeological Park →
Queen Caterina Cornaro (1454–1510)

The Venetian noblewoman who became the last queen of Cyprus; in 1489 she had to hand the island to Venice.

Zu sehen in: Cyprus Medieval Museum
The lacemakers of Lefkara

For centuries the women of Lefkara made lefkaritiko lace and sold it across Europe; today the craft is on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage.

Artists to look for in Cyprus

Names from the Byzantine churches to modern art.

Philippos Goul

Fifteenth-century painter who covered the church of Stavros tou Agiasmati in the Troodos with bright Bible scenes.

Adamantios Diamantis

Painter of village life; his huge The World of Cyprus shows the island's people side by side.

Zu sehen in: A. G. Leventis Gallery
Christoforos Savva

Pioneer of modern art in Cyprus, with bold colours and fabric collages.

Zu sehen in: A. G. Leventis Gallery
Telemachos Kanthos

Painter and engraver of Cypriot landscapes and of the refugees of 1974.

Zu sehen in: A. G. Leventis Gallery

Taste Cyprus

Halloumi, slow-cooked lamb and sweets from grape juice.

Halloumi

The squeaky cheese of Cyprus, eaten grilled, fresh with watermelon in summer or folded with mint.

Souvla

Big pieces of lamb or pork turned slowly over charcoal – the Sunday smell of every village.

Kleftiko

Lamb cooked for hours with potatoes and bay leaves in a sealed clay oven.

Koupepia

Vine leaves filled with rice and minced meat, cooked in lemon.

Soutzoukos

Strings of almonds dipped again and again in thickened grape juice, hung to dry in autumn.

Loukoumades

Small fried dough balls in honey syrup, sold hot at fairs and festivals.

Traditions and festivals through the year

Kites, Easter fires and a festival of the flood.

Carnival – late winter

Limassol's carnival fills the streets with parades and masks for ten days.

Green Monday – late winter

The first day of Lent: families go to the countryside for picnics and fly kites.

Easter – spring

The most important feast: candlelit processions, bonfires and flaounes, cheese pastries with raisins.

Kataklysmos – early summer

The Festival of the Flood at Pentecost: water fights, boat races and music on the seafront of Larnaca.

Village festivals – summer and autumn

Each village celebrates its saint with music, dancing and food under the trees.

Christmas – December

Children sing the kalanta door to door; families bake christopsomo, the Christmas bread.

Verborgene Geschichte

Leonardo's lace

A village in the hills is said to have sold lace to Leonardo da Vinci.

Geschichte lesenSchließen

In Lefkara, women have made lace for centuries, sitting in the narrow lanes with their work on their knees. The villagers tell that in 1481 Leonardo da Vinci came to Cyprus and bought a lace cloth for the altar of Milan Cathedral. No document proves it, but the story is told in every lace shop in the village – and the lace is so fine that it is easy to believe.

Tipps für Kunstliebhaber

Crossing the Green Line

In Nicosia you can walk across the Ledra Street crossing; take your passport or ID card.

Painted churches

Some Troodos churches are kept locked; a caretaker in the village often has the key.

Summer heat

In July and August visit museums and sites early in the morning.

No trains

Travel by bus or car between towns; buses run from the main town squares.

Zypern: Ihren Besuch planen mit museumtickets.com

Auf museumtickets.com: 20 Museen mit Fotos, Anfahrt und Museen in der Nähe. Speichern Sie Ihre Favoriten im kostenlosen Kulturpass und zahlen Sie, wo das Museum es anbietet, Ihren Eintritt im Voraus.

Anreise

Anreise nach Zypern

Vom Flughafen mit öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln ins Stadtzentrum, dann mit Zügen und Nahverkehr zu den Museen.

Anreise mit dem Flugzeug

LCA
Larnaca AirportLarnaca · Nicosia · Limassol

Unterwegs in Zypern

Linien und Fahrpläne ändern sich. Prüfen Sie vor der Fahrt die Website des Verkehrsbetriebs.

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