Cyprus is not only a warm sea, amazingly clean beaches and mild Mediterranean climate. It is also a land with a rich history. It is carefully preserved by numerous Cypriot museums. Most of them are concentrated in the major cities of the island: Nicosia, Limassol, Ayia Napa, Paphos.
To diversify your leisure time, visit the nearest exhibition center. And it’s better to plan tours of several expositions. For your convenience, we have compiled a rating of the ten Cypriot museums, which are mandatory to visit. But this is not a complete list of interesting places that tell about the history, culture and secrets of the island.
Curion Archaeological Museum (Limassol)
In the village of Epistoca, 12 km from the large southern city of Limassol, there is the famous Curion Archaeological Museum, which preserves the signs of the Neolithic and Roman times. Despite its relatively small size, the exposition, opened in 1953, contains a lot of priceless exhibits.
Most of the exhibited items are found in the excavations of the ancient city of Curion, which was founded in the 12th century B.C. and is of great interest to both researchers and anyone interested in history.
The main thing to see: the statues of Asclepius and Hermes, fragments of mosaics and marble facing, ceramic products, coins, jewelry, gold and ivory items. Also on display are the statues of the Egyptian god Besa and Artemis of Amathus. Small objects are placed on two floors of the building. And the overall statues and columns stand right in the courtyard.
Nicosia Archaeological Museum
The capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, houses the largest and oldest archaeological museum, founded back in 1882 during the British occupation. It houses the world’s largest collection of exhibits found on the island.
The exhibition is striking in scale and consists of 14 halls. The tour starts with an exhibition dedicated to prehistoric times and ends with an exhibition of objects from the Roman Empire. Various ceramics, glass and stone items are on display: statues, figurines, vases and tableware. Visitors can also see tools, jewelry and coins. All collected valuables are arranged in chronological order, which allows restoring the picture of Cyprus development from antiquity to the ancient era.
It is noteworthy that the initiators of this complex were Cypriots themselves. And the purpose was to protect the found artifacts from being smuggled into other countries.
The Paphos Archaeological Museum
A separate part of the Nicosia Archaeological Museum is located in the city of Pafos in the west of the island. It contains, as can be easily guessed, finds found in the vicinity of Paphos. Although some of the exhibits have been brought from other regions. Some of the artifacts date from the Neolithic period.
Limassol Archaeological Museum
An amazing collection of antiquities is kept in the Limassol Archaeological Museum. Created in 1948, it was located in the fortress and later moved to a civilian building. Most of the exhibits are found in the vicinity of the city and belong to the cultures of Greece, Egypt and Rome. All items are divided into appropriate groups and placed in three halls, corridors and the park adjacent to the building.
The first part of the exhibition is dedicated to the Akrotiri caves excavated in the southern part of the city district. There are pots, amphorae, clay jugs, stone tools, glassware and ivory.
City Art Gallery (Limassol)
In Limassol you can get acquainted with the works of the largest artists of Cyprus. The city has a large art gallery dedicated to contemporary art. It was opened in 1984 and today is housed in a spacious building that is accessible to the public.
The gallery contains over 600 works. Most of them are in the form of paintings. But there are also sculptures, ceramics and original installations. Most of the works are by artists and sculptors from Limassol itself. In addition, there are works by masters from other cities. Periodically there are exhibitions of foreign authors.
The Gallery of Modern Art (Nicosia)
There is also a large art gallery in the capital. The museum is located in the heart of Nicosia, right next to the Venetian walls, its exposition includes the works of Cypriot artists of the XIX-XX centuries. In addition, you can see sculptures and engravings of current masters, many of which are made on medieval patterns. There are also works by young authors in the gallery.
The Medieval Museum of Cyprus (Limassol)
The historic centre of Limassol has an exhibition on the medieval period of the island. The exhibition itself is located in the famous Limassol castle, near the old harbour. This fortress was built on the site of an ancient Byzantine castle. It was once the place where King Richard the Lionheart celebrated his wedding. The building dates from the end of the 10th century, but was rebuilt because it was destroyed during one of the wars. Only two halls on the ground floor are left of the original fort.