Limassol                    for map                                           

Limassol, The district of Limassol (Lemesos) which covers the south part of Cyprus, borders with the district of Larnaca in the east, with the district of Paphos in the west, as well as with the capital Nicosia in the north. The climate of Lemesos (Limassol) is warm and dry in the summer and mild in the winter it is a marvellous Mediterranean climate. In the summer the temperature during daytime fluctuates between 22.0⁰ Celsius degrees and 38.0⁰ and in winter between -1,0 and 18⁰ Celsius degrees, according to the altitude of the area. The temperature of the sea water, is about 15.50⁰ Celsius degrees in winter and 24.50⁰ in August and September. These temperatures allow swimming throughout the year. Limassol has some very good beaches, rich in sand and suitable for sunbathing and swimming at Curium, Pissouri, Amathus and the Lady’s Mile beach. Popular areas to visit are Platres, Troodos, Prodromos, Agros Pera-Pedhiand and Omodos.

The Medieval Museum
(Within the Castle)
This rich medieval museum is found inside the castle of the town, which is close to the old port. The collection that the museum provides covers the era of 400 - l870 A.D. A visitor can see numerous exhibits: cannons, wood carvings of the 17th and 18th century, paintings and tombstones, statues, suits of armour, coins, terracotta, metal ware and pottery, glass and marble articrafts.
According to the tradition, Richard the Lionheart is said to have married Queen Berengaria of Navarre in this castle in 181 and crowned her Queen of England.

The Castle
The Castle was built by the Byzantines around l000 A.D. Around the same period, a chapel was also built there. According to the legend, it was in this chapel that the wedding of Richard the Lionheart with Berengaria took place, when the king was landed near Amathus, on his way to the Holy Land during the third Crusade. When the chapel was destroyed by an earthquake in 184, a new church of Gothic style was built in its place by the Knights Templar in the same year. With the extension later of the Castle the church came to be included in the Castle grounds. Later on, in 1382, the interior of the church (today’s basement chapel, cells, towers) became part of the castle.

The Castle was conquered by the Mamelukes in 1426 and it later on surrendered to the Knights of the Order of St. John. The Venetians pulled the oId Castle down and used the stones to build the city walls, between 1559 and 1567. The Turks erected part of the Castle in 1570, using it for the defence of the city. The Castle was used as a prison, between 1790-1940. After a few minor repairs in 1951, it was temporarily used as the Archaeological Museum of Limassol.

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