Designed by the late Zaha Hadid, the eye-catching refurbishment by the star architect links the city’s historic old town with modern districts beyond its medieval fortifications while creating a sprawling new public recreational space.
Encompassing both the square and former moat below, part of the remodelled, pedestrian-friendly landmark is now an urban park. It includes fountains, benches, a playground, grassy areas, as well as an 80-seat amphitheatre – breathing new life into Nicosia’s city centre.
Highlighting the significance of the project, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said the reimagined square and its surroundings will be a ‘reference point’ for the whole of the country and called it ‘a real jewel, which connects old Nicosia with new Nicosia in a modern way’.
Anastasiades will be on hand for Friday’s inauguration ceremony alongside Mayor of Nicosia Municipality Constantinos Yiorkadjis, with Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, a Cyprus native, also expected to attend. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no public celebrations are planned.
Urban upgrade
The overhauled split-level site sports a futuristic feel characterised by curved, light-coloured concrete complete with ramps to facilitate access. With the upper bridge section open since late 2018 and parts of the lower moat area following earlier this year, it has become a must-see and gathering place for locals and tourists alike.
Concerts and movie screenings held at the square have added to Nicosia’s cultural offerings. At night, the space is sometimes lit up in different colours to mark special occasions and draw attention to causes – this has recently included pancreatic cancer awareness.
Officials see the redesign as an important upgrade of central Nicosia’s urban fabric and part of a wider effort to make it more attractive and accessible. By drawing more people to the area, the revamp is contributing to its socio-economic revitalisation by boosting foot traffic for local cafés, restaurants and shops, and creating favourable conditions for new businesses, they say.
Pan-European competition
Hadid – who died in 2016 and was the first woman to receive the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize – outdid 46 contenders in a 2005 pan-European architectural competition to determine the winning design. It was the first such contest for a Cypriot project and underscored its importance.
Overall, the project involved the renovation of an area totalling 20 000 square metres and required cooperation with specialised European laboratories and suppliers. The overhaul also included the reconstruction of sidewalks in the surrounding area.
The project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the Republic of Cyprus and the Nicosia Municipality. So far, the ERDF contribution amounts to EUR 30 million.
Implemented in two phases, the project was part of Nicosia’s 2014-2020 ‘Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategy’ and contributed to the ‘revitalising the urban environment’ objective of the ‘Competitiveness and Sustainable Development 2014-2020’ operational programme.
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