Filenews 27 November 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
One of the first crafts in Cyprus, whose existence is ignored even by many residents in Geroskipou, where it is located, comes a century later in the news again, on the occasion of the acquisition of its facilities by the municipal authority and the public announcement of interest by the municipality for the submission of proposals for the revival of the site. The reason for the old silk factory of Geroskipou, which operated in the early 1900s in the area where the old Paphos KEN operated for decades. The purchase of this space by the Municipality of Geroskipou, already opens the discussion in the second population municipality of the Pafos district and about this aspect of the community yesterday.
An intervention on the need to utilize the old silk factory was expressed by the Cultural Officer of the Municipality, Nikos Palios. Explaining the facts of the case, Mr. Palios states to "F" that in 1924 the colonial government of Cyprus gave permission to an English company to establish a silk textile industry in Geroskipou.
"Two years later, in 1926, and after being inaugurated by the British governor M. Stevenson, The Cyprus Silk Filature Ltd began its operation," he says. "The establishment and operation of the silk factory was done under the responsibility of the colonial English government of Cyprus and with the cooperation of foreign firms and specialists. Geroskipou was chosen for its construction, because the district of Pafos produced at that time the largest number of silk cocoons of good quality."
The factory employed more than 180 workers from the villages of the area and absorbed every year 150,000 kg of cocoons from which it produced 12,000-13,000 kg of silk.
The factory consisted of stone-built premises that survive to this day. Its main part was the large hall for the extraction of silk from the cocoons. In two series, there were a total of 80 basins and production machines, in which 160 workers worked. After the silk was exported, it went through dryers, and through a quality control stage. According to travel books by writers of the time, four grades of silk were produced, which was packaged in 100 kg balls and exported to Italy and other European countries.
The factory eventually closed down when silk production became unprofitable, because the industrialization of the production of other kinds of fabrics made silks uncompetitive items. For the same reason, silkworm breeding and silk production in Cyprus were terminated.
Sale to entrepreneur Lanitis
In 1934 most of it was sold to the Cypriot businessman N.K. Lanitis and was renamed "Paphos Industries Ltd". In 1940, with the beginning of the Second World War, its premises were requisitioned by the British for the construction of parachutes. The operation of the factory continued for a few more years until its final closure in 1952.
After independence, and specifically in 1961, according to Mr. Palios, the community of Geroskipou asked the state to create on the premises of the former Metaxourgeio Vocational School "for the technical and professional education of the young people of the region" so that finally the Republic of Cyprus came to requisition it and create in 1964 the Paphos Recruits Training Centre, which for about four decades trained thousands of national guardsmen.
After the move of KEN to the village of Anarita at the end of the 20th century, the land passed back into the hands of the owner company, the then Laiki Bank.
In 2004, following a proposal by the Municipality of Geroskipou, the entire plot was declared "preserved" (Decree KDP 75/2004). Its building facilities are remarkable examples of industrial architecture. The owner company planned the construction of the site, securing planning permission in 2012 for its residential and commercial development, a design that remained on paper due to the economic crisis of 2013 and the merger of Laiki with the Bank of Cyprus.
Finally, in January 2021, the Municipality of Geroskipou signed an agreement of €2.5 million with the Bank of Cyprus for the purchase of the land, with the aim of utilizing it for the benefit of Geroskipou and its residents.
The plot, of total area 26757sq.m, is located just 300 metres north of Geroskipou Square. It is the only free space with a similar area, which is left in the urban fabric of Geroskipou. It is a reserve of life for the city and should be exploited accordingly, observes the Urban Planning Officer of the Municipality:
"The special features of the site consist of: Its proximity to the historic centre of the city, the easy access, through the road network, with all the components of the Municipality of East Paphos, its historical identity: a silk factory and a camp, spatially supported by buildings dating from the 30s to the 70s, in its natural qualities: unobstructed views, greenery, interesting visual escapes, free spaces, as well as its size, the listed buildings, its particularly privileged location, its relationship with the city centre, with which there is visual contact, as well as the relationship with a developing residential area".
High goodwill property
The facilities of the old silk factory, argues Mr. Palios, are a property of high added value, which needs holistic development that will aim at the protection, restoration and promotion of its building stock, which is a unique monument of our architectural and cultural heritage and the dynamic reintegration of this spatial whole into the economic, social and cultural life of the municipality.
Reuse model and utilization of free space
According to the proposal submitted by Nikos Palios, factors that must be taken into account before finalizing the design are the urban planning regime, the current state of the plant, the financial capabilities of the Municipality and the reuse scenarios.
"The full utilization and exploitation of the urban building and coverage conditions that apply to the plot, apart from being economically unfeasible, will be disastrous (environmentally, culturally and socially)," he points out. "After all, one of the reasons that led the municipality to buy it was to avoid cementing it. Therefore, at least at this stage, the siting and construction of new buildings should be avoided. Priority should be given to the reuse of the 3300sq. m. building stock and the activation of free space.
Unfortunately, the authenticity of Metaxourgeio as an industrial space has been significantly reduced, due to the loss of its equipment, but also the destruction / removal of its architectural parts (such as the huge foyer, which was a trademark of the factory). This, of course, has a significant influence on the formulation of the reuse proposal.
Geroskipou, and by extension the Municipality of East Paphos, lacks basic infrastructure, but also value-added projects. The reuse and management of such a large space undoubtedly raises high expectations, but also concerns regarding the financial viability of the design. We cannot afford failure."
The Cultural Officer of the Municipality of Geroskipou also states that the exploitation should meet the needs of today's generation, without, however, limiting the possibility of intervention by the next generation. There is no model of reuse that can be applied for all cases, as the uses depend on the particularities of each historical monument, the needs of each local community and, of course, the financial capabilities of the municipal authority, he estimates.
Public debate on valorisation
On November 16, the Municipality of Geroskipou inaugurated a public dialogue to discuss ways of utilizing the space, in which the communities that will make up the Municipality of East Paphos in the future can also participate. Several proposals have already been made, while others have begun to be submitted in writing.
"Equally important is the idea of promoting the structured and free space of Old Metaxourgeio into a collective place, a place of meeting, communication and cultural creation", he emphasizes. "Undoubtedly, it will mark the beginning of a new era for Geroskipou and the Municipality of East Paphos. For this purpose, within the next period, the Cultural Service of the Municipality of Geroskipou will submit to the Municipal Council a specific proposal as a basis for discussion, which will provide for the use, in a sustainable way, of the building stock of Old Metaxourgeio. The proposal will also include the activation of the outdoor common area, with the aim of upgrading the quality of life in Geroskipou. In addition, the outdoor area will be an organic part of the building complex, while, with the removal of the fences, it will also connect the space with the wider area and Geroskipou Square".
