Filenews 13 September 2023
Archbishop George initiated an inspection process of the building of the former Ledra Palace Hotel, in order to determine its static adequacy, in order to utilize it, if the data allow this.
This development was made possible by some contacts brought by the United Nations, which has been using it for decades, not wanting, also because of its condition, to maintain it.
The archdiocese retains a majority stake in the former hotel, which will be sought to change use.
Archbishop George, contacted by "F", in response to a relevant question, said that if the building proves durable and, eventually, the United Nations abandons it, he does not want it to reopen as a hotel but to be used for the organization of some Church events and other cultural content.
Any change of use of the building and its use for events and more broadly for cultural purposes, is estimated to give life to an area (where many of the revitalization efforts foundered) with the prospect of attracting other uses.
His Beatitude said that the adequacy or not of the building, which despite the years that have passed does not seem dangerous, will be determined by a static study. If efforts to reuse the historic former hotel are successful, the Church wants to be sure that its future users, visitors and so on, will be safe on its premises, the Archbishop said.
Since then, the building has been maintained from time to time at the expense of the Republic of Cyprus and the cost is estimated to have amounted to hundreds of thousands of euros over time, taking into account that only one of the maintenance costs about €2 million.
Problems were created, among others, in the balconies, the walls and other places, which, however, are considered at first sight to be repairable. As for the cost, it is understood that a few million are expected to be spent, since in addition to the building itself, new services will be required, electrical installation, etc., while it is judged that the doors and windows or part of the floors, etc., are also needed. And of course, energy upgrading will be required.
As we are informed, a meeting is expected to take place during which, in addition to the issue of the static adequacy of the hotel, the urban planning data will also be discussed, i.e. what is allowed and what is not allowed in the area. Since the use will be milder than the previous one, it is assumed that no objections will arise.
As "F" is informed by the environment of the Archdiocese, His Beatitude considers that the Church should develop business activity in order to support its social work, but at the same time, considering that this is not an end in itself, he concluded that the building should have another use and serve the wider society. The building is located in the buffer zone, which belongs to the Republic of Cyprus but whether there are any technocratic aspects as to how to use the building are expected to be discussed.
According to the information that has come to light from time to time, the architect of the project was the German Benjamin Gunsberg and the construction works of the hotel, costing about 200,000 pounds, were completed in 1949 by the company Cyprus Hotels Limited. The inauguration ceremony took place on October 8 in the presence of the then British Governor Andrew Barcyworth Wright.
Ledra Palace - journey through history
Ledra Palace was considered, and was, luxurious compared to similar luxury hotels in the eastern Mediterranean. Among its visitors/patrons, even Hollywood stars. In the first phase it had 94 bedrooms which included 150 beds. The rooms had hot and cold water, central heating and telephone.
Customers were served by two restaurants, two bars, a café and an event hall. In the period 1967-1968, two more floors were added, with rooms increasing to 200, and beds to 320.
When the major shareholder of the company that owned the hotel, Dimitrios Zerpinis, died, Archbishop Makarios bought his shares from his wife, making the Archdiocese the hotel's main shareholder.
As "F" recently wrote, the UN wants to use a property in the courtyard of the Ledra Palace Hotel, in the buffer zone, used by the Americans for the Fulbright program. Such a development requires the consent of the owner company, namely the Archdiocese, which through its representative rejected the possibility, while reserving the rights of the Church.
For its part, UNFICYP maintained for several years the position that Ledra Palace would remain under the control of the United Nations, with its public areas continuing to be used for intercommunal activities.
Since 1974 Ledra Palace has been under UN control and since 1993 British peacekeepers have settled there. Due to the condition of the building, at some stage the peacekeepers settled in prefabricated buildings.
As mentioned above, in 1956, Archbishop Makarios chose Ledra Palace to meet Governor Harting to discuss the solution of the Cyprus problem.
That same year, on November 26, the British colonialists had dinner and among the guests was the chief of counterintelligence. During lunch, a bomb was detonated and exploded, which had been placed behind the radiator. A second bomb, which had been placed in the same room, did not explode. Minimal damage was caused without injuring anyone.
The British gathered all the staff in the lounge trying to secure testimonies, but no one spoke.
Makarios – Harding meeting
In 1956, Archbishop Makarios chose Ledra Palace to meet Governor Harding to discuss the solution of the Cyprus problem.
In Ledra Palace it also hosted the intercommunal talks. In 1974 several journalists covered the Turkish invasion from there. In fact, two national guardsmen manning an outpost inside the hotel were the first casualties of the invasion.
The Turks constantly attacked the hotel and threatened that if the hotel was not evacuated by the national guards, they would bomb it. Despite pressure, the National Guardsmen did not leave and the next day the hotel was taken under their control.
