Filenews 29 January 2024 - by Dora Christodoulou
A project, which in these years of its existence managed to turn into a favourite destination for hundreds of residents and foreign visitors daily, is now also a real gem for Pafos.
The coastal pedestrian street that extends from the Medieval Castle to the harbour of Kato Pafos to the boundaries of Pafos Municipality and the community of Chlorakas, 4.2km long, has been further upgraded at a cost of €7.5 million and has now been given to the public with its new, impressive image.
Already, the upgrading of the project and the stunning image it creates of the harbour and the western coastline of the city, is visible from the modern lighting of the project in the evenings, which creates an amazing spectacle, especially at night hours and contributes so that, when winter weather conditions allow it, it can be used for exercise, sports or recreation of citizens even on these winter evenings.
The project covers a total area of 47,000sq.m. Its main component is the 4-meter wide pedestrian street that starts from the square of the Castle and ends in Chloraka. With a continuous view of the sea, a network of points of interest for visitors is developed at various points of the route, such as squares, sitting areas and viewpoints to the antiquities of the area and the open sea.
The project passes through particularly sensitive areas from an environmental point of view, since a large part of the area is a protected landscape included in the Natura 2000 Network, but also from a historical point of view, since starting from the traditional port of Kato Pafos and the Medieval Castle, it crosses the archaeological site of Kato Pafos and the archaeological site of the Tombs of the Kings, sites of unique historical and archaeological value for Cyprus and for world culture.
Speaking to "F", the Deputy Mayor of Pafos, Christos Makariou, stressed that this is an important enrichment project that changes the level of Pafos and what it offers to its people and visitors, with the pedestrian street being the thread that connects the glorious and illustrious in antiquity Nea Pafos, capital of Cyprus for 600 years, with the city of today that has changed and is changing without abandoning its history and identity.
The western coastal pedestrian street, which is now revealed in its new, even more attractive form, is one of the two pedestrian streets that cover the entire coastline of low Paphos, from the area of Geroskipou to Kissonerga. Equally popular with residents of the city and suburban area, Mr. Makariou stressed, is the eastern pedestrian street, which covers the area from the Municipal Baths of Kato Pafos to the coast of Geroskipou, at the point where the now popular church of Agios Nikolaos has been erected.
Hundreds of people of all genders, ages and professional classes flood the two pedestrian streets since, apart from strolling in one of the most beautiful natural landscapes of Cyprus, exercise also seems to have become a way of life for many Paphians.
The deputy mayor of Pafos stressed that the eastern coastal pedestrian street of two kilometers has also been converted into a place of daily gathering, as was already the case with the pedestrian street of Faros, the construction of which had preceded it.
The pedestrian street has also now been enriched with services and improved in a way that will be touted for recreation, exercise and walking, he stressed. The pedestrian street, in addition to being landscaped to be a place for exercise, rest and walking, also now includes illumination and installation of urban equipment, he clarified.
As the deputy mayor of Pafos mentioned, the project had a budget of €200,000 and is considered particularly important given that it is located along the tourist coastal area in which many people, locals and visitors, move daily.
In recent years, many people use the area for jogging and walking during the morning and afternoon hours, Makariou said. The issue of the lack of lighting, mainly, was a deterrent for those who wanted to enjoy the stunning natural landscape of the area and the beach in front of the luxury hotels and evenings.
Now, with the improvements made, these two projects have become an outlet for thousands of our fellow citizens, replacing spaces for social gatherings.
