Backlash grows over Paphos historic centre redevelopment

Concerns over the future of the historic centre of Paphos intensified on Monday after the Chlorakas environmental group warned that the architectural design of the new Paphos museum risks undermining the city’s cultural identity.

The group’s president said the project, promoted as a landmark intervention, adopts an approach that “does not correspond to the identity of Paphos”, criticising the use of metal, “lace like” structures in an area traditionally defined by “stone and Mediterranean simplicity”.

He said the issue was not a rejection of contemporary architecture but the lack of balance.

“The challenge was never old versus new. It was about harmony, respecting the historical setting of the place and allowing it to evolve without interruption,” he said.

According to the group, extensive cement surfaces, unnecessary bridges and the dominant metallic appearance of the new constructions detach the site from its surroundings and alter the character of the listed building itself, which is intended to house the city’s museum.

The president warned that the project shows how “ruralism not only persists, but mutates”, posing a threat to cultural continuity and authenticity in the historic core.

The intervention comes as works to convert the former Paphos central police headquarters on Kennedy square, following several years of redevelopment in the area.

The project has a budget of nearly €10 million and a construction period of 15 months.

It includes the upgrade of 18,000 square metres of outdoor space and the restoration and conversion of the 950 square metre listed police building, based on a specialised museological study prepared by experts.

Plans aim to connect the urban landscape with the city’s history through a pedestrian route beginning near the Armenian genocide park and leading through landscaped areas and passages to a new urban square with seating, facilities and public amenities.

Visitors will enter the museum through a modern structure and follow an exhibition tracing the history of Paphos from classic antiquity to modern times, using both physical artefacts and digital material.

The municipality has been collecting historical documents for almost two years after appealing to residents to contribute material linked to the city’s past.