European Culture Capital Paphos aims for new beginning
Barbara Wesel kbm
January 30, 2017
The title of European Capital of Culture is passed around each year to lesser known cities, given them time in the limelight. Cyprus' tiny city of Paphos hopes the status will bring renewal, reports DW's Barbara Wesel.
Image: DW/B. Wesel
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Paphos 2017 - European Capital of Culture
The city on Cyprus will share the title with the city of Aarhus in Denmark. The planned events under the motto "Linking continents - bridging cultures" will make both locations very attractive travel destinations.
Image: picture-alliance/ F. Buffetrille
Omnipresent Aphrodite
For centuries, Paphos, in south-western Cyprus, served as a center of the cult of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. A sculpture park along the coast has been created for the ECOC year. The bronze sculpture "Sol Alter," by Cypriot artist Yiota Ioannidou, pays tribute to Aphrodite. It depicts a young woman who looks after the place where Aphrodite lived and wants to be like her.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Christodoulou
Ancient myths
Aphrodite is said to have landed here when she rose from the sea. The legendary Pétra tou Romioú, also known as Aphrodite's rock, is just 25 kilometers outside of Paphos - a must-see for tourists exploring the island's breathtaking beaches. The eastern Mediterranean island is home to some unique archaeological treasures. In 1962 a farmer discovered marvelous mosaics in his field.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/F. Baumgart
Paphos Archeological Park
The well-preserved mosaics can be viewed from wooden walkways. They once adorned ancient Roman villas. Like a picture book of Greek mythology, they depict scenes with deities such as Apollo and Daphne. To mark the ECOC year there will a performance of the comedy "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes. In it the women refuse sex with their husbands until a treaty for peace has been signed.
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images/F. Gierth
Cypriot Cedars
The coniferous trees typical of the island are also depicted in the mosaics. Cedar wood was in great demand, as it is very resilient and repels insects. Nowadays the native Cyprus cedar (Cedrus brevifolia) is protected. In the "Valley of the Cedars" visitors can enjoy a stroll and a picnic in the shade of the trees. At the height of summer, temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees Celsius (104° F).
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images/F. Gierth
Necropolis of Nea Paphos
The famous "Tombs of the Kings" date back to the 3rd century B.C. They are not actually the final resting places of royalty, but instead of wealthy citizens who had mausoleums built, some even with their own drinking fountains. The Egyptian-inspired tombs, along with the ancient mosaics, are all part of the Archaeological Park, which has been listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980.
Image: picture-alliance/World Pictures/P. Phipp
Natural drama
Lára Bay is one of the few places in the Mediterranean where sea turtles lay their eggs. They have been a protected species on the island of Cyprus since 1971. Tourists are asked not to drive onto beaches between May and August, as that is when the animals hatch and quickly make their way across the sand into the sea.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Christodoulou
The harbor becomes a stage
Weather-wise Paphos as European Culture Capital has its advantages. In January at the start of the events temperatures measure around 15 degrees Celsius - ideal for many open-air music, theater and dance events. On May 1st, 2017 the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra will be giving their Europe Concert on the promenade - certainly a highlight for the region's 60,000 inhabitants and the many visitors.
Image: picture-alliance/J. Mille
Culinary delights
Cyprus is some 70 kilometers south of Turkey and fewer than 100 kilometers west of Syria. Cuisine here has been greatly influenced by oriental flavors. Typical are meze: platters of tidbits such as salads, vegetables, grilled halloumi cheese, mashed olives, meatballs and sweet soutzoukos - almonds covered in a jelly made of boiled grape juice, rosewater, cinnamon and pistachio tree gum.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/J. Kalaene
Island of tourists
The holiday season is long on Cyprus. Even in the autumn, temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius and the water temperate of the Mediterranean here is 27 degrees. In 2016, because of security concerns in neighboring countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia, more tourists than expected (3 million) traveled to the Greek part of the island. The northern part has been occupied by Turkey since 1974.
Image: picture-alliance/maxppp
Island of gods
In 2017 holidaymakers can look forward to more than 300 cultural events in Paphos. The international airport makes getting there easy. You can even go skiing until March. The slopes in the Troodos Mountains are almost literally divine - the ski lifts called Hera, Hermes and, of course, Aphrodite. The most challenging slope is named after the king of the gods, Zeus.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Karadjias
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The young singers are very nervous. "Paphos is a small city and hardly gets any attention. For us, it's a chance to show who we really are!" Bubbly with excitement, Christina, Nicoletta and Antigonae all speak at once. They hope many visitors will come this year to Paphos, a coastal city in southwestern Cyprus, to see their choir.
Even at the opening of the Culture Capital festivities, Paphos is one big construction site, but that doesn't bother the young women. "In three or four months, everything is certain to be done," they say confidently.
The singers explain the things that the official speeches leave out - like how the budget for urban renewal dried up after Paphos won the Culture Capital bid and unfinished construction projects were abandoned. Just last year, a new and independent mayor was elected. (His predecessor is currently in jail.) Since then, there has been more progress.
There are construction sites everywhere in PaphosImage: DW/B. Wesel
Nevertheless, the run-down old town in Paphos is still a giant excavation pit. The square in front of the city hall is mostly finished, but there are construction fences set up nearly everywhere else. The cement mixer was even rolling this past weekend during the opening celebrations.
Hope for reconciliation in Cyprus
"Renewing the city is what we want to leave behind for Paphos," says Anastazia Anastassiou from the Culture Capital organization team. The goal was to rejuvenate the dilapidated old down with a budget of nearly 60 million euros ($64 million). Tourists mainly go to the harbor town of Kato Paphos, leaving the older part of the city with its dusty alleys and crumbling buildings to fall into neglect.
Now, for instance, the old Turkish-Cypriot restaurant Ismail's Khan is set to be restored; it is to serve as a future venue for events, concerts and performances. A "table of reunification" is to be set up here, which was designed by British artist Anthony Heywood's collective. It's made of wood that was found in the destroyed streets of the Turkish-Cypriot district Mouttala.
After the island was divided up between Cyprus and Turkey in the mid-1970s, the residents left their homes and moved to the northern part of the island. The table of reunification represents the political unification process on the divided island. While progress has been made, success has not yet been achieved.
This table stands for reconciliation between the Turkish and Cypriot parts of the islandImage: DW/B. Wesel
"The young people of Cyprus are hopeful," says Anastassiou, but she added that ethnic strife is still present among the older generations.
All events held outdoors
A few blocks further, the renovation of the old Markideion Theater has not yet been completed; the whole structure is just a shell. Performances won't be held there this year. The architectural master plan that was written up for Paphos 2017 will take several years to realize.
Still, the Paphos 2017 organizers are making the most of the situation. Since there are no finished concert halls or theaters, all of the events are taking place outdoors. The square in front of the medieval castle near the harbor will serve as a venue, as will the amphitheater in the ancient part of Paphos, which boasts mosaics that are thousands of years old.
Street theater and installations are on the agenda, and music in particular will be featured during the year of culture. In May, the Berlin Philharmonic is scheduled to perform. In addition to this classical highlight, Paphos 2017 also wants to present Mediterranean music: Luz Cazal from Spain, Mísia from Portugal and the Khoury Ensemble, with its mix of Arab and eastern music, are on the program.
The Paphos 2017 opening events took place outdoorsImage: DW/B. Wesel
Paphos' connection to the gods
The warm climate on the island is in itself something that should draw visitors during the whole year. In fact, the outdoor opportunities played an important role in Paphos' application to become a Culture Capital - and the organizers' tiny budget of just 8 million euros left them no other option.
It is said that the goddess Aphrodite stepped out of the sea near Paphos, and the opening celebration made many references to Greek mythology. Local choirs and dancers depicted the tales of the sculpture Pygmalion, who fell in love with one of his statues. She came to life and they had a child named Paphos. That is the story of the birth of the city - a story that is getting a new chapter this year.
Paphos shares the Culture Capital title this year with Aarhus in Denmark - which is sending a jazz orchestra to the Mediterranean island. The Danish connection actually goes back quite a few years. The medieval King Eric I fell ill on a pilgrimage to Constantinople. On his return journey, he was forced to stop in Paphos, where he died and was buried in 1103. The Danes look back at their own history, while helping Paphos write its future this year.
