Category: Discover Cyprus

Located within the walled city of Lefkosia (Nicosia), the Cyprus Postal Museum is housed on the ground floor of an old two-storey mansion. It was founded in 1981 to exhibit the rich and diverse material of the island’s postal history, which started from the 15th century, when postal communications to-and-from Cyprus were organised for the first time during the Venetian period.

The halls of the museum exhibit postage stamps and rich philatelic material in chronological order, including material from the period of British Rule. In particular, the oldest series of Cypriot stamps with the portrait of Queen Victoria of England, which are overprinted with the word ‘Cyprus’, as well as the first dedicated Cypriot series of 1928 that depicts historic sites and figures related to the island’s long history.

Other exhibits include ‘first day of issue’ envelopes and stamps issued since the proclamation of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 until today, and that showcase the island’s historical dates, great figures, culture, touristic sights, monuments and overall contribution to civilization. Methods of insuring post is also displayed, from sealing-wax to machinery, along with weighing scales and other philatelic books and magazines.

The museum was originally founded in 1933 during British colonial times as a Criminal Museum by the British Chief of Police of the colonial government.

A substantial part of the museum is dedicated to the history of the Cyprus Police Force, from the British period up to the present day. Visitors can see uniforms, arms, equipment and police vehicles, as well as musical instruments, photographs and documents of the Police Band. The Museum also houses objects and documents from the Second World War and the 1955-1959 National Liberation Struggle.

Located within the grounds of the Carlsberg Brewery, the museum is the largest natural history exhibition of its kind on the island and was founded by ‘The Photos Photiades Charity, Scientific and Cultural Foundation’. Amongst its 2.500 or so exhibits are: embalmed mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and insects, along with rocks, minerals, semi precious stones, shells and fossils.

The Cyprus Handicraft Centre is an outlet for producing and selling traditional folk art and crafts. Visitors can see the artisans engaged in the traditional crafts at the workshops, such as embroidery and lace making, tapestry, weaving, basketry, woodcarving, pottery, metalwork (copperware and silver), leather and garment making.

An exhibition displays the various handicrafts, along with other items such as ceramic tiles and ancient figures, whilst a wide range of the authentic Cypriot handmade goods can also be purchased at the shop.

The Centre of Visual Arts & Research (CVAR) is the home of the Costas and Rita Severis Foundation – a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that provides a platform for the exploration of Cyprus’ cultural heritage.

The CVAR is comprised of a four-storey exhibition area, research centre, conference hall, café, roof terrace lounge and gift shop, all housed in a building within the historic walled city of Lefkosia (Nicosia) that was originally an ottoman-era Khan, and was later converted into a flour mill in 1953.

The Centre houses a unique collection of paintings and artefacts that highlight the island’s multicultural past over the past three centuries, including artwork, costumes, memorabilia, books and archival material from all over the world, that come from the personal collection of Mr. and Mrs Severis.

In addition to its permanent collections, the CVAR also hosts temporary exhibitions, lectures, films and other special events, highlighting the work of local and international artists and scholars.

The four art galleries of the Cultural Centre of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation exhibit a unique collection of representative works of Western-European art, dating from the Renaissance to modern times, as well as Greek and Cypriot masterpieces.

The first gallery contains works of western European painters such as Nicolas Poussin, Eugene Delacroix and others; the second gallery contains 18th and 19th century paintings, engravings and maps on themes from the 1821 Greek War of Independence; the third gallery contains works of Greek artists from the 19th and 20th century, and the fourth gallery contains representative works of 20th century Cypriot artists.

The Cyprus Museum is the island’s main and largest archaeological museum, and charts the development of Cyprus’ civilisation from the Neolithic Age to the Early Byzantine period (7th century).

The museum’s collections are comprised of finds from extensive excavations from all over the island that have helped the development of Cyprus’ archaeology, as well as its research into the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.

The collections consist of pottery, jewellery, sculpture, coins, copper objects, and other artefacts, all exhibited in chronological order in the various museum galleries. Pieces typical of Cypriot culture – and of particularly important artistic, archaeological and historical value – include the cross-shaped idol of the Chalcolithic period, Early Bronze Age pottery from Vouni, Late Bronze Age golden jewellery from Egkomi, and the 1st century BC statue of Aphrodite of Soloi.

The museum building itself is also historic, and work on it commenced in 1908 and was completed in 1924, when Cyprus was still a British colony. Several extensions were later added for the museum to become the building it is today.

The museum is linked with the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

The Cyprus Museum – Audio Guide