Omodos Coun Try : Cyprus

Si te : Omodos Coun try : Cyprus

C ON TE N TS OF TH E F I L E

Synthesis Architectural typologies present Country’s approved significant sites

History and general information Current state of vitality and preservation Transformation process

Interventions and rehabilitation programmes Bibliography Lexicon

SYNTHESIS

The site is implanted in the Lemesos district, in the wine-producing area of the southern Troodos slopes, with a semi-mountainous landscape surrounded by high peaks and cut through by the tributaries of the Ha-Potami river. It is around 42 km NW of the town of Lemesos. Omodos is a densely built settlement. Houses are usually built at the rear of a small y ard, enclosed by walls. In 1982, 97 houses out of a total of 326 were uninhabited. In the last 10 years,

more and more houses have been repaired for use as permanent residences, Countr map y holiday homes or for tourist purposes. Regional scale Local sc ale

ARCHITEC TURAL TYPOLOGIES PRESENT

Dichoro Rural courtyard house Grouped house (rare) Mountain house

THE COUN TRY’S APPROVED SIGNIFICANT SI TES

Drousheia Fikardou Kakopetria Lofou Omodos Detail of the urban fabric Lefkara Pera Oreinis Rizokarpaso Lapithos Old Lefkosia (Nicosia)

This project is financed by the MEDA programme of the European Union. The opinions expressed in the present document do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or of its member States. 1/3 Omodos

HISTORY AND GENERAL INFOR MATION

2  Surface ar ea of the site 84,500 m  Geographical co-ordinates Lat.: 34°49' north – Long.: 32°52' east

 Height above sea l evel 810 m  Lithology Chalks, marls, calcareous soils; to the north, lava and diabases of the igneous rock formation of Troodos.

549 in 1982, now estimated at  Population around 500.  Population densit y  Average annual maximum temperatures 32°  Average annual minimum temperatures 4.5°

 Averag e of maximum temp eratures 39° during the hottest month for 10 year s  Averag e of minimum temperatur es during -4° the coldest month for 10 years  Averag e rainfall 760 mm  Averag e number of days of rain p er year 72

 Specifi c ch aracteri stics Important religious celebration on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 14 September (the old monastery in the village centre is dedicated to the Holy Cross). Popular year-round excursion destination, especially on Sundays. Venue for events related to wine production. Two wine presses open to the public attract a number of visitors. In 1980, the Friends of Omodos association was founded, aimed at a return to their roots of the Omodos people who live abroad or in the city, through the organisation of cultural events related to the village and traditional ways of life.

 Traditional economic activities For centuries, wine-making has been one of the inhabitants’ main activities. The area around Omodos is covered with vineyards, and two large traditional wine presses are preserved in the village. Besides wine and a distilled spirit called zivania, many other vine by-products are made here. Other village products are lace and embroidery. Women make a major contribution to the household economy, as they both help with agricultural activities and make and sell embroideries, lace, sweets and other products for which Omodos is known.  New economic activities Tourism is the second main activity along with the wine-producing industry.  Site’s communications with its terr itor y Road connection with the village of Mandria to the north-east, with the village of Potamiou to the south-east and with the villages of Vasa and Malia to the south-west. Many tracks and paths lead to the vineyards, which cover a total surface of more than 514 hectares on the surrounding hills.

CURRENT STATE OF VI TALI TY AND PRESERVATION

The settlement is alive and active thanks to wine production and tourism. The traditional architecture is preserved in the centre of the settlement, but continuous development is a threat to its further preservation. Although much of the site is within a controlled area, it is difficult to regulate the impact of tourist dev elopment. In spite of this, there are still many uninhabited houses which the owners have neglected because they live abroad or in the city, because they cannot afford the cost of restoration, or because they simply consider the old houses too uncomf ortable to live in.

TRANSFOR MATION PR OCESS

Tourism has boomed during the last 20 years. Omodos is full of shops selling local products and other souvenirs, cafes, restaurants, etc. Most of the above are housed in the traditional dwellings, many of which have unfortunately undergone major alterations to adapt to their new functions. New openings and balconies have been made, and modern materials are used in the place of their traditional counterparts.

INTERVEN TIONS AND REHABILI TATION PROGRAMMES

A small number of houses have been listed as Ancient Monuments by the Department of Antiquities or listed by the Department of Town Planning and Housing. Two old wine presses have been restored by the Department of Antiquities and the old monastery of the Holy Cross has been declared an Ancient Monument. Most of the buildings in Omodos are not listed and it is impossible to restrain owners from making additions and modifications to make their houses more comf ortable in terms of modern standards of living, or to commercialise them, turning them into shops, restaurants, etc.

Contacts

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LEXICON

File created: 23/02/01 File last modified: 03/05/01