A stone fortress built across fifteen centuries of layers
In the old town of Limassol, near the old port, the Château de Limassol encloses its thick walls around a museum dedicated to Cypriot the Middle Ages. From the top of the ramparts, the view opens over the port and the city.
In the courtyard, an early medieval olive press reminds visitors that the site has known many other lives beyond its military origins.
Why visit Château de Limassol
Excavations have shown that the building rests on an early Christian basilica dating from the 4th to 7th centuries and a Byzantine monument from the 10th to 11th centuries. You are literally walking across multiple superimposed eras.
The current structure dates from the Ottoman period. It incorporates remnants of the previous castle, which was destroyed by the Venetians in 1567 and 1568.
Local tradition holds that Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre here in 1191. This event gives its name to the nearby street, rue Richard-et-Bérengère.
The medieval museum and its galleries
Since 1987, the castle has housed the medieval collection of the Cyprus Museum. The exhibits trace the history of the island from the 3rd to the 18th century across several rooms on multiple levels.
Inside, you will see medieval pottery, tombstones, weapons, crosses, and coins. The Byzantine silver plates rank among the most refined pieces in the collection.
From prison to museum
The cellars and the first floor served as prison cells until 1950. The central prisons were later transferred to Nicosia.
The castle was then entrusted to the Department of Antiquities and operated as a district museum before receiving its current medieval collection.
Finish your visit at the ramparts and the terrace. From up there, you can take in the harbor and the city rooftops that the castle has overlooked for centuries.
How long for this activity
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours to tour the museum and walk the ramparts.