Paralimni ( el, Παραλίμνι) is a town within the Famagusta District of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

, situated on the island's east coast. Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, it has increased in size and status, primarily due to the migration of refugees fleeing from the north. Many workers in the tourist sectors of Protaras and Ayia Napa live in Paralimni, which is now the temporary administrative centre of the Famagusta District and the biggest municipality of the district under the control of the internationally recognised

Republic of Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

History

The word Paralimni is Greek and means "by the lake". Historically, the town was built on the shores of a shallow lake which filled with water only in the winter. At the beginning of the 20th century, the whole lakebed was reclaimed for agricultural purposes. Paralimni has not always been where it is now, and was built originally on a hill situated between Deryneia and its present location. In the 15th century, it was moved inland to avoid detection by pirates. It is said that the first people to settle in Paralimni arrived just after the capture of the nearby town of Famagusta by the Ottoman Turks in 1571. The first settlement was called Saint Demetrius, and this place still bears his name today. In 1986, after a referendum, the area was declared a municipality with the name "Paralimni". In May 1986, the first elections were held for the office of mayor and municipal council; Nikos Vlittis was elected the first mayor, and served from 1986 to 2006. In December 2006, Vlittis lost the election to Andreas Evaggelou, who served as mayor until 2011. The town is a stronghold for the

Democratic Rally The Democratic Rally ( el, Δημοκρατικός Συναγερμός, translit=Dimokratikós Sinagermós, ΔΗΣΥ/DISY) is a liberal-conservative, Christian-democratic political party in Cyprus led by Averof Neofytou. The party was founded ...

, a

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...

party whose member and former leader

Nicos Anastasiades Nicos Anastasiades ( el, Νίκος Αναστασιάδης ; born 27 September 1946) is a Cypriot politician who is the current president of Cyprus since 2013. He was re-elected in 2018. Previously, he was the leader of Democratic Rally bet ...

is the current

president of Cyprus The president of Cyprus, officially the president of the Republic of Cyprus, is the head of state and the head of government of Cyprus. The office was created in 1960, after Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Currently, t ...

. Architecturally, Paralimni has been nondescript, as very little remains of the original village. Outside of the town centre, most houses are little more than small rectangular blocks; this is compensated for by their attractive gardens, especially when the trees are in bloom. Younger generations who earn higher salaries have been spending larger amounts of money on the construction of more modern and attractive houses in the town. At the heart of Paralimni lies a shopping centre and a small entertainment scene, including modern cafes and bars. Because Paralimni has rapidly grown in size, Cyprus' biggest food retailers such as

Carrefour Carrefour () is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, France. The eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, it operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores and convenience stores, whic ...

have built or rented branches there. There are also many local supermarkets. The countryside surrounding Paralimni has red soil rich in zinc, which is famous for producing highly nutritious and flavourful potatoes. It is also known for its picturesque windmills, which are used to draw water from underground aquifers to irrigate the surrounding land. Many of these windmills are now derelict, having been replaced by electric or diesel-powered pumps. Before the rise of tourism, the rich agricultural land surrounding Paralimni was the source of its wealth, and is still of great importance today.

Sports

Enosis Neon Paralimni FC Enosis Neon Paralimni Football Club ( el, Ένωση Νέων Παραλιμνίου, ''Enosi Neon Paralimniou'', "Youth Union of Paralimni"), commonly referred to as ENP, is a Cypriot football team from Paralimni. Currently playing in the fir ...

, which plays in the

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division ( el, Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας) is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus, run by the Cyprus Football Association. Since February 2016, it is sponsored by Cyta and is thus officially ...

, is the football team of the town. There is also a Conference team in Paralimni called Anorthosis Paralimniou.

Protaras

Protaras ( el, Πρωταράς; tr, Protaras) is a predominantly tourist resort which comes under the administrative jurisdiction of Paralimni Municipality.

Climate

Ecology

Paralimni's lake is home to the harmless Cyprus

grass snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecies are recognized ...

, which was declared extinct in the 1960s until being rediscovered in 1994. As a result, the lake was designated a Site of Community Interest (SCI).

Notable residents

* Michalis Konstantinou, footballer, born in Paralimni * Solomos Solomou, raised in Paralimni, killed in 1996 by a Turkish officer in the UN Buffer Zone * Kyriakou Pelagia, renowned female singer of traditional Cypriot music, born in Paralimni

Gallery

File:Protaras beach at Paralimni in the Republic of Cyprus.jpg, A Protaras beach in summer File:Modern new pedestrian seaside road next to Protaras beach in Paralimni.jpg, A wooden pedestrian road beside the beach File:Cosmopolitan Protaras beach in Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg, The promenade next to the beach File:Glamorous cafeteria in Protaras seaside city Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg, A cafe with a view of the beach File:Motorbikes rent shop in Protaras Paralimni seaside paradise city Republic of Cyprus.jpg, A motorbike rental shop File:25 24 plaz v Protaras - Fig Tree Bay.JPG,

Fig Tree Bay Fig Tree Bay is a sandy beach in Protaras of Paralimni in Cyprus. In 2011, TripAdvisor declared it to be the third best beach in Europe, though it dropped to 13th place in 2013. Overview As with all beaches in Cyprus, access to the public is fr ...

File:Holdiay destination Protaras Paralimni road in Republic of Cyprus.jpg, A typical road in Protaras File:Beds of Sirena bay beach in Protaras Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg, Sirena Bay beach File:Sirena bay beach in Protaras Paralimni Republic of Cyprus 8.jpg, Sirena Bay File:Sirena bay beach tavern and lounge bar in Protaras Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg, A

taverna A taverna (Greek: ταβέρνα) is a small Greek restaurant that serves Greek cuisine. The taverna is an integral part of Greek culture and has become familiar to people from other countries who visit Greece, as well as through the establishme ...

at Sirena Bay File:Paralimni-st-varvara-church.JPG, The Church of St. Barbara File:Protaras-agios-ilias.JPG, The Church of St. Elias File:FamagustaDistrict 01-2017 img03 Paralimni StDemetrius Church.jpg, The Church of St. Demetrius File:FamagustaDistrict 01-2017 img01 Paralimni StGeorge Old Church.jpg, St. George Old Church File:Protaras_road_by_night_Paralimni_Republic_of_Cyprus.jpg, A protaras street at night File:Protaras blue lagoon.JPG, Gardens in Protaras

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20100131234233/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/cyprus-has-failed-protect-grass-snake/20100130

External links

Paralimni Official Municipality

Virtual Tour of Protaras
{{Authority control Municipalities in Famagusta District