Nicosia, capital of the Republic of Cyprus

DISCOVER THE CITY / History of Nicosia / Nicosia, capital of the Republic of Cyprus
The signing of the Zurich and London Agreements in February 1959 inaugurated a period of transition.
On March 1, 1959, Archbishop Makarios returned to the island after three years of exile.
Two hundred thousand people, nearly half the population of the island, lined the road from the airport to the archbishopric in the old city of Nicosia to greet him. From its balcony he addressed the huge crowd.

“Let us hold out the hand of friendship and cooperation… We are called upon to transform our island into a golden bridge that will unite and not divide the opposing powers.”

During the following months, Nicosia was at the heart of the administrative and constitutional preparations for Independence. On 13 December 1959, Makarios was elected President of the Republic of Cyprus and Nicosia officially became capital of the Republic of Cyprus.