The last divided capital in Europe
MAYOR OF NICOSIA
The Mayor
Mayor's Welcome
Former Mayors
NICOSIA MUNICIPALITY
Departments
Civil Marriages
History
Twinnings
Collaborations
NEWS & EVENTS
Announcements
Nicosia International Festival
DISCOVER THE CITY
History
Sights
Museums
Theatres
Picture Galleries & Art Centers
Libraries
Shopping Streets
Accomodation
City Map
Cultural Centers
Squares
Parks
Markets
Places of Worship
Government Buildings
Cycling Routes
Historical Schools
Education Institutes
Sport Venues
Nicosia Artists
Swimming Pools
Car Parking
CONTACT US
Contact Information
Citizen Service & Information Bureau
Online Applications
Online Payments
Suggestions / Requests
Wedding Certificate Validator
Emergency Services
Ελληνικά
English
Russian
Webmail
e-λευκωσία
DMS
The struggle for independence: 1955-1959
DISCOVER THE CITY
/
History
/
History of Nicosia
/
The struggle for independence: 1955-1959
Nicosia during the EOKA (National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) struggle, 1955-1959.
The referendum organised by the Church in 1950, in which the majority of Greek Cypriots voted in favour of union with Greece, prepared the ground for the popular uprising in April 1955, which erupted violently.
As the seat of government and the Ethnarchy, Nicosia became the main theatre of political conflict.
Talks between the British Governor of Cyprus, Sir John Harding, and Archbishop Makarios began at the Ledra Palace Hotel in October 1955 and ended six months later with his exile to the Seychelles.
At the same time, the continued violence and declaration of a state of emergency in November 1955 turned Nicosia into an embattled capital with armed security forces. Curfews and barbed wire, sirens, murders and arrests became part of daily life. The city’s long commercial zone, Ledra Street, became known as ‘Murder Mile’.
MAYOR
THE MUNICIPALITY
ΕΝΗΜΕΡΩΣΗ
DISCOVER THE CITY
History
History of Nicosia
Nicosia Today
The birth of Nicosia
Ancient Nicosia
The Kingdom of Ledra
Nicosia from antiquity to the present
Richard the Lionheart and the Knights Templar
The capital of the Lusignan Kingdom
The fortifications during the Lusignan period: 1192-1489 AD
Caterina Cornaro: The last Queen of Cyprus
The Venetian administration and the new fortifications
The new fortifications by Julio Savorgnano
The construction of the new walls
The Siege of Nicosia
Nicosia during the Ottoman period
Nicosia seen by travelers
The Archduke of Austria Louis Salvator and Nicosia
The establishment of British Rule
The city of Horatio Herbert Kitchener
Urban development
The struggle for independence: 1955-1959
Nicosia, capital of the Republic of Cyprus
Nicosia 1963
Nicosia 1974
A city that waits
Sights
Museums
Theatres
Picture Galleries & Art Centers
Libraries
Shopping Streets
Accomodation
City Map
Cultural Centers
Squares
Parks
Markets
Places of Worship
Government Buildings
Cycling Routes
Historical Schools
Education Institutes
Sport Venues
Nicosia Artists
Swimming Pools
Car Parking
CONTACT US