Eleftheria Square ( el, Πλατεία Ελευθερίας; tr, Eleftheria Meydanı, Özgürlük Meydanı); literally meaning Liberty Square, is the main

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

in central Nicosia, the capital city 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 ...

, in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. It forms the intersection of

Ledra Ledra ( el, Λήδρα), also spelt Ledrae was an ancient city-kingdom located in the centre of Cyprus where the capital city of Nicosia is today. Ledra was established in 1050 BC. It became a city-kingdom by the seventh century BC. At times, ...

and Onasagorou streets with Stasinou, Omirou, Kostaki Pantelidi, Konstandinou Palaiologou and Evagorou avenues. It is considered one of

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

's Top 35 projects.

Overview

The name translates as ''Liberty Square'' in English. Previously the square was called Metaxas Square, in reference to the Greek statesman

Ioannis Metaxas Ioannis Metaxas (; el, Ιωάννης Μεταξάς; 12th April 187129th January 1941) was a Greek military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for t ...

. It was renamed in 1974, following a competition held at the suggestion of the then Mayor of Nicosia. It is located in the centre of the town below the Venetian walls of the medieval city. Nicosia town hall, located on D’Avila bastion, overlooks the square whilst

Ledra Street Ledra Street ( el, Οδός Λήδρας ''Odos Lidras''; tr, Ledra Caddesi) is a major shopping thoroughfare in central Nicosia, Cyprus, which links North Nicosia, the part of the city under the control of the ''de facto'' Northern Cyprus, an ...

leads onto its northern side. The project involves the use of sophisticated custom made materials and concepts. Renovation and remodeling of Eleftheria Square Nicosia Republic of Cyprus 2

Renovation and remodeling of Eleftheria Square Nicosia Republic of Cyprus 2

Cultural importance

The square is usually the focus of various profile activities in the capital. Examples include advertising promotions, political rallies and meetings such as the first meeting of the Occupy Buffer Zone movement on October 15, 2011, and sporting events. Celebrations such as Cyprus's accession to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

were also centered around the square. As presently the square is not pedestrianized, when major events take place vehicles are redirected.

Modern era

Liberty Square was not part of the original construction of the Venetian walls. It first took the form of a bridge constructed during the

British Cyprus British Cyprus was the island of Cyprus under the dominion of the British Empire, administered sequentially from 1878 to 1914 as a British protectorate, from 1914 to 1925 as a unilaterally annexed military occupation, and from 1925 to 1960 as a ...

era when the island was under the dominion of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

, at the end of the 19th century. As the city expanded out of the medieval walls wooden bridges were constructed to facilitate transport. The original wooden bridge known as the Hajisavvas Opening (erected in 1882) was replaced with a solid concrete one, which survives to date.

Renovation project

In 2005 an architectural competition was announced to redesign the historical square. This was won by a group led by

Criticism

The proposed plans have been criticized by some local designers. In 2009 the initial excavation works revealed archaeological findings that have forced alterations to the original design.

Gallery

File:NICOSIA, 11 AUGUST, 2011 255.jpg, Town Hall, Venetian walls and Tower 25 File:Eleftheria Liberty Square in Nicosia country Cyprus 1000.jpg, Liberty Square under construction File:Eleftheria Square to Ledra Street Greek bakery Nicosia Cyprus.jpg, View towards

File:Eleftheria Square under construction night Nicosia Cyprus 2012.jpg, Eleftheria Square under construction at night File:Eleftheria Square under construction Nicosia Republic of Cyprus.jpg, Eleftheria Square under construction File:Liberty Hall Nicosia Republic of Cyprus.jpg, Nicosia Liberty Town Hall File:Obz 15oct eleftheria.jpg, Occupy Buffer Zone movement in 2011

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eleftheria Square Buildings and structures in Nicosia Squares in Nicosia National squares