Nicosia Old General Hospital was the chief hospital of Nicosia,

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 ...

from 1936 to 2006. In 2006, its patients were transferred to the

Nicosia New General Hospital Nicosia New General Hospital is the Nicosia district's main medical center. It opened in 2006, replacing Nicosia Old General Hospital. The contract for the construction of the New Nicosia General Hospital was signed in 1997. On 14 April 1997, ...

, and it was demolished in 2010 amidst some controversy over whether it should have been preserved. The decision for erecting a purpose built general hospital in Nicosia was taken during the British colonial administration of

in 1936. It was inaugurated on 14 April 1939 by the then British governor Richard Palmer. This coincided with the breakout of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and many British and Cypriot soldiers were transported there, away from the front line, for recovery. Cyprus escaped the fighting, apart from the occasional German bombing raid. The building, designed by Polyvios Michaelides was one of the first structures in Cyprus to import the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...

style of architecture from Germany and featured in the French journal ''L’Architecture d’aujourd’hui''. The hospital served as a tertiary referral centre for most disciplines. Over time and with scientific and medical advances, it became apparent that the hospital premises were not fit for purpose. A

was constructed in the suburb of

Latsia Latsia ( el, Λατσιά []; tr, Laçça, a village on the south east outskirts of Nicosia, Cyprus, is today one of the city's largest suburbs. It hosts the new Nicosia General Hospital, the new GSP Stadium and the Mall of Cyprus. Latsia has se ...

and was delivered in 2006. The last remaining patients were transferred over and the old hospital closed its emergency department on 8 October 2006, after 67 years of operation having treated millions of patients. It continues to run

outpatients A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...

clinics and a psychiatric ward. The fate of the old building has recently been surrounded by controversy. It lies in the centre of Nicosia on prime real estate and surrounded by dense eucalyptus woodland. The Cyprus Green Party has been campaigning for the building’s preservation, as it is considered as one of the few remaining examples of colonial architecture. Plans to demolish it and to erect a new

Cyprus Museum The Cyprus Museum (also known as the Cyprus Archaeological Museum) is the oldest and largest archaeological museum in Cyprus. The museum houses artifacts discovered during numerous excavations on the island. The museum is home to the most extensi ...

have been criticized by the Cyprus Architects Association, that has also championed its preservation. The building was finally demolished and the contractor Philippos Kameris confirmed on 15 June 2010 that the work was completed.

References

{{Coord, 35.172, 33.353, type:landmark_region:CY, display=title Hospitals in Cyprus Buildings and structures in Nicosia Defunct hospitals Hospital buildings completed in 1939 Demolished buildings and structures in Cyprus Hospitals established in 1936 1936 establishments in Cyprus Hospitals disestablished in 2006 2000s disestablishments in Cyprus