Lefkoniko (; or ) is a town in the Mesaoria Plain under the ''de facto'' control of
Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...
, claimed by
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
. Lefkoniko is the birthplace of Cypriot national poet Vasilis Michaelides and is known for its
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
Turkish Air Force
The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...
is near Lefkoniko.
History
In 1909, the first co-op in Cyprus was founded in Lefkoniko and, in 1939, the municipality of Lefkoniko was established.
In a 1955 anti-British demonstration, schoolboys burned the town post office. A collective fine of $2,000 was placed on the inhabitants of Lefkoniko and the Governor of Cyprus ordered a 24-hour curfew on Lefkoniko until it was paid.
Demographics
Before 1960, Lefkoniko was inhabited both by
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
and
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...
. The latter were the minority. With the exception of a family of three, all Turkish Cypriots fled the town in the
Emergency
An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
years. Greek Cypriots were displaced to the south of the island during the 1974
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish Cy ...
, and Lefkoniko was repopulated by Turkish Cypriots from Kofinou and nearby Artemi, which was abandoned. In 1960, Lefkoniko had a population of 2,358. It was the 8th most populous settlement in Famagusta District and 32nd in the whole of Cyprus. , its population was 1,253.
Sports
Turkish Cypriot Geçitkale Günay Spor Kulübü was founded in 1955, and is now in Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) BTM 1st League. Also Geçitkale Women’s Team was founded in 2012 and currently playing in the top league of CTFA Women’s League.
International relations
Cittaslow
In June 2018,after long efforts, Lefkoniko finally joined to Cittaslow (slow city) network and received their official certificate of conformity and their flag during the general assembly. Therefore Lefkoniko has won the fourth Cittaslow title in the
TRNC
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all o ...
Yalova
Yalova is a market-gardening town located in northwestern Turkey on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. It is the seat of Yalova Province and Yalova District.
Tourist attractions
Archangelos Michael Church
The construction of the church dates back to the 12th century. The church has an arcade along the south side and a double aisle with a chamber at the south west corner of it. The church also has a painting of Archangelos Michael covering a wall. Renovation works are fully funded by EU within Cultural Heritage Programme that European Commission implements through
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
. Renovation works have started in October 2016 and completed in a year (October 2017). The total cost was 430,000 Euro.