Combining its roles at the second largest city, the island's main port, the centre of the wine industry and bustling holiday resort, Lemesos emerges as a spirited and cismopolitan seaside town.
Lemesos is a lively town largely due to the character of Lemesolians, a fun-loving lot. No wonder it holds the island's two top festivals, the pre-lenten Carnival wih fancy dress balls, parades and festivities and the Wine Festival in September, a wine extravaganza where wine flows freely for everyone to enjoy, courtesy of the local wineries.

Lemesos emerged out of the two most important ancient city-kingdoms, Amathous, to the east of the town, and Kourion to the west, both of which are being extensively excavated. The magnificent setting of the ancient Kourion Theatre is used for summer concerts and theatrical productions.

In the middle Ages, Lemesos hosted the marriage of Richard the Lionheart with Berengaria of Navarre from whom he crowned Queen of England. Thereafter the Crusaders made their headquarters at the Square keep west of the city, known as Kolossi Mediaeval Castle, where they fostered the amking of wines, particularly the sweet dessert wine "Commandaria" - the oldest named wine in the world.

Today Lemesos, is a resort with a ten mile coastline, a busy shopping centre, countless tavernas and restaurants and a night life to suit tastes ranging from modest to sophisticated.

Cyprus Mediaeval Museum, the District Archaelogical museum, the Folk Art Museum, the Lemesos Municipal Art Gallery, and the Municipal Gardens.

Also in the vicinity are the placid Germasogeia dam, frequented by keen anglers, and the Salt Lake of Akrotiri, home of thousands of migrating birds in winter, and a stopover point for millions more as they wend their way to different climes in spring and autumn. In nearby foothills, delightful villages continue the gentle pace of rural life.

There are many places for visitors to go. The old harbor in the old town, and the new harbor to the west of Lemesos (Limassol) near the coast, known as 'Lady's Mile'. The new harbor is always very busy especially after the capture of the harbor of Famagusta in 1974 by the Turkish troops. To the east of Lemesos (Limassol) there are the ruins of the ancient town of Amathus. To the west, on the way to to Paphos there are the ruins of the ancient town of Curium, the same name as the ancient theatre and the most famous temple of Apollo which dates from the sixth century B.C. when the cult was at its height. There is also a stadium, baths and an early christian basilica.

There are two medieval castles, both in good condition. One is in the old town near the old harbor and the other in Kolossi village about ten miles from the town to the west. In the castle of the old town it is said that the King of England, Richard Coeur de Lion, married Berengaria of Navarre on his way to the Crusades. The Castle of Kolossi, which was probably built in the early thirteenth century, was given by Lusignan to the Hospitaller, knights of the Royal Order of St. John, together with valuable land in the area producing the famous Commandaria wine and good sugar plantations. There are two industrial areas, one to the west of the town, near Ipsonas village and the other to the east of the town near the St. Athanasios Municipality. Lemesos (Limassol) is the leading industrial town in Cyprus, linking produce with exports in the form of manufacturing wines, spirits, soft drinks, canning fruits and vegetables, quibbling carobs, making cement, bricks and tiles.

But more important than all of these things is the people of Lemesos (Limassol); the kindness, the hospitality, the open heart, the love for any good and the humanity. These are the main characteristics of the thousands of inhabitants of the beautiful Lemesos (Limassol). Several festivals, feasts and fairs take place every year in Lemesos (Limassol); in the villages and in the town. The most important of these is the Wine Festival which takes place around the end of August and the beginning of September for twelve days. Lemesos (Limassol) is a very important place for vine cultivation.

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