Limassol Municipality has begun the provisional handover process for the redevelopment of the historic Heroes Square and its surrounding streets, following the completion of the main construction works.
Mayor Yiannis Armeftis visited the square on Thursday, 6 August, alongside members of the Municipal Council, representatives of the municipality’s technical services, design consultants and representatives of contractor An. Christou Constructions.
The €3.9 million project has transformed one of Limassol’s most prominent public spaces into a multifunctional area with modern infrastructure while seeking to preserve and highlight its historical, social and architectural character.
The municipality’s technical services will carry out a detailed inspection of the project before the handover process is fully completed.
Final works still to be completed
Armeftis described the redevelopment as one of the projects making a substantial contribution to upgrading Limassol and creating higher-quality public space.
“The implementation of the project was made possible thanks to the municipality’s close cooperation with the relevant ministries and the use of European programmes,” he said.
Work on the public toilets and the underground area beneath the monument remains outstanding and is expected to be completed shortly.
According to the mayor, the underground space will be used for cultural events.
€3.9 million redevelopment backed by EU funding
The project has a total budget of €3.9 million plus VAT and was carried out by An. Christou Constructions based on an architectural design by Socrates Stratis and Christos Passadakis of AA & U for Architecture, Art and Urbanism and KIS architecture.
The redevelopment of Heroes Square Limassol forms part of the municipality’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and was co-financed by the European Union through the THALIA 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy Programme.
‘Smart’ surface designed for public events
At the centre of the redesigned square is a level “smart” surface without changes in elevation, intended to serve as an infrastructure grid supporting social and ecological functions while allowing the space to host public events.
General lighting has been suspended overhead to keep the surface of the square unobstructed.
The redevelopment also incorporates a sustainable rainwater management system. The square’s surface can collect part of the water flow, slow and filter it, and store it in an underground tank.
The collected rainwater will then be reused to irrigate planted areas and low vegetation, reducing water consumption and contributing to the sustainable operation of the square.
New spaces and pedestrianised streets
The design of the smart surface creates four oasis areas around the square’s existing kiosks.
New additions include the “Little Rialto”, a toy library, planted outdoor kiosks and “Hanging Gardens”.
Additional space has also been created for cafés and restaurants by relocating the existing traffic route and pedestrianising the four streets adjoining the square, leaving the main public area accessible to visitors.
New trees have been planted around the perimeter to complement the existing vegetation, while additional low-level planting within the square is planned for the autumn.
Heroes Square is now open to the public, with visitors able to walk through the renewed space and access its cafés, restaurants and entertainment venues.
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