{"id":188,"date":"2014-05-27T12:34:20","date_gmt":"2014-05-27T12:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wpresidence.net\/?p=188"},"modified":"2024-12-20T23:46:34","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T23:46:34","slug":"getting-a-house-for-rent-in-seattle-downtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/getting-a-house-for-rent-in-seattle-downtown\/","title":{"rendered":"Varosha"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Trees growing right out of the walls of houses, half-rotted curtains on open windows, shops and cafes with broken shop windows, sun loungers on the beaches darkened by time and an absolute absence of signs of life… This is what the once popular Cypriot resort of Varosha looks like today. It was once a favorite vacation spot for tourists from all over the world, and now it is called a ghost town.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In fact, Varosha is not a city at all. It is a quarter of Famagusta, one of the largest settlements in Northern Cyprus. Only not quite an ordinary quarter, but a district abandoned by residents in a couple of days. This happened not because of a global catastrophe, but for other, no less serious reasons. Despite the devastation and decline, Varosha still attracts the attention of tourists. Only now the quarter attracts not with luxury and pomp, but with its mystery.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Want to see what cities will look like after the apocalypse? Go to Famagusta and be sure to visit Varosha.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

History of Famagusta<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Famagusta is a large Cypriot city on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the 60-70s of the last century, it was the largest economic, industrial and transport center of the island. It accounted for almost 83% of the total volume of transport and 49% of passenger cargo traffic. Naturally, its convenient geographic location could not fail to attract the attention of businessmen and wealthy people. On one of the outskirts, the fashionable quarter of Varosha was rapidly growing and expanding, where not only wealthy tourists flocked. Celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot, also loved to relax here, and the resort itself was on a par with Miami, Portofino, and Saint-Tropez.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But that was later, and the history of Famagusta began in ancient times. The city arose on the ruins of ancient Arsinoe. And it should be noted that life in this heavenly place, inhabited mainly by fishermen, was never calm. At the end of the 12th century, Famagusta was captured by Richard the Lionheart, who did not want to put up with the unfriendly nature of the local rulers. Then came the era of prosperity, and the city itself became the center of the Christian world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This period did not last long: already in 1382 the city came under the rule of Genoese merchants, then to King James II, and later to the Venetians. Despite the constant interest of the invaders, Famagusta not only did not decline, but, on the contrary, only grew stronger and expanded. In the 14th century, the city became the most important trade and port center, where the interests of merchants from all over the Christian world intersected.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In 1571, the era of the Turkish Sultan’s rule began, and then the British Empire established its power over the city.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"n2.jpeg\"<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Varosha: The Period of Independence<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It should be said that during their rule, the British established two large military bases on the island. Of course, they tried to invest in the development of all spheres of the economy, but the local population persistently tried to defend its freedom. And they succeeded: in 1960, Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Famagusta entered a golden age. The ancient city, which inherited the Venetian fortress, the ruins of ancient Salamis and several Gothic churches, began to develop very quickly. The comfortable climate, the Mediterranean coast, the luxurious sandy beaches are an excellent basis for becoming an international resort.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

From 1960 to 1974, Varosha was actively developed. Numerous five-star hotels, entertainment centers, night clubs, casinos, white sand and crystal clear waters of the coast attracted both ordinary tourists and A-list celebrities. Fans of a leisurely holiday came here to enjoy the magnificent beaches, bars, restaurants. History buffs could get acquainted with the local attractions in detail.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1974: Varosha behind barbed wire<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

All this came to an end at the height of the tourist season in 1974, when Varosha was at its peak. A coup d’\u00e9tat took place in Cyprus, organized by the infamous Greek „black colonels“. They were supported by local radicals who dreamed of reunification with Greece. As a result, the president of Cyprus was removed from power, and the Turkish Cypriots found themselves in real danger. In August, Turkey brought its troops to the northern part of the island and captured Famagusta. The city and the famous quarter were liberated from the invaders, the island itself was divided into two parts: the northern part with a Turkish population and the southern part, where mainly Greeks live.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The resort quarter of Varosha was too close to the so-called Green Line, a demilitarized buffer zone controlled by UN troops that divides the island into two parts. Local residents and property owners were forced to leave the area in a hurry. The 109 hotels and apartment complexes were immediately emptied, the streets became deserted. Varosha ceased to be a thriving resort. Now it is a ghost town.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"n3.jpeg\"<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2020: Time for Change Again<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One can argue at length about the causes of the conflict that led to the coup, but the fact remains: for many years, the Varosha quarter will remain a closed area, surrounded by barbed wire. No one has set foot here for four and a half decades. Of course, if you don\u2019t count military patrols and the few journalists who have received permission to visit the quarter. The buildings are dilapidated, trees have grown through the asphalt, the metal is covered in rust, and the paint on the facades of the houses has peeled off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In October 2020, the government of Northern Cyprus decided to lift the status of a closed zone from Varosha. Now anyone can visit this area.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Varosha after its opening in 2020<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Of course, Varosha still remains an abandoned area, but this does not mean that there is nothing to see here. On the contrary, the area has many interesting places to visit. Since its opening, modern cafes, pedestrian and bicycle paths, benches and gazebos, street lighting have appeared here. Not long ago, a beach with all the necessary infrastructure was opened, and a new avenue and boulevard appeared.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Varosha is regularly visited by excursion groups. The quarter has again become attractive to tourists, which means that it can be said that a period of revival has begun for it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"n4.jpeg\"<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Trees growing right out of the walls of houses, half-rotted curtains on open windows, shops and cafes with broken shop windows, sun loungers on the beaches darkened by time and an absolute absence of signs of life… This is what the once popular Cypriot resort of Varosha looks like today. It was once a favorite vacation spot for tourists from all over the …<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,21],"tags":[22,23,24,25,26],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-selling-properties","category-location","category-real-estate","tag-apartments-in-manhattan","tag-boston","tag-price","tag-real-estate-2","tag-selling-your-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27804,"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions\/27804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immobilienordzypern.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}