Nicosia municipality has launched an architectural competition for the €4.1 million redevelopment of the historic municipal garden, with the tender expected to be published at the end of summer.

The project, presented at the Nicosia town hall on Friday, carries an estimated cost of €4.1 million, excluding VAT, and aims to restore and modernise one of the capital’s oldest public spaces while preserving its historical character.

Mayor Charalambos Prountzos heralded the initiative as “a substantial investment in the future of the city, and in the preservation of its historical and cultural heritage.”

He said the municipal garden has served as “a point of meeting, culture and daily life” for more than a century and remains a place of deep historical and emotional significance for generations of Nicosia residents.

Prountzos stressed that any redevelopment must respect the site’s architectural identity while addressing the needs of a modern city.

“Every intervention must respect the historical and architectural character of the space, and, where required, be reversible, so as to preserve its authenticity for future generations,” he said.

He added that public spaces should be “safe, functional, accessible to all and environmentally friendly”, while referring to the municipality’s mandate to increase green spaces.

Nicosia, mayor, town hall, Nicosia municipality
Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos

According to the mayor, more than 22,500 new tree plantings have been carried out across the city over the past two years.

Municipal secretary Myria Pilakouta said the project represented more than the renovation of a public space, describing it as “the rebirth of a place” closely associated with the city’s identity and the memories of its residents.

Pilakouta recalled that the garden, designed by modernist architect Neoptolemos Michaelides, is a listed structure of significant architectural and historical value.

She expressed hope that the redevelopment would transform the municipal garden into a modern, welcoming and fully accessible public space where “older generations may recall their memories, and younger generations will create their own.”