EVAGORAS LANITIS CENTER
The Evagoras Lanitis Center is one of the largest industrial buildings in Cyprus. The location of the Center is unique as it is situated between the Medieval Castle and the New Limassol Marina. With its high tech audio-visual equipment and extensive experience in hosting social events and conferences, The Evagoras Lanitis Center is ready to welcome ESHA 2021 guests.
Medieval Castle
ESHA guests will have the opportunity to have a guided visit in the Medieval Castle prior to the Gala Dinner. Medieval Castle is situated in the heart of the old town, just above the old harbour. According to tradition, this is where Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre and crowned her Queen of England in 1191. The fortified walls are of considerable archaeological interest and thought to be fragments of a much larger castle.
The exact date of the fort’s construction is not known; according to Etienne de Lusignan, it was built in 1193 by the founder of the Lusignan dynasty, Guy de Lusignan, but the first official reference to the fort dates to 1228, during the involvement of Frederic II of Germany in the affairs of Cyprus.
Throughout the years, the fort suffered the assaults of many invaders, sustaining further damage in the earthquakes of 1567 and 1568. Finally, in 1590, the Ottomans rebuilt the fort in its current form. The original fort was larger than the later one, which incorporates some parts of the former building, such as the two oblong halls of the ground floor. Below the eastern hall there is a basement with cells, which was used as a prison until 1950. Today, the fort houses the Medieval Museum of Cyprus.
Carob Mill
Adjacent to the ballroom where the Gala Dinner will take place is the Carob Mill Museum. ESHA participants will have the opportunity to walk through the museum. In the 60s, the export of carob produce had lost its significance and a warehouse was built on the factory territory. The carob tree, a wide-branching evergreen species from the pea family, produces large, sweet fruit-pods which Mediterranean locals have used since ancient times in baking, as well as to make drinks, compotes, liqueurs and syrups. The powder from the dried fruits is used as a substitute for cacao. Interestingly, the measure of weight “carat”, first used during Roman times, received its name from this particular tree, as the weight of a single carob seed was equal to one carat. In the year 2000, it was decided to return the building to its former appearance. The museum lies on the factory premises of the Lanitis family, who were the first to send a shipment of carob fruit to England in 1911 and went on to become the largest carob supplier to Northern Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.
(All taxes included)