Kakopetria
Encyclopedia
Kakopetria is a village in Cyprus
located 55 kilometers southwest of the capital, Nicosia
, on the north facing foothills of the Troodos Mountains
. It stands at an altitude of 667 metres and it is the highest village in the Solea Valley. The community has about 1,200 permanent inhabitants and a couple hundred more who either have a summer house or are originally from kakopetria but work in Nicosia. It is surrounded by thick forestland and is built on the banks of the Kargotis and Garillis Rivers. The two rivers join within village itself and form the river Klarios, which crosses the Solea Valley and empties into Morphou Bay
.
The settlement of Kakopetria is constructed along the valley of the Kargotis and Garillis rivers. The new Kakopetria with its large, modern houses and their tiled roofs, built in the gradient ground and the riverbanks, is located in the eastern part of the valley. The old Kakopetria is built west of the valley and between the two rivers. The roofs of the houses are sloped and tiled and almost all of the houses have an upper floor and a wooden balcony.
The village's region was inhabited around the 6 th - 7 th century and the various excavations that have been conducted in 1938 around the old village of Kakopetria (in the Ailades venue) prove this. During the excavations a dispenser of an ancient shrine -most probably belonging to the goddess Athena -came to light. A large number of movable findings were found, mainly terra-cotta, many of which depict the goddess Athena, as well as small, limestone, statues and parts of statues, and bronze and iron shafts from spearheads and arrows. The findings most probably date back to the Archaic and Classic eras of Cyprus. Other statuettes represent Hercules and are an indication that he was also worshiped in the area along with the goddess Athena. These findings are found in the Archaeological Museum of Nicosia.
Kakopetria, because of its healthy and cool climate, its picturesque landscape, the wonderful natural environment, the rich vegetation, the cool and gargling waters, the folkloric heritage, and the relatively small distance from Nicosia
and Limassol
, naturally drew the attention of many rich families for vacation purposes during the months of summer. As basic factors for the success in attracting tourists to the community of Kakopetria, among others, we can consider the warm hospitality that characterises its inhabitants, their proper behaviour, the impeccable service, the conscious effort for cleanliness, and the correct development of constructions that is done by many of the village's inhabitants, as well as a number of other comforts that the inhabitants of Kakopetria offer to local and foreign tourists with great joy and satisfaction.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
located 55 kilometers southwest of the capital, Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, on the north facing foothills of the Troodos Mountains
Troodos Mountains
Troodos is the biggest mountain range of Cyprus, located in the center of the island. Troodos' highest peak is Mount Olympus at 1,952 metres.The Troodos mountain range stretches across most of the western side of Cyprus...
. It stands at an altitude of 667 metres and it is the highest village in the Solea Valley. The community has about 1,200 permanent inhabitants and a couple hundred more who either have a summer house or are originally from kakopetria but work in Nicosia. It is surrounded by thick forestland and is built on the banks of the Kargotis and Garillis Rivers. The two rivers join within village itself and form the river Klarios, which crosses the Solea Valley and empties into Morphou Bay
Morphou Bay
Morphou Bay , is a part of the Mediterranean Sea, located on the North Western side of the island of Cyprus. It is named after the nearby inland town of Morphou . The bay forms the westernmost seaboard of the break-away Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which claims the bay as its own...
.
Landscape
History
The settlement of Kakopetria, although mentioned by the Mediaeval annalists, existed -at least -since the Frank domination era.The village's region was inhabited around the 6 th - 7 th century and the various excavations that have been conducted in 1938 around the old village of Kakopetria (in the Ailades venue) prove this. During the excavations a dispenser of an ancient shrine -most probably belonging to the goddess Athena -came to light. A large number of movable findings were found, mainly terra-cotta, many of which depict the goddess Athena, as well as small, limestone, statues and parts of statues, and bronze and iron shafts from spearheads and arrows. The findings most probably date back to the Archaic and Classic eras of Cyprus. Other statuettes represent Hercules and are an indication that he was also worshiped in the area along with the goddess Athena. These findings are found in the Archaeological Museum of Nicosia.
Tourism
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
and Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
, naturally drew the attention of many rich families for vacation purposes during the months of summer. As basic factors for the success in attracting tourists to the community of Kakopetria, among others, we can consider the warm hospitality that characterises its inhabitants, their proper behaviour, the impeccable service, the conscious effort for cleanliness, and the correct development of constructions that is done by many of the village's inhabitants, as well as a number of other comforts that the inhabitants of Kakopetria offer to local and foreign tourists with great joy and satisfaction.