Nicosia, Cyprus. Fifty-six new street signs have been installed in Nicosia’s old town to highlight the capital’s history through cultural, historical and political figures. The project, led by the Nicosia tourism board, Etap, will eventually cover 150 streets.
Project expansion
The new signs are centred around the new municipal building and include brief texts explaining the origin and meaning of each street name. Each sign also features a QR code linking to a website with further information about the respective street.
First installation
The project began at Lellos Demetriades square, where a plaque outlines the record of the capital’s longest-serving mayor, who served from 1971 to 2001, with a short break in 1974.
Research behind the signs
Etap’s Sotiris Christoforou said Lellos Demetriades was “one of the reformers of the capital.” Christoforou and fellow Etap officer Sofia Kousioumi were responsible for researching the streets included in the project.
Examples of street names
Christoforou said Diogenous Street was named after the philosopher of the Cynic School of Athens who lived in the 3rd century BC. He said Aeschylus Street was named after the father of ancient Greek tragedy, while Antalya Street refers to one of the most important ports of Asia Minor.
Research challenges
Christoforou said compiling the signs was challenging because most streets in the city centre were named in the 1970s and 1980s for reasons that remain unclear. He said the absence of Municipal Council minutes made it difficult to understand the approach and reasoning behind those decisions.
Future plans
In the future, the signs will be included in a tour route of the city centre.