FINAL PLANS FOR THE NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN DECEMBER

Filenews 26 September 2020 - by Vasos Vassiliou

The scholars of the new archaeological museum are working feverishly and if all goes well, the works will begin in early July 2021.

As the Senior Architect of the Department of Public Works, Phoevos Iakovidis, told "F", the preparation of the studies is in the final stage and by the end of the year the final studies and accompanying documents are expected to be submitted and after they are examined and approved, the Department will proceed with the announcement of the tenders.

Already, the scholars have submitted preliminary/intermediate projects which have been examined and approved by the Department of Public Works, where it is considered that a lot of preparation has been done and what is expected are the "implementation studies", as the final construction plans are called.

In response to a question on this issue, Mr Iakovidis said that the delay due to pandemic measures had been around a month and a half. He explained that due to the nature of the project, scholars should coordinate for the purpose of coordinating/examining the projects being drawn up, etc., which cannot be done remotely.

It is noted that scholars (various specialties) are active in Athens, Thessaloniki and Cyprus.

If all goes well with the observations and approval of the study and the fact that the architect will submit all the necessary by the end of the year, in February 2021 the tenders will be launched and the project will start in early July, as Mr. Iakovidis said.

The period expected to start work is not the best, considering that in addition to the weather conditions prevailing in July, the construction sites will be closed for the summer holidays of August, when work will begin at a normal pace around the end of August or even the beginning of September, provided that no further restrictive measures are applied. It is recalled that the cost of the project was estimated at €83 million. VAT.

The designs are prepared by the office of the architect, Theonis Xanthi who won the first prize in the International Architectural Competition. It concerns the Study and Supervision of the First Phase of the New Cyprus Museum. The relevant contract was signed on 4 March 2019. The competition was divided into two phases and lasted 8 months. In the first phase among 129 entries, 7 offices were selected, followed by 3 awards from the 9-member committee of the competition.

The project will be built on the site of the old Nicosia Hospital, which is enclosed by the avenues of Giavaharlal Nessou and Lipon and by the river Pediaios. It is located near the existing Archaeological Museum and the House of Representatives.

Construction in two phases

As the then Transport Minister Vasiliki Anastasiadou explained, the project will be built in two phases. The first will include permanent and periodic exhibition spaces, workshops, storage areas for antiquities, administration offices, restaurant and cafeteria, souvenir shop and various auxiliary spaces and the second phase will include Library, Conference Room and the offices of the Department of Antiquities.

The first stage of construction work will include completion of the external construction of the buildings and the surrounding area and according to the initial estimate, will be completed in December 2022. The second stage, which will include internal work including all museum and museum constructions, will be completed in June 2024. The contractor's obligations will include the twelve-year maintenance of the project. Due to the delays caused by the pandemic and other delays usually observed in the implementation of works, the tradition of the museum is not excluded to be delayed by a few months.

From the depths of the ages to the present day

The first archaeological museum in Cyprus was housed in a house on Victoria Street in the city within the walls of Nicosia. The Cyprus Museum, as an institution, was founded in 1882 and in 1889 moved to Victoria Street, where it was housed in two halls of government buildings.

The current Cyprus Museum began to be built in 1908 and was dedicated to the memory of the Queen of England Victoria. In 1909 the collections were transferred from the House of Victoria Street. At various times many additions and alterations were made to the building, new rooms were added, most of the central inner courtyard was housed, a floor was built and the north wing was significantly expanded. In 1935, with the adoption of the new Antiquities Law and the establishment of the Department of Antiquities, the reorganization of the collections of the Cyprus Museum began.

The existing Cypriot museum consists of fourteen rooms and includes offices, library, warehouses and conservation areas. The museum's exhibits include finds from the earliest periods of human presence on the island, from the 10th millennium BC, to the Roman Period.