Kyrenia

35.34027777777833.319166666667Koordinaten: 35 ° 20 ' N, 33 ° 19' O

Girne ( Kyrenia Κερύνεια Greek, German and Kyrenia, Italian Cerine, in antiquity, ancient Greek among other Kyrenia Kyrenia Κερύνεια and Κυρηνία ) is a port city of about 26,000 inhabitants in the district of Kyrenia Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, whose headquarters it is. Formally, it is also the capital of the district of Kyrenia the Republic of Cyprus.

• 3.1 Traffic
• 3.2 Education and Research

History

In the 10th and 9th centuries BC, Kyrenia was one of the nine city-kingdoms of Cyprus. The city was known among archaeologists and ancient historians by the Kyrenia ship, located in the Shipwreck Museum of the eponymous city. The nearly 15 -meter-long ship sank around 300 BC

Possibly under the Roman emperor Claudius the city received an aqueduct; the city is also mentioned in an inscription from the Flavian period. Whether she held the status of a civitas, is not assured.

Under the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, the castle was greatly expanded. After the island was in 1185 made ​​independent of Byzantium, conquered the English King Richard the Lionheart in 1191 and captured the island of Cyrene in the state treasury.

The Venetians built the fortifications of the city in 1540 massively to defend the island against the Ottomans can. These conquered the island still 1571st Kyrenia were made after Efgenios ( Zeno, the younger ) Synglitico, Count of Rocca, the leader of the Venetian troops, with his brother Tommaso, the viscounts of Nicosia, had been killed. In the 18th century Ottoman rule was characterized by sale of offices, against which there were riots. Leader of the revolt of 1765 was Khalil Agha, whose followers began to dissolve in June in view of the radiation emitted by Konstantin Opel more than 5,000 men, so that he soon stood only 200 men at his disposal. They were besieged in Kyrenia, Khalil had to retire.

1878, the island came to Britain and became independent in 1960. In 1946 there were 550 in Kyrenia Turks and Greeks in 2200.

1974 here began the invasion of Turkish troops with the establishment of a bridgehead ( Attila I). The Greek population of the city fled to the south of the island. Resettled Turkish Cypriots from the south of the island settled among others in Girne.

Demographics

The population Kyrenia has quadrupled since 1985 as:

Geography

South of the city extends the Pentadaktylos / Beşparmak, a mountain range that is up to 1,000 meters high, and terminates in the narrow peninsula Karpas / Karpaz and to the west of the Cape Kormakitis / Korucam Burnu in the Northeast.

Economy and infrastructure

Traffic

In passenger ship transport include Autofährverbindungen after Taşucu and Mersin, which is connected by a hydrofoil line.

Education and Research

Since 1974, Girne seat of the Turkish Cypriot archive.

The city is also home to the American University Girne.

Media

In Girne since 2005, the English-language weekly Cyprus Observer appears.

Girne is in the video game Assassin 's Creed: Bloodlines before. However, it says simply " Kyrenia ".

From 1955 to 1960, the date of independence of Cyprus, which later became very well known in Germany actress Lotti Huber operation in the port of Kyrenia the pub " The Octopus ". Great detail they reported here in her autobiography This lemon has a lot of juice and also in the semi - documentary Affengeil by Rosa von Praunheim.

Attractions

Among the attractions of the city include in particular the fortress of Kyrenia, the old town with its narrow steep streets and the fishing port. With 96 hotels Kyrenia is the main location of the tourism industry in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Kyrenia has three museums:

• The " Archangelos Church " is a museum of icons; the bell tower of the Greek Orthodox Archangelos Church, which is dedicated to the Archangel Michael, is a landmark of the city.
• The " Shipwreck Museum " in the " fortress of Kyrenia shows an Iron Age Shipwreck: The " Kyrenia ship " sank about 300 BC It was discovered in 1965 by the Cypriot diver Andreas Kariolou in depth 30 m and from 1967 by Michael Katzev salvaged from the University of Pennsylvania.
• The small " Folk Art Museum " in a typical Cypriot house of the 18th century the port of Kyrenia shows Cypriot folk art.

Particularly worth seeing are also:

• The " Bellapais Abbey ": The monastery of the Premonstratensian Order, situated on the slopes of the Pentadaktylos. The building is considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and one of the most beautiful in the entire Middle East. The name " Bellapais Abbey " is an erroneous translation of " Abbaye de la Paix " ( "Department of Peace" ).
• The rocky plain of " Chrysokava " was used in Roman times as a cemetery and then as a limestone quarry.
• The " Tekke of Hazrat - Ömer ": The small mausoleum of Hazrat Omer is a Muslim pilgrimage.
• The Neolithic settlement of Ayios Epiktitos Vrysi ( Çatalköy ) lies on a small promontory and makes it seem as if she could slip into the sea.