When built at the cost of €144 mln, Nicosia’s new Cyprus Museum will be one of Europe’s finest, officials said.
It’s the largest project in the government’s 2023 budget, with the construction contract signed on Wednesday.
Minister of Communications and Works, Yiannis Karousos, said: “Today is a historic day for our country, a historic day for our culture, a historic day for our cultural heritage.”
Karousos said the best way to achieve a comprehensive tourist e is to create reference points such as the new Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, which will be a flagship landmark.
“We aspire to make it the preeminent reference point of our country, but also one of the most important museums in the European area,” said Karousos.
The new Museum, with a total area of 30,000 sqm, will be built on a plot of land, on the site of Nicosia’s old General Hospital, with an area of 40,000 sqm opposite the House of Representatives.
It will include permanent exhibition spaces of 5,500 sqm, which will host around 6,500 antiquities, 1,000 sqm of periodical exhibition spaces, educational program areas, 2,000 sqm of maintenance workshops, underground parking spaces, 5,000 sqm antiquities warehouses, a restaurant, cafeteria, library, auditorium, offices, art shop and extensive landscaping.
Karousos said the project had been awarded to the consortium “Iacovou – Cyfield (M) Joint Venture” for a contract of €143,924,216, including VAT.
Construction work on the project will begin in January and is expected to be completed within 42 months.
The contract provides a two-year maintenance period and a provision for negotiating 10-year maintenance.
After completion of the construction work, a period of 18 months is planned for the transportation and installation of the exhibits.
Therefore, the Museum is expected to open in 60 months.
After an architectural competition, a detailed study of the project and the tender documents were prepared by the Architectural Office, Theoni Xanthi XZA Architects LLC.
The Department of Public Works will undertake the contract’s coordination, supervision and management.
