Pafos – European Capital of Culture 2017

Published on August 18, 2015

Pafos is entwined with Greek mythology, and the legendary birth of Aphrodite on its shores brought fame and worshippers there to follow the cult of the Goddess. Landmarks associated with Aphrodite are the chunky, rugged rocks of her beautiful birth shore known as the Aphrodite Rock or Petra tou Romiou, the evocative sanctuary of Aphrodite at Kouklia Village, once a shrine and scene of pagan festivals for thousands of years, the Baths of Aphrodite at Polis, as legend has it, the source of fertility and the Fountain of Love, or Fontana Amorosa at the tip of the Akamas peninsula.

The city of Pafos has been chosen to be the European Capital of Culture for 2017. Many productions and artistic events have already started taking place related to this honorary nomination.

The artistic programme will be implemented through three main thematic categories. Through these themes the objective will be to create an authentic trip through time and place, as well as an innovative composition of a creative journey from the past, to the present and the future. The thematic category «Myth and Religion» refers to the historical background, reflecting and placing prominence to those principal characteristics that gave birth to civilisation and defined its evolution throughout the course of history. The thematic category «Travellers of the World» refers to the relationships of people over time and expresses the interactions and the mutual influences, not only through conflict and dispute, but also through collaboration, brotherhood and co-existence. The thematic category «Steps of the Future» refers to the present and the future. Presenting not only the contemporary world with its technological breakthroughs, but also with its significant problems, with its dreams and hopes, and with its initiatives and ideas.

Save the date and visit Cyprus and Pafos in 2017.