Kolossi Castle

Kolossi Castle stands on the edge of Kolossi village, just 14km west of Limassol. It is a medieval fortress built from local stone, of three floors, with walls a metre and a half thick, and it was of great importance in the Middle Ages.

That importance came from the large facilities it held for producing sugar — the Kolossi area had sugarcane plantations, and sugar was one of the island’s main exports at the time.

The castle has a long history: in 1210 it was governed by the Frankish military, and in 1306 it passed to the Knights Templar, becoming the residence of the battalion leader with a small military force based here. In 1454 it was rebuilt after destruction by the Genoese and Mamluks — and that is the castle still standing today. Visit and you will find the coat of arms of the then commander, Louis de Magnac, carved into the walls.

Inside the keep

The structure is still three floors, within a rectangular enclosure of 30m by 40m. At the entrance a drawbridge takes you to the first floor. The second floor has two areas, one with a fireplace and a tiny spiral staircase up to two further chambers. On the east side are vaulted rooms, where the sugar was processed and stored.

The next level up is the roof — the home and headquarters of the commander. The views from up there are unforgettable, and the loopholes show exactly how they defended themselves during a medieval siege. Around the castle there are beautiful gardens and places to sit and take in the flora, the grandness of the structure and its setting.

Sugar, vines and Commandaria

The land around the castle mattered for its sugarcane and also its vineyards — and the vineyards mattered more, because it is from these grapes that Cyprus got Commandaria. The famous wine takes its name from the Kolossi headquarters, the ‘Grand Commandarie’. Cyprus exported Commandaria as well as sugar, and the land here also helped export olives, olive oil and cotton.

You can visit at an affordable price. Going up through each level you will feel you have stepped back in time — and then brace yourself for the 360-degree views from the roof.