The National forest park of Athalassa, covers an area of 8.5 square kilometres and it is found between the Aglantizia municipality, the Strovolos municipality, the Latsia municipality and the Geri municipality. The park’s value for the whole of Nicosia cannot be calculated, since it is the only green lung of the capital.
The area covered by the national forest park was not always as it is today. A century ago there was a non fertile and treeless piece of land in its place. When, later on in 1962, it was passed on to the hands of the Department of forests, it started to be transformed. Great areas of land were planted with trees. The need for sweetwater, lead to the creation of two artificial lakes. As time passed, many people tried to destroy the the forest, by extracting big parts of it for other uses. Some of them made it, and limited is volume to its today’s limits.
For some decades, the forest was inaccessible since all sorts of people gathered there. Drug addicts, voyeurs and illegal couples were the permanent visitors of the forest. No family dared to use the forest for a trip. A few years ago, the Department of forests returned to the forest itself and with a very creative plan, transformed it into a park. Without interfering on the landscape’s wildness, they transformed it to a play place, where small children can play with complete security.
In the park you can find everything. Taps with potable, and the most important, cold and refreshing water, exist in many points. Games for children, or a little older… children exist as well. There is a tennis court a basketball court. There are also very clean toilets, as well as roads for walks. For those who like cycling, the national forest park is paradise.
The bird observatory, built on the shores of the lakes, provides coverage to the observers and the photographers of wildlife. The lake has enough water, despite the fact that it is found in an area where rainfall is very little and it creates wonderful images (be careful, do not approach the areas where the water recedes during the months of summer, it may seem stable, but it may not be so, it is better to study the lake from a secure place, away from the shores). Thousands of birds on the trees surprise you, as they are used to the human presence and do not fly away from the trees, unless you get too close. We knew that there were snakes in the park. We creeped in places where they would probably be, but we were unlucky. We did not see any (do not try it if you do not know how to handle them).
Gradually, the park became a meeting place. Thousands of residents of the surrounding areas use it for different purposes such as sport and rest. Early in the morning you will see hundreds of people running on its roads and in the evening there are even more cycling and counting kilometres on their journeys with their bicycles. Of course, every good aspect has a bad one as well, and this is the kiosk that is found in the playground. The prices are a little bit … hot, even though the variety of products it offers the clients is not very wide. If the kiosk is managed by the department of forests (I do not believe so), they should take care of this.
If you are a resident of Nicosia, Strovolos, Aglantizia, Geri, Latsia or even Lakatamia and Tseri, do not go elsewhere, the National Forest Park of Athalassa is close to you, with all the facilities.
Congratulations to the department of forests, no matter what these people get in their hands they transform it into a piece of gold.
