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- Jan 20, 2014
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After the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571, the Christians were expelled from the city of Famagusta and had to build new houses outside the city walls; the suburb of Varusha was created.
After the independence of the British colony of Cyprus and the proclamation of the republic, Varusha developed into a fashionable place for mass tourism in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1973 (the last year before the Turkish invasion), Varusha generated 53.7% of the island's total tourism revenue. The entire complex consisted of 45 hotels with 10,000 beds, 60 apartment hotels, 99 “recreation centers”, 21 banks, 24 theaters and cinemas, around 3,000 smaller and larger shops. A further 380 buildings were still in the construction phase in 1974. The population was 31,960.
The Turkish military occupied the city on August 14, 1974 and declared the facility a restricted area. In 1978 there was a declaration of intent brokered by UN Secretary Kurt Waldheim, but this had no consequences. When the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983, its government threatened to colonize Varusa, and the UN Security Council condemned this threat in 1984 and proposed that the ghost town be placed under UN control. The government of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey, rejected this. In the 1990s, the Turkish side offered to return Varusha to the original residents in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The fact that Mustafa Akıncı made the return of Varuscha to its original inhabitants the theme of his election campaign in 2005 did not lead to any rapprochement, and his attempt at reconciliation in 2015 also failed to produce any results in the 2016 elections.
The reason why Varosha is deserted is due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 550, adopted on May 11, 1984, stating that “intentions to settle in any part of Varosha by anyone other than its inhabitants are inadmissible.” Therefore, the Turkish Armed Forces cannot repopulate the area under their control, which has led to the depopulation of Varusha District. The Annan plan to reunify the island called for the return of the original inhabitants to Varusha. However, this plan was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a 2004 referendum.
The lack of population and therefore maintenance means that the buildings gradually fall into disrepair. Nature is gaining ground, metal is corroding, windows are breaking and plants are spreading their roots along walls and pavement.
Since 2017, the Turkish army has only allowed entry to Turkish military and UN personnel.
The European Court of Human Rights awarded eight Greek Cypriots between 100,000 and 8,000,000 euros for being deprived of their homes and property as a result of the 1974 invasion by businessman Constantinos Lordos and others; The main judgment in the Lordos case dates from November 2010. The court ruled that Turkey had violated Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of eight of the applicants and that in the case of seven of the applicants it had violated the Turkey violated Article 8 on the right to respect for private and family life.
The population of Varusha was 226 at the 2011 Northern Cyprus census.
In 2017, Varusha Beach was opened for the exclusive use of Turks (both Turkish Cypriots and Turkish nationals).
On June 18, 2019, the Turkish Cypriot de facto regime announced that it wanted to reopen the tourist region. An inventory was then started in cooperation with Turkey. It is estimated that reopening the region will cost the equivalent of around $10 billion. The Turkish government supports this approach. The opening was scheduled for October 8, 2020.
On October 8, 2020, some parts of Varusha from the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Officers' Club to the Golden Sands Hotel were opened.
Since opening on October 6, 2020 to January 1, 2022, almost 400,000 people have visited Varusha.
On May 19, 2022, Northern Cyprus opened for commercial use a 600 m long × 400 m wide beach section at Golden Sands beach (from the King George Hotel to the Oceania building) in Varusha. Sun loungers and parasols have been set up.
After the independence of the British colony of Cyprus and the proclamation of the republic, Varusha developed into a fashionable place for mass tourism in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1973 (the last year before the Turkish invasion), Varusha generated 53.7% of the island's total tourism revenue. The entire complex consisted of 45 hotels with 10,000 beds, 60 apartment hotels, 99 “recreation centers”, 21 banks, 24 theaters and cinemas, around 3,000 smaller and larger shops. A further 380 buildings were still in the construction phase in 1974. The population was 31,960.
The Turkish military occupied the city on August 14, 1974 and declared the facility a restricted area. In 1978 there was a declaration of intent brokered by UN Secretary Kurt Waldheim, but this had no consequences. When the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983, its government threatened to colonize Varusa, and the UN Security Council condemned this threat in 1984 and proposed that the ghost town be placed under UN control. The government of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey, rejected this. In the 1990s, the Turkish side offered to return Varusha to the original residents in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The fact that Mustafa Akıncı made the return of Varuscha to its original inhabitants the theme of his election campaign in 2005 did not lead to any rapprochement, and his attempt at reconciliation in 2015 also failed to produce any results in the 2016 elections.
The reason why Varosha is deserted is due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 550, adopted on May 11, 1984, stating that “intentions to settle in any part of Varosha by anyone other than its inhabitants are inadmissible.” Therefore, the Turkish Armed Forces cannot repopulate the area under their control, which has led to the depopulation of Varusha District. The Annan plan to reunify the island called for the return of the original inhabitants to Varusha. However, this plan was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a 2004 referendum.
The lack of population and therefore maintenance means that the buildings gradually fall into disrepair. Nature is gaining ground, metal is corroding, windows are breaking and plants are spreading their roots along walls and pavement.
Since 2017, the Turkish army has only allowed entry to Turkish military and UN personnel.
The European Court of Human Rights awarded eight Greek Cypriots between 100,000 and 8,000,000 euros for being deprived of their homes and property as a result of the 1974 invasion by businessman Constantinos Lordos and others; The main judgment in the Lordos case dates from November 2010. The court ruled that Turkey had violated Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of eight of the applicants and that in the case of seven of the applicants it had violated the Turkey violated Article 8 on the right to respect for private and family life.
The population of Varusha was 226 at the 2011 Northern Cyprus census.
In 2017, Varusha Beach was opened for the exclusive use of Turks (both Turkish Cypriots and Turkish nationals).
On June 18, 2019, the Turkish Cypriot de facto regime announced that it wanted to reopen the tourist region. An inventory was then started in cooperation with Turkey. It is estimated that reopening the region will cost the equivalent of around $10 billion. The Turkish government supports this approach. The opening was scheduled for October 8, 2020.
On October 8, 2020, some parts of Varusha from the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Officers' Club to the Golden Sands Hotel were opened.
Since opening on October 6, 2020 to January 1, 2022, almost 400,000 people have visited Varusha.
On May 19, 2022, Northern Cyprus opened for commercial use a 600 m long × 400 m wide beach section at Golden Sands beach (from the King George Hotel to the Oceania building) in Varusha. Sun loungers and parasols have been set up.
