Lefke

Member of the North Cyprus National Network

Lefke is situated at the foothills of Troodos Range, in the centre of two valleys hugging the sea and the mountain, in the northwest of Cyprus. In the 1900s Lefke is known to be of the one of the first founded Turkish municipality in Cyprus. There are 11.200 people living within the borough of Lefke. Lefke, with its clean air, plentiful sources of water and its green, is remarked as being ‘ The Hidden Paradise ’.

There are several sites of historical interest in the area from the Roman, Byzentine, Middle Ages, Venetian, Ottoman and British periods. Town became predominantly Turkish, after the Ottoman conquest and there are some interesting examples of traditional Ottoman architecture to be seen there. The town also houses one of the most important university of North Cyprus, the European University of Lefke.  

 

BEAUTY OF LEFKE 

Lefke is the greenest corner of the island, surrounded with plenty amount of walnut and date trees. Furthermore, Jaffa oranges growing in Lefke are considered as the most delicious oranges of Cyprus. Also Lefke is known as the agricultural center of Cyprus.

Under the leadership of the Lefke Municipality and local associations, each year several events are organized : Walnut Festival, Dates Festival, Jaffa Orange Festival, Strawberry Festival, Bağlıköy Eco Day, Doğancı Culture Day and Yedidalga Verigo Grape Festival.

Municipality of Lefke and the Lefke Tourism Association, working in collaboration, have created the Copper and Culture Museum, established natural routes for walking tours, have been restoring historical places and educating the public about cittaslow philosphy. All this projects have been very hopeful developments for the "Nature and Culture Friendly" tourism and sustainable future of the area.

The Cittalow membership certificate and the flag were presented to Lefke municipality at the meeting, which helded in the Falköping city of Sweden on 7th November 2015.

Lefke with its variety of culture, traditional villages, architectural character, local products, historical heritages, traditional hand-made handcrafts, alternative tourism potential, organic agriculture, natural beauties, fertile soils, natural water resources and its peacefulness are very important avantages of Lefke. The slogan which was chosen for the Cittaslow “Lefke – peacefulness is in its nature” reflects the soul of Lefke.

 

For more information : 

Aziz Kaya - Mayor of Lefke
azizkayalefke@gmail.com

Munevver Ebedi- Representative Cittaslow Lefke
lefkebelediyesi.eu@gmail.com