Travel Guide Amiantos

Perched 1,000 meters above sea level, Amiantos is the eastern gateway to the Troodos National Park. And if its name sounds like "asbestos", it's because it's right next to an old asbestos mine, "the largest in Europe", as it was once called. A strange mineral with a fibrous texture, asbestos has been mined here since Antiquity to solidify pottery, insulate clothing and as fuel for cremations. The site underwent industrial development from 1904 onwards, with the arrival of hundreds of miners and a train to Limassol. Despite known health risks from the 1940s onwards, mining continued until 1995. After that, the population continued to develop illnesses linked to dust inhalation. And it wasn't until 2005 that the upper village (Pano Amiantos) was evacuated. Only the lower part (Kato Amiantos) is inhabited today. The huge site of the open-cast mine has now been rehabilitated, with decontamination, reforestation and the creation of a botanical garden and visitor center.