5 Reasons you’ll Absolutely Love the Troodos Geopark Visitor Centre
With the Troodos Geopark standing proud as a new member of the UNESCO Global Network of National Geoparks, the whole area and the Geopark Visitor Centre is now attracting the attention of both locals and foreign visitors, many of whom never even knew the place existed.
The journey there is one to write home about
There’s nothing quite like a brilliant drive up to the highest heights of the Troodos Mountains, rising almost 2000 metres above sea level. With panoramic views as far as the eye can see, a ride up the winding mountain roads to the high peaks is as refreshing as it is awe inspiring. Open the car windows, let the fresh air rouse your senses, and simply take in the surrounding natural world in all its majestic glory.
The site itself is of great significance
Set in extensive grounds, it’s no little feat that you’ll be standing on an area that was formed 92 million years ago, 8000 metres below sea level. Considered one of the most complete and best studied ophiolites in the world, the Troodos area stands proud as a geological model for researchers the world over. With the Visitor Centre housed within a newly restored elementary school of an abandoned asbestos mine, the whole experience is a truly unique one.
There’s a garden to leave you wide eyed
While the Visitor Centre is cocooned by fantastic scenery, the area is home to a great botanical garden, with information about the flora and endemic species of the area drawing attention, topped off by a plethora of evidence providing insight into mining activity in days gone by and the community which once flourished here.
At the entrance of the centre, you’ll be greeted by a fantastic geological garden where you can spot all the different types of rock that characterize the area, in stratigraphic order, representing the Troodos ophiolite sequence. An outdoor classroom is operated in the garden of the centre, where interactive lessons and demonstrations are given to visiting students and the general public.
You’ll see the earth we live on in a whole new light
To put it simply, you’ll get to grips with things you may never have previously been aware of. Providing unique insight into the geological uniqueness of the Troodos area, you’ll begin to understand exactly why the area is the inspiration of geoscientists from all over the world, while you’ll also be enlightened on geological processes currently occurring in the depths of the oceans, and the formation of new oceanic crust.
The exhibits provide plenty of food for thought
Have a good look around the venue and you’ll spot impressive rocks and minerals providing insight into the geology of the area, as well as info on sites of geological importance (from faults mines to geo trails). Then there’s exhibits of abandoned asbestos and chromite mines, representations of an ancient pyro-metallurgical furnace for the production of copper and a gallery of the last century for the exploitation of sulphate deposits.