» fishing boat “Lampousa” and its transfer to the Old Port takes place on Friday, June 28, at the Limassol marina, between the hours of 7.30 and 8.15 in the morning, according to an announcement by the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK).
As mentioned, “Lampousa” is the only boat of its kind that is preserved in Cyprus which fished for years in the sea of Kyrenia and after the refugee in the sea of Limassol. It was built in 1950 in Perama, Piraeus and registered in 1965 in the port of Famagusta. It took the name of ancient Lampusa, due to the origin of its last owner, it is noted.
“It is a representative sample of the Greek shipbuilding tradition and a relic, a living memory of the history of Cypriot fishing”, says the announcement, noting that TEPAK contributed to the protection and preservation of the vessel's history.
It is reported that following an agreement between the Municipality of Limassol and the Digital Cultural Heritage Laboratory of TEPAK, which hosts the UNESCO and European Research Area Chairs in the field of Digital Cultural Heritage, work was carried out on the holistic digitization, recording and documentation of the historic vessel in order to protect and the preservation of the history of “the important vessel”.
“Through the pioneering method of photogrammetry and scanning, the research team of the UNESCO Chair at TEPAK has proceeded to digitize both the inner and outer shell of the vessel, with the aim of 3D modeling and its holistic recording and documentation”, it is added.
“As the UNESCO Chair in Digital Cultural Heritage at the Cyprus University of Technology, we are very proud of our contribution to the preservation and promotion of the unique symbol of Limassol, the Lampusa fishing boat,” said the Director of the UNESCO/TEPAK Chair, Dr. Marinos Ioannidis, according to the announcement.
This initiative, he added, “is one of our most important achievements”, as the holistic recording and documentation of the fishing boat in digital form, helped all those involved to get the vessel back to sea after years of reconstruction and maintenance by the Municipality Limassol. “Our offer also extended to the creation of a digital representation that will ensure its preservation for future generations,” he added.
He also mentioned that “Lampousa” already exists in Europeana, the digital global library, while at the event held in Brussels last May, in the building of the European Commission, “we officially handed over together with the Deputy Minister of Culture, Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, the complete recording of and incorporated into the library's collection.”
“This unique Liberty-type ship holds a special place in history and we are proud that the public will have the opportunity to visit the complete record and documentation of the ship through the website https://elambousa.eu/, which was created through a training program under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair in Digital Cultural Heritage,” said Dr. Ioannidis, according to the announcement.
The platform, he continued, “offers an invaluable insight into the ship's history and is an important tool for educating and raising public awareness of our maritime heritage”.
The Director of the UNESCO/TEPAK Headquarters, he also stated, according to the announcement, that their contribution to the recording, rescue and promotion of cultural heritage “is a task that we undertake with absolute seriousness and dedication, and we look forward to seeing the positive results of this effort to last for many years”.
