Seven statues situated in the Larnaka centre and main seafront promenade will call tourists and tell them their story as part of an interactive sightseeing initiative.
“If you have ever walked around central Larnaka and stopped to admire the historical statues, you may have wondered what they would say if they could talk,” a press release at the Larnaka Tourism Board (LTB) website says.
“Each one of the stone incarnations has an interesting and unique story to tell and they will soon be able to recount it ‘personally’ thanks to the innovative ‘Larnaka Storytelling Statues’,” it adds.
The interactive sightseeing initiative works via a QR code on seven statues of significant historical figures, it reads.
Scanning the code with a mobile device, one can select the language from English or Greek, and the statue will then ‘call”. “When you answer the call, the statue will tell you its story,” the press release says.
Five of the seven statues have already been fitted with the interactive QR code.
Dotted around the town centre and the main seafront promenade, the seven statues are: Zeno of Kition, three different statues of the founder of the Stoic school of Philosophy – born 334BC; the bust of General Kimon, who defeated his enemies even in death in the 5th century BC; Apollonios Kitieas, a physician of the Empiric school of thought; artist Michael Kashalos, a self-taught painter who began his career in his 70s, and the Winged Lion of Venice – a gift from Venice to mark the twinning of the two cities.
Created by the LTB and supported by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Larnaka Municipality and the Youth Board of Cyprus, Larnaka’s ‘Storytelling Statues’ are the first on the island and will be unveiled in the beginning of September.
