You cannot miss this magnificent show! At the height of spring – at the beginning of April – lovers of this magnificent beauty go to the west of the island…
17 km to the north-east of Pаfos, at the height of about 460 m above sea level, there is the Polemi village with a population of about a thousand. Although the village is famous for its vineyards, apple, аpricot and almond gardens, the main pride of the villagers is tulips.
Few people know that the Polemi village and the neighbouring village of Stroumbi are the only villages in Cyprus where wild tulips, or Tulipa Agenensis, which is Liliaceae in Latin, grow.
Bright red tulips are conspicuous for their elongated petals and a black spot with a yellow lining in the centre of the flower. People call the Polemi tulip a sun-eyed flower because of this unusual colouring.
In March, the first leaves and stem appear from under the earth and gather strength within 10-15 days. The tulip is almost finished blooming by the time May comes.
How did the tulips come to Polemi? Village leader, Panagiotis Ioanides, says that the tulips were brought to the island during the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
Growing tulips used to be only commercial – they were exported to other countries, including the Netherlands. Cypriot tulips may have contributed to the first international economic crisis, which made it into the history as a tulip crisis.
A Tulip Festival takes place in Polemi every year. To find the village you have to turn right from the main road from Pafos to Polis (through Mesogi) according to the Polemi 3 km signpost.
Picking and trampling the tulips is prohibited!
