Paphos: The Research Centre of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology (PCMA), one of the four international research centres of PCMA, will be officially inaugurated on June 17, 2025. This event coincides with the celebration of 60 years of Polish archaeological work in Nea Paphos, a significant archaeological site in Cyprus and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the inauguration is a key highlight of the cultural and scientific programme under the Polish Presidency, which is jointly shared with Denmark and Cyprus. The new Research Centre in Cyprus, led by Prof. Evdoksia Papoutsi-Wladyka, will function as both a logistics support base for research teams and as a hub for collaboration, education, and international dialogue. It will provide accommodations for researchers, a conference room equipped with audio-visual technology, study areas, and a specialised library.
The statement highlights that research, initiated by the University of Warsaw under Prof. Kazimierz Michalowski in 1965, continues to this day. In 2011, the Paphos Agora Project, another Polish initiative, was launched by the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Since 2019, these teams have collaborated as the Maloutena and Agora Project (MAP), focusing on the ancient city’s residential district and agora. The project is led by Prof. Evdoksia Papoutsi-Wladyka, and the statement praises the significant achievements made by Polish researchers in Cyprus, attributing these successes to strong cooperation with the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus and support from Paphos city authorities.
The opening ceremony will also feature the awarding of state decorations from the Republic of Poland to individuals who have significantly contributed to Polish-Cypriot cooperation. Attendees will include representatives from local and national authorities of both Cyprus and Poland, such as Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus, and Prof. Andrzej Szeptycki, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Poland, along with Marek Szczepanowski, the Ambassador of Poland, and Prof. Artur Obluski, Director of PCMA.
Coinciding with the Research Centre’s inauguration, the Polish Embassy in Cyprus and the Municipality of Paphos have co-organized a series of celebrations. These include a photo exhibition titled ‘From Maloutena to Agora: 60 years of Polish archaeology in Nea Paphos, Cyprus’ at the En Plo Gallery in Paphos Harbour, and a concert by Wlodek Pawlik, a renowned Polish pianist and Grammy Award winner. The concert is under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund, the statement concludes.