Mill of Gonia in Kakopetria

The Mill of Gonia in Kakopetria is located above the main road of the homonymous village of Nicosia in Cyprus and on the left bank of the river Agios Nikolaos.

One of the peculiar museums of the island, nestled in its green surroundings and next to the riverbed, the Mill of Gonia in Kakopetria was built in the middle of the 18th century and was initially owned by the Archdiocese, and it later became private. It is considered to be one of the most famous watermills on the island that used to grind wheat and barley, turning it into flour, until the end of the Second World War, when it stopped its operation. Until then, the impressive building served not only the inhabitants of Kakopetria, but also the surrounding villages.

The three-storey building was built by a deacon of the Agios Nicholas tis Stegis monastery in 1754. Later, it was used by individuals who paid rent to the Archdiocese, while other sources reported that it was bought by five people for the price of two hundred and fifty pounds.

After its renovation in 1980, it opened its doors to the public as a museum space, while it is used touristically as a family business with a guesthouse by its owner Ioannis Aristides Papas. Entering the area, the space is dominated by the large square wooden vessel, which narrows downwards and within it they used to place the grains, which then ended up between the two millstones. Depending on the lever they placed on each millstone, the grains were milled either thin or coarse. The iron shaft of the mill started moving when the water had fallen into it and started its way towards the groove. Subsequently, it entered the stone groove of the flour mill and following a vertical drop to the watercourse next to the wooden winged wheel base, it ended up on the shaft, activating the millstones.

The Mill of Gonia in Kakopetria is a lively piece of the history of the place that gave economic impetus to the difficult years of the past. The visitor can visit the place and combine his stay there with food or coffee.