Diamond lake Amiandos - Loumata Troodos Limassol Cyprus
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 3.46 mi
- Elevation gain
- 486 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Difficult
- Elevation loss
- 486 ft
- Max elevation
- 5,257 ft
- TrailRank
- 63
- Min elevation
- 4,760 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Moving time
- 2 hours 2 minutes
- Time
- 4 hours 52 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1241
- Uploaded
- March 11, 2019
- Recorded
- March 2019
near Páno Amíantos, Eparchía Lemesoú (Cyprus)
Viewed 3558 times, downloaded 47 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Asbestos mine waste dump made a dam on a small river and Diamond lake was born.
Breathtaking beauty at winter timer, summertime may dry out completely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbU7Ea7xCww&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9NLvd7xpBg
Amiantos asbestos mine in Cyprus is the largest asbestos mine in Europe. Even if it is at the higher elevation of the island, away from the popular coastline, it is still there to remind its past.
If anyone visits the site there is this feeling of abandonment. Although the mine now is under rehabilitation works, there many buildings and houses ready to collapse.
Even if the works are in progress from 1995, there is still visible the landmark of the mine.
The amiantos asbestos mine opened in the 1900s
Amiantos mine story started in 1904, when an Italian bought the mining license from the British government. However, a sheep caretaker firstly discovered the existence of asbestos.
He notices that a rock has something that looks like cotton and he took it to the Italian. This is because the asbestos type that was excavated was the white asbestos or chrysotile as the geologists named it.
Amiantos is the name of asbestos in Greek and it means ‘inextinguishable’. In the following years, a village of the mines started to grow and it was named as Amiantos.
Earthly years at the Amiantos asbestos mine
Firstly, and after the Italian sold the rights, the mine company owners were Austrian. In these early years, mine workers have an extremely difficult life.
On one hand, technology was in its infancy and therefore digging was done by hand. On the other hand, miners’ work meant staying in improvised shelters with or without the family.
Having no job opportunities, many locals moved to the mine and built a community with all the necessary facilities. Hence this mining village became economically independent having shops, theater, hotel, hospital, and schools.
According to records, the population reached 18.000 workers during the summer season, where mining work occurred.
Danish Era at the Amiantos asbestos mine
Due to the World War II conflicts, the British government transferred the exploitation rights to a Danish company in 1936. Yet the company’ name was Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.
During this period of Danish ownership, the mine had a lot of changes. One of the first memorable features of the mine was the 30-km airlift line. This complex mechanism transported bags of asbestos from the mine to Limassol for exporting.
Later in the 1950s the mine mechanization started by using extraction machines. Although the miners’ work became easier, most of them were fired. In this point of the mine’s history the population declined dramatically.
Finally, the Danish built a 9-store processing plant in 1963. Hence the old Austrian mills were abandoned causing the huge dust cloud over the mine.
In 1986 the Danish company sold the mining rights to the Church of Limassol and just left. They abandoned the mine as Denmark prohibited the usage of asbestos in the same year. Cyprus got its independence in 1960 and the government had no laws on mining reclamation.
Amiantos asbestos mine’ last years of operation
Limassol’s Church was the owner of the mine for only 2 years and in 1988 the mine closed its doors.
Yet the reason of closure was only due to the fact that the mine was not economically sustainable.
Asbestos was exported all over Europe and in the USA. In more specific companies that imported asbestos from Cyprus were the UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Sweden. All these countries were also the shareholders of the Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.
Moreover, the mine produced about 1 million tons of asbestos during the 84 years of its operation.
On the other hand, the mining activity produced 130 million tons of rock as wastes. Hence it was dumped at the mine potentially causing a landslide.
Restoration works by the Cypriot government
Because of the landslide possibility, the Cypriot government is making restoration works for the last 20 years.
The works include stabilizing the wastes and planting trees and plants on the mines’ slopes. Until today the works covered only 50 % of the area of the mine, estimating that the government will need another 20 more years to finish.
In addition, the government plans to restore the mine building and houses and use them as museums, offices, houses for rent and even a restaurant.
Amiantos asbestos mine is the Deathmine
In 2012 a documentary named ‘The Danish Deathmine‘ was broadcast in Denmark featuring former Cypriot miners that now suffer from asbestos-related cancers. The documentary showed the workers blaming the Danish company not informing them about the health risks. On the other hand, the company denies any responsibility for compensation.
Regardless this only shows how important health and safety practices are in the work environment. Yet the responsibility starts from the local authorities to establish and enforce strict guidelines for protecting the employees.
https://www.konstantiaachilleos.com/amiantos-asbestos-mine/
Breathtaking beauty at winter timer, summertime may dry out completely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbU7Ea7xCww&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9NLvd7xpBg
Amiantos asbestos mine in Cyprus is the largest asbestos mine in Europe. Even if it is at the higher elevation of the island, away from the popular coastline, it is still there to remind its past.
If anyone visits the site there is this feeling of abandonment. Although the mine now is under rehabilitation works, there many buildings and houses ready to collapse.
Even if the works are in progress from 1995, there is still visible the landmark of the mine.
The amiantos asbestos mine opened in the 1900s
Amiantos mine story started in 1904, when an Italian bought the mining license from the British government. However, a sheep caretaker firstly discovered the existence of asbestos.
He notices that a rock has something that looks like cotton and he took it to the Italian. This is because the asbestos type that was excavated was the white asbestos or chrysotile as the geologists named it.
Amiantos is the name of asbestos in Greek and it means ‘inextinguishable’. In the following years, a village of the mines started to grow and it was named as Amiantos.
Earthly years at the Amiantos asbestos mine
Firstly, and after the Italian sold the rights, the mine company owners were Austrian. In these early years, mine workers have an extremely difficult life.
On one hand, technology was in its infancy and therefore digging was done by hand. On the other hand, miners’ work meant staying in improvised shelters with or without the family.
Having no job opportunities, many locals moved to the mine and built a community with all the necessary facilities. Hence this mining village became economically independent having shops, theater, hotel, hospital, and schools.
According to records, the population reached 18.000 workers during the summer season, where mining work occurred.
Danish Era at the Amiantos asbestos mine
Due to the World War II conflicts, the British government transferred the exploitation rights to a Danish company in 1936. Yet the company’ name was Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.
During this period of Danish ownership, the mine had a lot of changes. One of the first memorable features of the mine was the 30-km airlift line. This complex mechanism transported bags of asbestos from the mine to Limassol for exporting.
Later in the 1950s the mine mechanization started by using extraction machines. Although the miners’ work became easier, most of them were fired. In this point of the mine’s history the population declined dramatically.
Finally, the Danish built a 9-store processing plant in 1963. Hence the old Austrian mills were abandoned causing the huge dust cloud over the mine.
In 1986 the Danish company sold the mining rights to the Church of Limassol and just left. They abandoned the mine as Denmark prohibited the usage of asbestos in the same year. Cyprus got its independence in 1960 and the government had no laws on mining reclamation.
Amiantos asbestos mine’ last years of operation
Limassol’s Church was the owner of the mine for only 2 years and in 1988 the mine closed its doors.
Yet the reason of closure was only due to the fact that the mine was not economically sustainable.
Asbestos was exported all over Europe and in the USA. In more specific companies that imported asbestos from Cyprus were the UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Sweden. All these countries were also the shareholders of the Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.
Moreover, the mine produced about 1 million tons of asbestos during the 84 years of its operation.
On the other hand, the mining activity produced 130 million tons of rock as wastes. Hence it was dumped at the mine potentially causing a landslide.
Restoration works by the Cypriot government
Because of the landslide possibility, the Cypriot government is making restoration works for the last 20 years.
The works include stabilizing the wastes and planting trees and plants on the mines’ slopes. Until today the works covered only 50 % of the area of the mine, estimating that the government will need another 20 more years to finish.
In addition, the government plans to restore the mine building and houses and use them as museums, offices, houses for rent and even a restaurant.
Amiantos asbestos mine is the Deathmine
In 2012 a documentary named ‘The Danish Deathmine‘ was broadcast in Denmark featuring former Cypriot miners that now suffer from asbestos-related cancers. The documentary showed the workers blaming the Danish company not informing them about the health risks. On the other hand, the company denies any responsibility for compensation.
Regardless this only shows how important health and safety practices are in the work environment. Yet the responsibility starts from the local authorities to establish and enforce strict guidelines for protecting the employees.
https://www.konstantiaachilleos.com/amiantos-asbestos-mine/
Waypoints
Car park
Intersection
Wilderness hut
Photo
4,774 ft
End point
From here need to take river bed I guess to get closer to the lake or risky hill side , none of them risk free. May river bed is safest and best to move forward.
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