CY: Last Divided Capital

You cannot get to Nicosia in Cyprus without visiting the wall that divides the island, after the turkish invasion of the northern part of the island in 1974.

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, it is currently divided into four main portions: the southern Republic of Cyprus (the island nation-state), the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (illegally occupied by the Turkish army since 1974), the United Nations-controlled Green Line separating the two, and two British Base Areas. The Republic of Cyprus has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004.

Turkey invaded Cyprus in two waves on the 20 July and 14 August of 1974 and continues to remain there as a forceful presence (Turkish Cypriots regard them as a protection force) in violation of the UN Charter and repeated UN Security Council Resolutions. The result of this invasion was the creation of an internationally unrecognized Turkish breakaway state in the North and the ethnic cleansing of 160,000 Greek-Cypriots who were forcibly displaced to the south of Cyprus.

The sign hanging on the building on the turkish side quotes:
“To those who are watching from the wall of shame, this is the bridge of peace”.