Lemesos Castle was built in the 13th century on the site of an earlier Byzantine castle near the old harbour. According to archaeological sources, the castle was mush larger in its walls to ward off sea-pirates. Legend has it that Richard the Lionheart, the King of England and leader of the 3rd Crusade, married Berengaria of Navarre here in 1191. In 1570 the Ottomans conquered the castle and used it as a garrison and gaol. During British rule it functioned as a police station and briefly as a detainment place. Today the castle houses the Cyprus Medieval Museum, whose exhibits include medieval pottery, superb silver Byzantine era plates, tombstones, weapons, crosses and coins.
