In the past, most of the residents of the village used to deal with agricultural works such as viticulture and the cultivation of trees, and therefore Kritou Terra was known for the production of walnuts, almonds and other fruits. The climate of the village was one of the factors which contributed to the flourishing of these fruits.
Some other residents worked at the coffee shops, the shops or taverns which existed in the village. As it is characteristically mentioned, in the past there were 7 coffee shops, 5 grocery stores, as well as many taverns. One could say that the existence of all the aforementioned is, to a degree, liked to significant number of people who visited Kritou Terra. It is noteworthy that many Egyptians used to visit our village every year. Originally, the Egyptians who visited our village were relatives of expatriates who lived in Egypt. Later on, however, the visitors of Kritou Terra increased, since apart from the relatives of our fellow villagers who visited the community, our village became known to other Egyptians as well. The tourist flourishing of Kritou Terra continued up to 1965. A kiosk used to be set at the “Kefalovryso” every year. Due to the plethora of visitors, many merchants wanted to take over the kiosk, therefore, every year this would be leased to the highest bidder.
Moreover, several residents used to work at the copper mine situated at the location “Limni” of Polis Chrysochous. The mine operated until 1970. At the same time, a lot of residents of the village would work in Pafos. Anybody who wished to go to Pafos, either to work, shop or sell their products was served by the two buses of the village.
Sources: Kritou Terra Community Council www. hellenica.de/Griechenland/Zypern/GR/KritouTerra.html Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia Dr Christou G. Aristeidou Savvas Arkadiou |