House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios
An 18th-century dragoman’s mansion, now the Ethnological Museum
The story
This mansion in old Nicosia, inside the Venetian walls, was the home of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios, the dragoman of Cyprus. A dragoman was the official interpreter and go-between for the Ottoman governor and the local people. He was in charge of taxes and matters of government. Above the gate, on the inner side, there is a marble plaque with his monogram and the year 1793. That date probably marks the end of the rebuilding of an older house. In 1809 the dragoman was executed in Constantinople. Today the house holds the Ethnological Museum of the Department of Antiquities. The house itself is considered one of the most important 18th-century town mansions still standing in Nicosia.
According to the Cyprus Mail, the exam asked what is now in the House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios: an art gallery, a restaurant, a crafts center or a museum. The right answer is a museum: it houses the Ethnological Museum of the Department of Antiquities.
Visiting
20 Patriarchou Grigoriou V Street, Nicosia. Free entry. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism website says that from 1 September 2026 the museum is closed until further notice for technical reasons; check before you go. The place counts from outside too, by the house.
On the way
Photos
Sources
- Department of Antiquities of Cyprus — Ethnological Museum, Lefkosia (The House of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios)
- Deputy Ministry of Tourism — Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion (Lefkosia), leaflet (PDF)
- Deputy Ministry of Tourism — The House of Hatzigeorgakis Kornesios / Ethnological Museum
- Cyprus Mail — Trying to trick people with cheap gotchas: the Cyprus citizenship exam (19.07.2026)
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