Heralding the start of the popular Foinikoudes promenade (Athens Avenue), Europe Square is the scene of many cultural and sporting events and is flanked by the first colonial buildings the British Administration built in Cyprus in 1881, with a fountain in its centre, and dotted with contemporary benches in an abstract boat form. The colonial buildings are comprised of customs warehouses and the bureaus warehouses of the Customs Officer and Chief Port Master. At the time they were built, the island was under British administration and Larnaka was the biggest port and urban centre of the island, and thus, the housing of the British colonial administration began in the square. The buildings have been beautifully restored, winning them won the Europa Nostra award in 1996. Today, they house the Municipal Art Gallery, the Historic Archives Museum, the Museum of Larnaka and the Larnaka Municipal Cultural Services.