Atatürk Park is a public park in Mersin,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

Geography

The park is a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coastal park of Akdeniz district. The longer dimension of the park, which is more than lies along the sea coast in north east to south west direction. The total area of the park is . about . The east of the park is bounded by the harbour facilities and the west is bounded by the old Mersin marina and Efrenk River. The north is bounded by

İsmet İnönü Boulevard İsmet İnönü Boulevard ( tr, İsmet İnönü Bulvarı) is a major avenue in Mersin, Turkey. It is named after İsmet İnönü (1884-1973), the second president of Turkish Republic between 1938 and 1950. Geography The eastern end of the boulev ...

. Although, coastal park continues to south west beyond Müftü river, the name Atatürk Park is used only for the section between the harbour facilities and the marina.

History

The park is actually the fill area of

Mersin Harbor The Port of Mersin ( tr, Mersin Limanı), is a major seaport located on the north-eastern coast of Mediterranean Sea in Mersin, southern Turkey. As one of the largest harbors in the country, it is Turkey's main gateway to the Mediterranean Sea. ...

dredging in the 1950s. In the 1970s, the park was designed by the municipality as an area for coffee houses and open air theaters. Up to the 2000s, the park was also reserved for domestic fairs. But after a new fair ground was established about away, the park lost most of its former activities. However, within the scope of a renewal project, the park is now transforming into a culture park.

Park today

The main excursion area is by the sea side. The amateur fishermen's club is at the west, next to the anchoring berth of the fishing boats (old marina). Most of the park is covered by flower beds. At the main entrance, there is a monument called ''Refah Şehitleri Abidesi'' (Martyrs of Refah), commemorating the deaths of the sunken ship '' Refah'' during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul ''Ertuğrul'', launched in 1863, was a sailing frigate of the Ottoman Navy. While returning from a goodwill voyage to Japan in 1890, she encountered a typhoon off the coast of Wakayama Prefecture, subsequently drifted into a reef and sank. T ...

, another sunken ship of the late 19th century in Japan is also commemorated by this monument. In 2008, at the north east of the park a complex of Congress and Exhibition Center ( tr, Kongre ve Sergi Merkezi) has been established. with conference and performance halls, a pool and related services.Wowturkey
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ataturk Park Parks in Turkey Tourist attractions in Mersin Buildings and structures in Mersin 2013 Mediterranean Games venues Park