Istanbul_asv2020-02_img42_Pera_Palace_Hotel

The Pera Palace Hotel ( tr, Pera Palas Oteli) is a historic special category hotel and museum hotel located in the

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...

(Pera) district in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

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

. It was built in 1892 for the purpose of hosting the passengers of the

Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe and int ...

and was named after the place where it is located. It holds the title of "the oldest

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an hotel of Turkey". The Pera Palace Hotel is located in the Tepebaşı neighbourhood of Pera, once known as "Little Europe". It is about 20 km from Atatürk International Airport. The hotel is in walking distance of Istiklal Avenue,

Taksim Square Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...

and the British,

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n, Dutch, Italian,

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and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

consulates. The hotel was closed from 2006, undergoing a major renovation and restoration project and reopened on September 1, 2010. It was managed by Jumeirah Hotels as Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah from 1 May 2012 to 2017.

History

Istanbul_asv2020-02_img41_Pera_Palace_Hotel

Establishment work began in 1892 and the grand opening ball was held in 1895.

Alexander Vallaury Alexander Vallaury (1850–1921) was a French- Ottoman architect, who founded architectural education and lectured in the School of Fine Arts in Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire. Biography Vallaury was born in 1850 into a Levantine fam ...

, a

- Ottoman architect living in the city designed the hotel in a blend of neo-classical,

art nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

and oriental styles. Vallaury undertook a number of other projects in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

(Istanbul), including the Ottoman Bank Headquarters and the Imperial Museum. The hotel was the first building in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to be powered by electricity, other than the imperial palaces. It was also the only address in the city to provide hot running water for its guests and was home to the first electric elevator in Constantinople. It was also the second electric elevator in Europe. One of the hotel's first owners were the Ottoman-Armenian Esayan family.

Architecture and renovation

Pera Palace Hotel is today regarded as an important historical building and is listed under the general protection of Turkish Law (No. 2863 of 1983, amended with Law No. 5226 of 2004) concerning cultural heritage in Turkey. The exterior façade, as well as the layout of the property, follows a neo-classical approach. The interiors of the building feature a more oriental style, mostly concentrated in the ballroom interior. In keeping with this eclectic vision, art nouveau lines feature in and around the elevator and in the coffee house section. Although a prominent symbol of Istanbul’s cityscape, the Pera Palace property was in need of an extensive renovation. Consequently, in April 2008, the Beşiktas Shipping Group launched a Euro 23 million renovation and restoration project. KA.BA Conservation of Historic Buildings and Architecture directed the project alongside the Metex Design Group and the entire renovation project is completed on September 1, 2010. A key attraction, the Atatürk Room 101 remains as a ‘Museum Room’, with many personal items and reading material of the founding leader of Turkey,

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

exhibited to the public.

Literature and publications

* In

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

's short story '' The Snows of Kilimanjaro'', the main character, writer Harry, stays at the Pera Palace Hotel while serving in the military during the Allied occupation of Constantinople in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. * Henry Pulling and his aunt Augusta Bertram, protagonists of

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

's 1969 novel, ''

Travels With My Aunt ''Travels with My Aunt'' (1969) is a novel written by English author Graham Greene. The novel follows the travels of Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, and his eccentric Aunt Augusta as they find their way across Europe, and eventually ev ...

'', stay at the Pera Palace Hotel during their Istanbul adventure. The narrator Pulling is not enthusiastic about the quality of the food served. * Detective writer

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

's 1934 novel '' Murder on the Orient Express'' was allegedly written in the Pera Palace Hotel. The hotel maintains Christie's room as a memorial to the author. * The characters of Lainie and Celia in

Erin Morgenstern Erin Morgenstern (born July 8, 1978) is an American multimedia artist and the author of two fantasy novels. ''The Night Circus'' (2011) was published in more than a dozen languages by 2013 and won the annual Locus Award for Best First Novel. She ...

’s 2011 fantasy novel The Night Circus stay at the Pera Palace Hotel in 1900.

In popular culture

* The hotel serves as the main setting for the show ''

Midnight at the Pera Palace ''Midnight at the Pera Palace'' (Turkish: ''Pera Palas'ta Gece Yarısı''), is a 2022 Turkish time travel historical drama television series directed by Emre Şahin starring Hazal Kaya, Tansu Biçer and Selahattin Paşalı. The show was released ...

'', which was released on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in March 2022. * The hotel is where Tilda Swinton’s character stays in Istanbul in the film ''

Three Thousand Years of Longing ''Three Thousand Years of Longing'' is a 2022 fantasy romantic drama film directed and produced by George Miller. Written by Miller and Augusta Gore, it is based on the short story "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye" by A. S. Byatt and star ...

''.

References

External links

All about Turkey

official website

Series of pictures taken at the hotel
{{commons category, Pera Palace Hotel Rococo architecture in Turkey Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire Pera Palace Hotel buildings completed in 1892 Hotels established in 1892 Buildings and structures in Beyoğlu 1892 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Art Nouveau architecture in Istanbul Art Nouveau hotels Murder on the Orient Express