The Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum ( tr, Lozan Anıtı ve Müzesi) are a monument and a museum dedicated to the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923. The monument, opened in 1998, is located at

Karaağaç, Edirne Karaağaç is a suburb of Edirne in northwestern Turkey at the border with Greece. Karaağaç is 4 km southwest from the center of Edirne, across the river Maritsa and opposite the Greek village Kastanies. In 1890, the large Karaağaç railw ...

in Turkey, and the museum is next to it in the former train station building.

Background

The

Treaty of Sèvres The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...

, that marked the end of

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 ...

, was signed between 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) ...

and the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

on 10 August 1920. It was, however, rejected by the

Turkish national movement The Turkish National Movement ( tr, Türk Ulusal Hareketi) encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries that resulted in the creation and shaping of the modern Republic of Turkey, as a consequence of the def ...

due to significant loss of territory, and accordingly failed. Following the victorious

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

fought against the Allied forces of

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

, French Republic,

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

and

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...

, who had occupied a great portion of Turkish mainland, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

, Switzerland on 24 July 1923. This second

peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring ...

ended the conflict between the Turkish nationalists and the Allies, and also defined the borders of the modern Turkish Republic. In line with the treaty, the Greek-Turkish border was redrawn, and Karaağaç quarter of Edirne (then known in English as AdrianopleRomein, Jan (translated by R. T. Clark). ''The Asian Century: A History of Modern Nationalism in Asia'' (''De eeuw van Azie'').

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facult ...

, 1962. p
170
"In 1930 geographical names were 'turkicized'. ..Adrianople Edirne, and so on."), on the south bank of the

Maritsa Maritsa or Maritza ( bg, Марица ), also known as Meriç ( tr, Meriç ) and Evros ( ell, Έβρος ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of ,Karaağaç railway station, which was the main train station of Edirne, was in use until 1971 when a new station was built on the other side of the Maritsa. The old railway station buildings and the surrounding area were subsequently assigned to

Trakya University Trakya University ( tr, Trakya Üniversitesi), was established on July 20, 1982. The university is located in Edirne, at Turkey's European side (Eastern Thrace). Trakya University is a regional university with institutions and schools spread o ...

. and following redevelopment housed the university administration. In 1996, the senate of Trakya University decided upon the establishment of a monument and a museum adjacent to the former railway station. Breaking of the ground for the new monument took place on 29 March 1998, and its construction took just four months. It was inaugurated by the then

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Süleyman Demirel (in office 1993–2000) on 19 July 1998, on the 75th anniversary of the Republic. The area surrounding the monument was established as a public park through the planting of 74 young trees to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Following this it was decided that every year a new young tree should be planted. Trakya University budgeted the project to 148 billion (approximately US$617,000 at that time).

Monument

The monument consists of three concrete columns in different sizes, erected onto three separate concrete consoles, inclined at 45 degrees and standing on raft foundation. The longest column with height represents Anadolu (Anatolia) as the mainland of Turkey on Asia. The second column is tall and symbolizes

Trakya Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

(Thrace), the western part of Turkey on Europe. The third column, standing in the mid of the other two, represents Karaağaç with its height. A concrete ring at height, which ties the columns, represents unity and solidarity. In front of the ring, a tall metal statue of a young woman represents

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

, grace and justice. The young woman figure holds a dove in her left hand symbolizing peace and democracy, and a document in the right hand, which stands for the Treaty of Lausanne. A semicircular pool with radius at the feet of the monument represents the seas around three sides of Turkey. A bust of

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (; 24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman of Kurdish descent, who served as the second President of Turkey from 11 November 1938 to 22 May 1950, and its Prime Minister three tim ...

(1884–1973), who acted as the chief negotiator for Turkey during the Conference of Lausanne, is situated at entrance inside the park.

Museum

A museum was established in the auxiliary building of Karaağaç railway station. It contains in two rooms all the documents, records and photographs belonging to the Treaty of Lausanne as well as personal belongings of İsmet İnönü and cartoons depicting him. Various books related to the peace treaty are displayed in the entrance hallway.

References

External links

{{Edirne Buildings and structures in Edirne 1998 establishments in Turkey Monuments and memorials in Turkey Monumental columns in Turkey Peace monuments and memorials Museums established in 1998 Museums in Edirne Province History museums in Turkey Tourist attractions in Edirne Trakya University