Atatürk Boulevard () is the most important avenue in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, Turkey.

Geography

The boulevard runs about in the south to north direction. At the southernmost point it intersects with Çankaya Boulevard and at the northernmost point it merges to Çankırı Street. Its width is about .

History

After the Turkish Republic was proclaimed, Ankara was redesigned by a group of urban planners including Hermann Jansen. Atatürk Boulevard was developed after this planning. But according to

Falih Rıfkı Atay Falih Rıfkı Atay (1894 – 20 March 1971) was a Turkish journalist, writer and politician between 1923 and 1950. Biography Falih Rıfkı was the son of Halil Hilmi Efendi, an imam. He was educated in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire. Falih began hi ...

, the original plan was implemented after much alterations.

The squares on the boulevard

Beginning from the south the first big square is to the west of Kuğulu Park a small but a popular public park known for its swan lake. The second square is on the intersection with Eskişehir Boulevard which leads to ringroad around Ankara. Both squares have underpasses to ease the traffic flow.

Kızılay Square July 15 Kızılay National Will Square (), originally Kızılay Square (''Kızılay Meydanı''), is one of the most important centers and junction points of Ankara, Turkey. Geography The square at is the intersection of two major boulevards. ...

is usually considered to be the center of Ankara. It is also the terminus of Ankara subway line from the north and also the middle station of

Ankaray Ankaray, designated as the A1, is a long rapid transit line of the Ankara Metro system in Ankara, Turkey. Opened in 1996, it is the oldest rapid transit line in Ankara and the second oldest in Turkey after the M1 line of the Istanbul Metro. Ank ...

(lighter version of subway). Zafer Square is known by a statue of Atatürk.

Sıhhiye Square Sıhhıye Square () is a square in Ankara, Turkey. "''Sıhhiye''" is a Turkish word for "Health". Because the former main building of the Ministry of Health (Turkey), Ministry of Health was facing Sıhhiye Square from the east. Formerly, it was a ...

is one of the busiest transportation points of Ankara with buses, subway and train. The Hitit Anıtı (Hittite Monument) is also in Sıhhiye Square. Northern still are the İtfaiye Square and

Ulus Square Ulus Square () is a square in Ankara, Turkey. "''Ulus''" is the Turkish word for "Nation". Geography The square is actually a crossroad of four streets at about . The boulevard to south is Atatürk Boulevard and the street to the north which i ...

. In Ulus Square there is a Monument of Victory, with Atatürk as its centerpiece.

Main buildings

In the southern half of the boulevard there are many embassy buildings.

Turkish parliament The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

is to the west of the boulevard. The main buildings of most of the ministries are on the boulevard. Some of these buildings were designed by the Austrian architect

Clemens Holzmeister Clemens Holzmeister (27 March 1886 – 12 June 1983) was a prominent Austrian architect and stage designer of the early twentieth century. The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austrian Academy of Fine Arts listed his life's work as containing 673 pro ...

Çankaya municipality page
/ref> Some ministries are now housed in newer buildings on the Eskişehir Boulevard, while others are still housed in the old buildings. This neighborhood of Ankara is known as ''Bakanlıklar'' ("Ministries"). Ankara Radio building of

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: ) is the national public broadcasting, public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio broadcaster in Turkey. Before the introductio ...

is to the east of the boulevard.

Ankara Opera House Ankara Opera House () of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet, also called the Grand Theater, is the first and only Opera House of Ankara, located in the Altındağ district along Atatürk Boulevard. The building was originally designed by the Tur ...

and

Gençlik Parkı Gençlik Parkı (literally ''Youth Park'') is a public park in Ankara, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast ...

, the biggest park in the urban fabric of Ankara, is on the west of the boulevard.

References

External links

Atatürk Boulevard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ataturk Boulevard Streets in Ankara Transportation in Ankara