Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion () is a historic presidential residence located offshore in the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

in the

Florya Florya is a quarter () belonging to the Bakırköy district of the greater Istanbul, Turkey. It is located along Marmara Sea, and borders to the northeast the neighborhood of Yeşilköy, to the northwest that of Küçükçekmece. Its residents are ...

neighborhood of the

Bakırköy Bakırköy is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district in the European part of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 29 km2, and its population is 226,685 (2022). Bakırköy lies between the State road D.100 (Turkey), D.100 highway (l ...

district in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

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 Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was built in 1935 by the municipality of Istanbul for

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

's recreational use. The building is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

today.

Architecture

Designed in the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

style by architect

Seyfi Arkan Abdurrahman Seyfettin Arkan, Seyfi Nasih (1903 – 15 July 1966) was a Turkish architect, the personal architect of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He was born in 1903 in Istanbul. He attended Kadikoy French School and Galatasaray High School. He was firs ...

, who was given the commission in 1935 by the municipality of Istanbul, the mansion was completed on August 14 the same year, and was gifted to Atatürk. The building is constructed on steel piles driven into the seabed and is connected to the sandy beach about away with a wooden

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

. The L-shaped, one-floor mansion consists of a reception hall, a reading room, bedrooms and bathroom. There are also service and staff rooms at the complex. The total area covered by the mansion including the pier is . A grove was created in the yard of the ruined Agios Stefanos Monastery as the garden for the mansion on Atatürk's taking possession. This grove is called "Florya Atatürk Grove" () and is today a public park. The mansion is considered an example of the "Turkish Early Republican architecture".

History

During the period he stayed at

Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace ( ) is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. Histor ...

, Atatürk came to the mansion by boat and enjoyed swimming surrounded by local people. He used the mansion for the last three years of his life as a summer office as well as for recreation. In 1936, he stayed from June 6 until July 28 at the mansion. His last stay was on May 28, 1938, about six months before his death. The mansion was also used for important receptions and scientific meetings. Among its famous visitors were

Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

and his wife

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intentio ...

. Following the death of Atatürk, Turkish presidents such as

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the second List of Presidents of Turkey, president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its Prime Minister of Turkey, pr ...

Celal Bayar Celal is both a masculine Turkish given name and a surname. It is the Turkish form of the Arabic word Jalal (جلال), which means "majesty". Notable people with the name include: Given name * Celal Al (born 1984), Turkish actor * Celal Adan (b ...

Cemal Gürsel Cemal Gürsel (9 June 1894 – 14 September 1966) was a Turkish military officer and politician who was the fourth president of Turkey, serving from 1960 to 1966 after taking power in a coup d'état. Early life Gürsel was born in the town ...

Cevdet Sunay Ahmet Cevdet Sunay (10 February 1899 – 22 May 1982) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the fifth president of Turkey from 1966 to 1973. Early life and career Sunay was born in 1899 in the village of Ataköy nea ...

Fahri Korutürk Fahri Sabit Korutürk (15 August 1903 – 12 October 1987) was a Turkish people, Turkish admiral, diplomat and politician who was the sixth president of Turkey from 1973 to 1980. Before his presidency, he served as the List of commanders of the ...

and

Kenan Evren Ahmet Kenan Evren (17 July 1917 – 9 May 2015) was a Turkish military officer and dictator who served as the seventh president of Turkey from 1980 to 1989. He assumed the post by leading the 1980 military coup. On 18 June 2014, a Turkish cou ...

used the Florya Mansion as a summer residence.

Museum

Due to the encroaching urban development and the consequent pollution of the sea at the site, the mansion fell into disuse as an official residence. On September 6, 1988, the building was handed over to the National Palaces Department of the

Turkish Grand National Assembly 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 ...

. It was then renovated and opened in 1993 to the public as a museum. A section of the mansion is reserved as a social facility for members of parliament. The museum exhibits furniture, tableware, personal belongings including swimwear, as well as a collection of Atatürk's photographs taken at the site.

Location and access

The museum is situated west of Atatürk International Airport on the coastal road from Florya to

Küçükçekmece Küçükçekmece (; meaning “small-drawer”, from much earlier ''Rhegion'' (Greek: Ρήγιον) and ''Küçükçökmece as “little breakdown''" or “''little depression''”, in more ancient times just as Bathonea), is a municipality and d ...

. It can be reached from Florya train station on the Istanbul-Halkalı commuter line, which is about away. Bus line "73T

Yenibosna Yenibosna or Yenibosna Merkez is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Bahçelievler, western Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 37,130 (2022). The neighbourhood is in the west of Bahçelievler, bordering with the neighb ...

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

-Florya" of

İETT The Istanbul Electricity, Tram and Tunnel Establishments () or İETT is the transportation authority in Istanbul connected to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality specializing in public transportation. History After nationalizing various c ...

serves the location as well. The museum is open from 9 am to 4 pm (in winter months from 9 am to 3 pm) local time except Mondays and Thursdays.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Florya Ataturk Marine Mansion Bauhaus Houses completed in 1935 Presidential palaces in Turkey Bakırköy Museums in Istanbul Atatürk museums Museums established in 1993 Historic house museums in Turkey Modernist architecture in Turkey 1993 establishments in Turkey

Architecture

History

Museum

Location and access

See also

References