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From a small square in the UNESCO World Heritage listed old town of Safranbolu, follow the road uphill past restored Ottoman homes and you’ll come to the Kale section of town. From there, you’ll find some great views of the old town.
Government Mansion
The first building you’ll encounter is the spectacular Government Mansion (Hükümet Konağı) which now features the City History Museum (Kent Tarihi Müzesi), a great museum about the history of Safranbolu. The museum is open daily except Mondays. Adult admission is 75₺ (as of August 2024) and includes admission to the Kaymakamlar House on the same day.
The museum has exhibits showing the different craft workers in town, some with creepy yet comical mannequins. There are also some ethnographic displays.
Behind the Government Mansion is a small display of famous clock towers around Turkey.
Clock Tower
These clock tower models lead unsurprisingly to the Safranbolu Clock Tower (Safranbolu Saat Kulesi), the town’s own famous clock tower. The tower has been using the same working clock parts since 1797.
I was fortunate enough to climb the tower and spend some time with the keeper of the clock. We had a nice chat and he told me the history of the tower. Amazingly, there have been only a few clock keepers since the tower was built. I only spent about 15 minutes with the clock keeper, but it was one of my most treasured moments from my visit to Safranbolu.
Old Prison
Next to the clock tower is the Old Prison (Eski Cezaevi), which has been converted into a popular restaurant.
