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Taksim Gezi Park (Taksim Gezi Parkı) is a park next to Taksim Square in Istanbul. It’s one of the last green spaces in the Beyoğlu district.
History
Gezi Park was once the site of the Taksim Military Barracks (Taksim Kışlası), which were built in 1806. The barracks were badly damaged in an Ottoman countercoup attempt in 1909. Instead of being repaired, they were converted into Taksim Stadium (Taksim Stadı) in 1921. It was the first football stadium in Istanbul and used the barracks’ inner courtyard as the playing field.
The stadium could hold 8,000 people and was used by all major football clubs in the city, including Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş. The first ever game for the Turkish national football team was played there on October 26, 1923, against Romania, ending in a 2-2 draw. Both Turkish goals were scored by Zeki Rıza Sporel. The stadium was demolished in 1940 in order to create Taksim Square and Gezi Park.
From 1560 to 1939, the northern section of the park was part of the Pangaltı Armenian Cemetery, which was the largest non-Muslim cemetery that ever existed in the city. It was confiscated by the government and demolished to make way for Gezi Park and other buildings to the north. Its marble tombstones were sold to create the fountains and stairs at the park.
Creation of the Park
Gezi Park and Taksim Square were designed by French architect Henri Prost (1874-1959) and completed in 1943. The park was originally named İnönü Esplanade, in honor of the Turkish Republic’s second president, İsmet İnönü (1884-1973). The size of Gezi Park diminished over the years with the construction of a few large hotels in the northern section.
The park is a great place to get away from the bustle that surrounds it. It’s full of benches and contains tea gardens, a fountain, and a playground. It’s a peaceful island of green in a sea of concrete.
Gezi Park Protests
The park was set to be completely destroyed based on a plan announced on September 16, 2011, which proposed the reconstruction of the barracks as a shopping center, opera house, and mosque. This led to the Gezi Park protests, which broke out on May 28, 2013, and lasted nearly the entire summer. The protests spread to other cities nationwide.
Stone Barracks
Two notable buildings sit on the edges of the park. Across from the northeast corner are the Stone Barracks (Taşkışla). They were built by English architect William James Smith between 1846 and 1852. It was originally used as a military hospital (Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane) and treated French soldiers during the Crimean War. In 1860, it was converted into a military barracks to protect Dolmabahçe Palace, which is a short distance downhill.
After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, the building was assigned to the Ministry of Education. It was renovated between 1943 and 1950 by German architect Paul Bonatz (1877-1956) and Turkish architect Emin Onat (1908-1961). The barracks were then used as the rectorate of Istanbul Technical University (İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi) and the Faculty of Architecture. Between 1980 and 1989, there were controversial plans to turn it into a hotel. They were cancelled and the building was returned to the university. It currently houses the İTÜ Faculty of Architecture and is the terminus for the Maçka Gondola.
Atatürk Library
The other building is the Atatürk Library (Atatürk Kitaplığı), which was built in 1973 by architect Sedat Hakkı Eldem and has been open since March 3, 1981. It houses one of the city’s first public libraries of the Republican era, founded in 1924. There are over a half million items in its collection and it’s open 24 hours a day.
