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Reşat Oyal Culture Park (Reşat Oyal Kültür Parkı) is the largest and most important public park in Bursa, Turkey. It’s a wonderful green space providing activities for people of all ages.
History
The park was created by Mayor Reşat Oyal and opened on May 6, 1955, as Culturepark (Kültürpark). It hosted its first International Bursa Festival (Uluslararası Bursa Festival) in 1963, and has hosted many other fairs over the years. In 1999, it was renamed Reşat Oyal Culture Park after its founder. The park was completely renovated in 2006.
Visiting
Reşat Oyal Culture Park sits between the Muradiye and Çekirge areas and has multiple entrances. The closest metro station is Kültürpark.
Features
Reşat Oyal Culture Park has a total area of 394,000 square meters, with 179,000 square meters of green space. It boasts over 6,000 trees and includes a lake, walking and biking paths, tea gardens, a conservatory, and an open-air theatre.
Visitors can enjoy restaurants, fountains, sculptures, playgrounds, and an amusement park. The Bursa Archaeological Museum is located within the park boundaries as well.
We walked through a section of the park after visiting the archaeological museum. Unfortunately, it was off season and most of the attractions and restaurants were closed. The only people we saw were a handful who were jogging or walking their dogs that day.
Yeni Kaplıca
Just west of the park is Yeni Kaplıca, which is the oldest thermal bath in the city. It was founded after Süleyman the Magnificent went there to cure a case of gout. His Grand Vizier, Rüstem Pasha (c. 1505-1561), then had the bath built between 1552 and 1555. The men’s facility is the original Ottoman bath while the women’s facilities are newer. There’s also a hotel next door. The complex sits on the site of the baths of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
