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Odunpazarı is the historic old town neighborhood of Eskişehir, Turkey, where Turks traditionally lived. It’s a short walk south of the city center and is filled with several very nicely restored Ottoman homes and buildings.
Exploring Odunpazarı
The neighborhood is quite small and can easily be seen in an hour or two. If you decide to visit some of the many fine small museums in the area, you can make a full day out of it.
Hicri Sezen Park
The first part of the neighborhood most visitors will see is Hicri Sezen Park (Hicri Sezen Parkı). It sits just south of Atatürk Boulevard and includes a green area with a small square next to it. In the past, the entire park was an empty square where wood merchants would sell wood they brought from the mountains.
Like the rest of the neighborhood, the park and square are surrounded by Ottoman buildings. On the weekend we visited in November 2019, there was a women’s handicraft market, where local women were selling all sorts of handmade goods underneath tents.
Malhatun Square
A block north of Hicri Sezen Park at Atatürk Boulevard is Malhatun Square (Malhatun Meydanı). It features a fountain with a statue of Malhun Hatun (d. 1323), the daughter of Sheikh Edebali (1206-1326) and the mother of Sultan Orhan, the second Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Sahaflar Square
A short walk east is Sahaflar Square (Sahaflar Meydanı), which features a fountain in the center. When we last visited, it looked like the fountain had recently been installed and some of the homes around the square were in the process of being renovated.
Arasta Bazaar
Walking further south into the neighborhood is the Arasta Bazaar (Arasta Çarşısı). It was created in 2012 and hosts a touristic bazaar. Tenants include handicraft shops, restaurants, and a hotel. There’s also an attractive Ottoman fountain located there.
Roman Fountain
Hidden in a parking lot near the Arasta Bazaar is an original Roman fountain. There’s no information about it, other than it’s known to locals as the Roman Fountain (Roma Çeşmesi).
Odunpazarı Homes
The colorful Odunpazarı Homes (Odunpazarı Evleri) are the most attractive feature of Odunpazarı. There are about 300 traditional Ottoman homes and mansions, of which many serve as restaurants, shops, boutique hotels, or museums. While you wander up and down the cobblestone streets, you can’t help but admire these colorful homes and buildings.
Odunpazarı Homes along Atatürk Boulevard
One of the best views of the homes comes from Atatürk Boulevard, where you can get a good look at the some of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture. A small collection of historic mansions faces the road with unobstructed views.
Atlı Han
Atlı Han sits southwest of Hicri Sezen Park. It’s a caravanserai built by Takattin Bey in the 1850s to house travelers and peasants coming from surrounding villages. The structure was rebuilt in 2006 and now hosts the Atlıhan Handicraft Bazaar (Atlıhan El Sanatları Çarşısı).
Two floors of shops surround the courtyard, which contains a fountain in the center. The shops sell souvenirs as well as meerschaum products, jewelry, ceramics, glass, and more.
Yağcızade Mansion
Just west of Atlı Han is the Yağcızade Mansion (Yağcızade Konağı), which dates back to 1765. It now serves as the Ataol Behramoğlu Library (Ataol Behramoğlu Kitaplığı).
Kavakçılar Mansion
Next door is the Kavakçılar Mansion (Kavakçılar Konağı), which was built in 1852. I haven’t been able to find detailed information about it.
Beylerbeyi Mansion
Directly across from the Kurşunlu Complex is the Beylerbeyi Mansion (Beylerbeyi Konağı). It was built in 1750 and once hosted a pharmacy museum.
Museums in Odunpazarı
Odunpazarı is home to a wealth of different museums. They range from the mainstream to the quirky, covering subjects such as history, art, commerce, and more. Below I’ll write about most of the museums in the neighborhood. I haven’t had a chance to visit all of them yet, and there are others not included here. Many of the museums are hosted in Odunpazarı Homes.
Odunpazarı Modern Museum
Odunpazarı Modern Museum (Odunpazarı Modern Müzesi), or OMM, is the crown jewel of museums in Odunpazarı. It opened to the public on September 7, 2019.
Visiting Odunpazarı Modern Museum
Odunpazarı Modern Museum is open daily except Mondays. Admission is 70₺ (as of November 2023). I’m not exactly into modern art, but I was impressed by many of the pieces on display. We spent about a half hour at the museum.
The OMM Café is located at the museum, serving light breakfasts and healthy lunch options. There’s also the OMM Inn, a boutique hotel built partly inside an Ottoman-era Odunpazarı Home. It’s attached to the museum and includes 15 rooms.
Odunpazarı Modern Museum Building
The building itself is a work of art. It was designed by Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma and Associates. The architect’s goal was to pay homage to the local architectural style using geometry, light, stacking, and timber. The building is beautifully lit by the sun at different times of day.
One impressive feature of the interior is a twisted square “tube” running the entire height of the building. It’s made with stacked wooden planks and leads up to a skylight.
Exhibitions at Odunpazarı Modern Museum
Exhibitions at the Odunpazarı Modern Museum are spread over three floors. There are different types of art on display. They including paintings, sculptures, and new media art in order to appeal to a wide range of visitors.
Personally, the most impressive work in the museum is a bamboo sculpture by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV of Japan. He spent two weeks installing the sculpture, which was made specifically for OMM. The sculpture complements the architecture of the building. It can be viewed from the ground and upper floors.
Below are photos of a few other paintings and works of art that caught my eye. Many are part of the Erol Tabanca collection, which was acquired over a period of 15 years.
Contemporary Glass Art Museum and City Memory Museum
Around the corner you’ll find two museums under one roof. The Contemporary Glass Art Museum (Çağdaş Cam Sanatları Müzesi) and the City Memory Museum (Kent Belleği Müzesi) are housed in a historic Odunpazarı Home.
Both museums are accessed on one ticket costing 30₺ (as of December 2023). The glass museum is on the ground floor while the city museum is on the first floor. The star of the show is the Contemporary Glass Art Museum, while the City Memory Museum, although very well done, isn’t nearly as interesting.
Contemporary Glass Art Museum
The Contemporary Glass Art Museum includes incredible glass works of art from both Turkish and international artists. It opened to the public on December 1, 2007,
The works are spread out over three galleries and are very impressive. The labels for each piece are in Turkish only, and most works are by Turkish artists.
City Memory Museum
The City Memory Museum, which opened in 2012, is broken down into several different sections. Each section is presented at an interactive station that includes photos and video interviews. The videos are subtitled in English.
The first gallery is broken down into five different sections, including history; cultural heritage (architecture, important historical figures, and tourism); ethnic culture; education; and arts and culture (culture, art, literature, theatre, cinema, music, and handicrafts).
The second gallery is broken down into four different sections, including My Eskişehir; sports; economy (industry and commerce, agriculture, and mining); and nature (flora and fauna). A third gallery includes local works of art and photography and a children’s section.
Courtyard
The courtyard is one of the most beautiful features of the building. It’s covered by a glass roof and includes a fountain in the center. Hanging above the fountain is a stunning glass sculpture by American artist Dale Chihuly.
Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum
A few steps away along Atatürk Boulevard is the Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum (Yılmaz Büyükerşen Balmumu Heykeler Müzesi). It contains about 200 wax sculptures of Turkish and international figures. Admission is 50₺ (as of December 2023) and it’s open daily except Mondays. We didn’t visit.
Eskişehir Hamam Museum
Back into the neighborhood was a construction site where a hamam and hamam museum were being built. It has since opened to the public and admission is 30₺ (as of December 2023). It’s open daily except Mondays. I hope to see the results on my next visit to the city.
ETO Museum
Heading towards Hicri Sezen Park is the ETO Museum (ETO Müze), presenting the Eskişehir Museum of Commerce and Industry (Eskişehir Ticaret ve Sanayi Müzesi). It opened on May 9, 2017 and is run by the city’s chamber of commerce (Eskişehir Ticaret Odası). The museum is open daily except Mondays and admission is free (as of December 2023). It’s hosted in a historic Odunpazarı Home.
We didn’t expect much in the beginning, but we were pleasantly surprised with the museum and enjoyed our visit. The exhibits are presented nicely and with just enough information not to overwhelm you with reading. All of the displays are in both Turkish and English. We only spent about 20 minutes inside, but it was enough to see everything.
Ground Floor
The ETO Museum focuses on 3,000 years of commerce in the region, beginning on the ground floor with a display on King Midas. The famous king with the golden touch ruled over Phrygia, where modern Eskişehir is now located.
First Floor
The first floor of the museum delves into important local industries such as agriculture, clothing, and Eskişehir as a hot spring resort destination.
Major local food companies ETİ and Erden are profiled as well. ETİ is famous all over Turkey for their cookies, crackers, and chocolates, while Erden once made chocolates and candies.
Further displays include information on the brick and roof tile production as well as terra cotta arts. The brick and roof tile industry developed in Turkey in the 1920s while terra cotta pottery and tiles have been produced since Phrygian times.
One section is dedicated to meerschaum arts. There’s an abundant supply of meerschaum, a soft white clay mineral, near Eskişehir. It’s mostly used to make tobacco pipes, and the Meerschaum Gallery at the Kurşunlu Complex is a great place to see more examples.
Second Floor
On the second floor, there’s an exhibit about Nasreddin Hoca, a 13th century Seljuk satirist from the nearby town of Sivrihisar. He was famous for his anecdotes and sense of humor and is depicted riding backwards on his donkey. A few of his anecdotes have been translated into English to accompany the exhibit.
Another exhibit is dedicated to banking in Eskişehir. An original teller station from Eskişehir Bank (Eskişehir Bankası) as well as a handful of counting machines, cash registers, typewriters, and other equipment are on display.
The final section of the second floor includes information on Ottoman coin production. Weights and measures feature in the exhibit.
Exit
At the exit, there’s a model of a Devrim. In 1961, Devrim was the first automobile designed and manufactured in Turkey. Only four cars and 10 engines were made, and only one of those cars survives to this day. It’s on display at the TÜLOMSAŞ Museum in Eskişehir.
Also at the exit is a model of a Karakurt, which was the first ever locomotive designed and manufactured in Turkey. It was made in 1961 and was in service for 15 years.
Independence Museum
The Independence Museum (Kurtuluş Müzesi) sits next door. It tells the story of the Turkish War of Independence (Kurtuluş Savaşı) and is housed in the Mestanoğlu Halil Mansion (Mestanoğlu Halil Konağı), which is one of the impressive Odunpazarı Homes. It was built in the second half of the 19th century by Mestanoğlu Halil Bey (d. 1880) and was acquired by the city in 2001. The mansion underwent restoration in 2002.
Admission to the Independence Museum is 30₺ (as of December 2023) and it’s open daily except Mondays. There’s very little to interest non-Turkish speakers, as most information is in Turkish. We spent about a half hour inside, mostly admiring the mansion.
First Floor
Exhibits start on the first floor, where there’s a room dedicated to caricatures depicting important figures in the war. In the next room is a video presentation about the war running on a loop, but it’s all in Turkish.
The main hall on the first floor contains a timeline of newspaper clippings reporting on important events during the war. Again, they’re all in Turkish. There’s also a wall with changing images as well as photos of Turkish war heroes.
The third room on the first floor includes more newspaper reports. The fourth room contains figures of General İsmet İnönü (1884-1973) sitting at a desk while Commander Fahrettin Altay (1880-1974) stands next to him. On the desk is an interactive map outlining the Turkish war strategy.
Ground Floor
Back downstairs, there’s a children’s area as well as a room where visitors can take photos with their choice of background image.
The final room includes an interactive photo archive, where visitors can view photos from the Turkish War of Independence. This room was the most interesting to me because of the beautiful frescoes on the wall.
One fresco depicts a woman in a rowboat, while a smaller one includes a scene from Istanbul with the Maiden’s Tower in the foreground. It’s quite possible the paintings were made in 1919 by a Greek artist from Istanbul named Sotiris.
Anadolu University Republic History Museum
The Anadolu University Republic History Museum (Anadolu Üniversitesi Cumhuriyet Tarihi Müzesi) sits along Atatürk Boulevard north of Hicri Sezen Park. It covers the history of the Turkish Republic.
The museum is open daily except Mondays from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free (as of December 2023). There are some interesting exhibits and artifacts on display, but all of the information is in Turkish. We took about a half hour to browse through the museum.
Museum Building
The Anadolu University Republic History Museum is housed in the former Turan Numune School (Turan Numune Mektebi), which was built in 1916. The building was acquired by Anadolu University (Anadolu Üniversitesi) in 1989, restored, and opened to the public as the Republic History Museum on April 23, 1994. The museum was closed to visitors in 2013 for renovation, and it reopened on March 21, 2019.
Ground Floor
The collection is spread out over the two floors of the building. First, on the west wing of the ground floor is a section on Turkish history. It includes information on the Ottoman period and displays swords and rifles.
The corridor connecting the two wings features the Ottoman coat of arms, a speech by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) to the people of Eskişehir on January 15, 1923, and models of ships that participated in the Turkish War of Independence.
On the east wing is a section dedicated to the Gallipoli campaign of World War I and the Turkish War of Independence. Artifacts used by soldiers from both wars are displayed in glass cases. There are also photos and information about the role of Eskişehir during that time.
One final room contains the names of 1603 people from Eskişehir who dğied in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Turkish War of Independence.
First Floor
A section at the top of the stairs on the first floor deals with the alleged coup attempt on July 15, 2016. It includes photos of the aftermath and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan leading memorial ceremonies.
One room contains the personal belongings and photos of Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. On display are some of his shirts, shoes, neckties, tea sets, cutlery, and more.
The next rooms features events from the Republic period, mostly focused on the social and cultural reforms put into place by Atatürk. One of those rooms displays newspapers announcing the death of Atatürk in 1938.
The next section includes the history of Eskişehir, with information about local development of education, industry, and more. One item that caught my eye was a magazine featuring a Greek-Turkish friendship match between football clubs Thermaikos FC and Eskişehir Demirspor in August 1952.
An ethnography room follows, where works from Eskişehir and Central Anatolia are on display. It includes, clothing, jewelry, and other items.
The final two rooms of the museum are dedicated to the first occupant of the building, the Turan Numune School. They include photos, a timeline of the school’s history, and equipment used at the school.
İsmail Alkılıçgil Photography House (Permanently Closed)
A block south of Hicri Sezen Park down a narrow road is the Ismail Alkılıçgil Photography House (İsmail Alkılıçgil Fotoğraf Evi). It’s a photography museum with great photos of old Eskişehir. It was named after the photographer who lived in the house until his death in 2003. On my most recent trip in November 2019, I found the museum to be closed.
ETİ City and Immigration Museum
Further south across the street from the Kurşunlu Complex is the ETİ City and Immigration Museum (ETİ Şehir ve Göç Müzesi). Apparently, it’s been slated to open for several years but there has been no progress to date (as of December 2023).
Yeşil Efendi Mansion
Finally, uphill behind the Kurşunlu Complex is the Yeşil Efendi Mansion (Yeşil Efendi Konağı), which was built in 1890. It opened in 1984 as an ethnographic museum presenting 19th century life in Eskişehir. The museum is open daily except Mondays and admission is 20₺ (as of May 2023).
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder of the Turkish Republic, stayed in the house during the Turkish War of Independence in 1920. Some rooms host exhibits on his visit. A few more beautiful Ottoman homes line the street as well.
