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The Republic Museum (Cumhuriyet Müzesi) is housed in the Second Grand National Assembly of Turkey (II. TBMM Binası) in Ankara. It’s located in the Ulus district.
History of the Building
The second building of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was designed and built by architect Vedat Tek (1873-1942) in 1923. It was originally meant to be a gathering place for the Republican People’s Party (CHP). When authorities realized the First Grand National Assembly building was no longer sufficient, they converted the building into the Second Grand National Assembly. It went into service on October 18, 1924, and functioned until May 27, 1960.
After 1960, the building served as the headquarters of CENTO (Central Treaty Organization) until it was dissolved in 1979. After a lengthy restoration, it opened to the public as the Republic Museum on October 30, 1981.
Visiting the Republic Museum
The Republic Museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Admission for foreigners is €6 (as of March 2024). Even if you aren’t interested in Turkish government, it’s worth seeing the architecture. Displays are in Turkish and English. We spent about a half hour walking through.
Ground Floor of the Republic Museum
The museum starts on the ground floor with exhibits on the history of the building. The next rooms focus on the social, economic, cultural, and political reforms implemented by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder of the Turkish Republic.
To the right of the entrance to the General Assembly Hall are rooms containing the personal belongings of Turkey’s first three Presidents: Atatürk, İsmet İnönü (1884-1973), and Celâl Bayar (1883-1986).
Also on the first floor is an Ottoman flag that once flew over the Ottoman headquarters in Damascus. It was taken down by British forces when they captured the building in 1918 during World War I. British General Edmund Allenby (1861-1936) delivered the flag to Sergeant Edgar Turner who took it to England. Turner’s grandson gave the flag to the Turkish Embassy in London, and it was brought to Turkey on December 26, 2014.
Upper Floor of the Republic Museum
On the upper floor, offices and meeting rooms have been recreated using photographs from the period the building was used by the Grand National Assembly.
The largest and most impressive of these rooms is the Presidential Lounge, which features elegant furniture and fixtures.
Some of the rooms were used as offices while others were used as functional rooms. Pay special attention to the hand-drawn motifs on the ceilings of some rooms as well as the beautiful chandeliers.
General Assembly Hall
Finally, after visiting all of the other rooms in the building, we entered the grand General Assembly Hall. Laws were enacted, treaties were signed, and the transition to a multi-party system was achieved there. It was also the place where Atatürk’s Reforms were adopted.
Atatürk read Nutuk (The Speech) in the hall. Nutuk lasted 36 hours and 33 minutes and was read over a six day period from October 15-20, 1927.
The General Assembly Hall contains 116 seating booths for deputies. The number of deputies reached up to 610 depending on the election cycle. The words “Sovereignty Belongs to the Nation” (Hakimiyet Milletindir) are written above the speaker’s chair.
