Yalova Atatürk Mansion is a mansion built for and used by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....

 during his visits to the thermal facilities in Yalova

Yalova

Yalova is a city located in northwestern Turkey, on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara, and is the capital of the Yalova Province. Yalova has a city population of 92,166, while the population of the Yalova Province is 202,531. as of 2009...

 at Marmara Region

Marmara Region

The Marmara Region , with a surface area of 67.000 km², is the smallest but most densely populated of the seven geographical regions of Turkey...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. Currently, the building is owned by the Turkish Grand National Assembly and is partly open to public as a house museum.

History

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited Yalova first in 1927. He went there in summer months for the local thermal facilities. During his visits, he stayed in a wooden pavillion in Baltacı Farm next to the thermal bath, which was built in the 19th century by Sultan Abdülhamid II (reigned 1876–1909).

Atatürk commissioned the construction of a mansion for himself in Millet Farm (Millet Çiftliği). Designed by the architect Sedat Hakkı EldemIt, it was completed in 1929. The mansion was initially called Millet Farm Mansion ("Millet" is the Turkish word for "Nation") after the farm's name in which it was built.

The originally wooden mansion was renovated later. The two-story building has three VIP lounges and eleven rooms. It is equipped with furnitures brought from Dolmabahçe Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coastline of the Bosphorus strait, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a 22-year interval in which Yıldız Palace was used.- History :Dolmabahçe Palace...

.

Atatürk spent summer months in this mansion. He invited notable Turkish singers and musicians such as Safiye Ayla

Safiye Ayla

Safiye Ayla was one of the most famous singers of Turkish classical music.She began her musical education as a piano student...

 and Münir Nurettin Selçuk

Münir Nurettin Selçuk

Münir Nurettin Selçuk was a Turkish classical musician and tenor singer. He was one of the most revered names in Turkish music.-Biography:...

 to perform concerts on Turkish classical music. The idea to establish the Turkish Historical Society

Turkish Historical Society

The Turkish Historical Society also known as Turkish Historical Association or Turkish History Foundation is a research society studying the history of Turkey and the Turkish people, founded in 1931 by the initiative of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.-Presidents:The...

 and the Turkish Language Association

Turkish Language Association

The Turkish Language Association is the official regulatory body of the Turkish language, founded on July 12, 1932 and headquartered in Ankara, Turkey...

was developed at this site.

Museum

Yalova Atatürk Mansion, originally a private property of Atatürk, was transferred to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. After renovation works and fitting with pictures and personal belongings of Atatürk, the mansion was converted into a historical house museum, and opened to public in 1981.