Everything about Istanbul’s Taksim Square
If you are going to visit Turkey, then during your stay we invite you to visit Istanbul and Taksim Square in this bustling city. In Istanbul, where millions of people travel every day, there is a place to gather, visit and have fun, this is Taksim Square. The Taksim is located in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul.
By migrating to Turkey and settling in Istanbul, you can also be among the thousands of people who come to the square for economic, social and even political activities. Taksim is the heart of social and cultural activities. Taksim is not the name of an area and is famous among the people for its square. In the middle of the square, there is a monument to the Republic.
The 280-year-old Taksim Square can be a tourist attraction for those who have taken up a Turkish tourist stay. Many of the square’s buildings have changed over the years, most of them in ruins. And Sabiha Bangotash has completed the construction work.
Before the 1600s, the area was used as a cemetery, but later the cemetery was destroyed and took its current form. To solve the water problem of Beyoglu and Galata districts, a water network (reservoirs for water distribution) has been constructed in this place. The same water network building is used today as an art museum. Therefore, due to the division of water, the name of this place and the area of Taksim or the division is named.
The inauguration of the Taksim Memorial took place on August 8, 1928, and was designed and landscaped by architect Giulio Monterey. In 1925, during a commission set up under the chairmanship of Pasha, a representative of Istanbul at the time, he was contacted by Pietro Canonica and commissioned to build the statue. Stone and bronze have been used in the construction of the monument, which lasted two and a half years. Due to the lack of financial resources at the time of construction of this monument, public donations have also been used. The Taksim monument, which is about 84 tons and 11 meters high, was brought to Istanbul by boat from Rome. The monument is a statue that for the first time illustrates Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the newly formed system to society. The memorial depicts the newly formed Republic of Turkey and the war of Turkish independence.
In the design and layout of this memorial, its landscaping has been done in anticipation of the celebration. Due to this planning, many buildings in Taksim have been built in a round shape. Buildings around Taksim Square include the Ataturk Cultural Center. Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Cultural Center, which has an exhibition and cinema hall, is designed for opera, ballet, theater and concerts, and congresses. The building is currently under reconstruction and is scheduled to be reopened by 2021.
The building, first established in 1969 as the fourth major cultural center symbol of the Republic in Turkey. The building was demolished in 2018 for reconstruction and is expected to reopen by 2021.
Construction of the Taksim-Levent metro line, which began in 1992, was completed in 2000. Until 2000, there were a large number of auto parts stores around Taksim Square, all of which were demolished after the sidewalk construction project. The Taksim sidewalk project, which has pushed traffic in the square underground, has been completed by 2013.
To change the look of Taksim Square, Istanbul Municipality has launched a competition to present new plans to renovate the square. With the holding of the February 2020 International Design Competition by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the selected design will change the face of Taksim Square.
At the same time, Taksim, which has the characteristic of a crossroads, has Harbiye, Nisantasi, Osman Bey, Sisli, Mecidiyeköy, Qasem Pasha, Shish Khaneh, On Kapani, Aksaray, Yeni Kapi, Tunnel and Karakoy, Jahangir and Artillery, Besiktas and Kabatash and Machka are connected.
The square, which was built during the Republic, has hosted Turkish political and social events. Taksim is a gathering place. One of the most important gatherings was May 1, 1997, Labor Day celebrations, which left one person dead. The square reopened on May 1, 2009. Because 34 people died, they called bloody May 1 and they declared it Labor Day.
In addition to Bloody Worker’s Day in 1997, there were bloody incidents in the field again in 2013. In 2013, despite the lack of a building permit for parks around Taksim, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government sought to expand the sidewalk project in the square and eliminate Gazi Park, prompting protests against construction activities in Gazi Park. Demonstrations were held in Taksim, and protesters prevented machinery from continuing to operate. Following Erdogan’s insistence on the continuation of the project, environmentalist protests turned into protests against the government, and it did not take long for them to spread to other parts of Turkey.
Protesters which they gathered at the park, by interacting with the police, they made 10 people die.
This square is one of the most famous places in Istanbul that you can get acquainted with by migrating to Turkey in Istanbul. With its restaurants and shops, hotels, leisure, and cultural centers, bars and cafes and discos around it, it is one of the tourist attractions of Istanbul that you can include in your tour of Turkey. On weekends, this square is lively and dynamic day and night, and you can have fun in this square until near morning.
This square is located at the entrance of Istiklal Street, which is a good place for your shopping, and you can walk from the beginning of the square to the tunnel. As a vehicle, there are nostalgic tram services.
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