Eskisehir Museum of Independence (Eskişehir Kurtuluş Müzesi)
On a recent trip I visited the Eskisehir Museum of Independence. Housed in an early example of Turkish first national architecture built in 1915, the museum celebrates Atatürk and the Turkish Republic through hundreds of photos, paintings and collages. It includes displays of events such as the battles of Gallipoli, Sakarya and Dumlupınar, models of Turkish WWI warships and more than 50 portraits of the man himself. Visitors can watch an Atatürk documentary if they have the time. The house was originally the Mestanoğlu Halil Mansion and was chosen because İsmet İnönü, commander of the Turkish troops during the First Battle of İnönü in 1921, stayed here.
Inside there are interactive games for kids to play (once normal life resumes), and focussed exhibitions in each of the rooms. Two alcoves are covered with the names of men from Eskisehir who lost their lives in the Turkish War of Independence. There’s even a wax statue of Ataturk for those who want to take a selfie with the great man.
However for me the most interesting part of the display was the “War of Independence with Cartoons” section. Humorous magazines published between 1919 and 1923 were on display, showing the Allies occupying Istanbul, the Ottoman Government of Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, and people and corporations opposing the War of Independence.
Here’s an example of one of the cartoons. For fear of starting another war I won’t share the caption that was underneath it, but it gives an idea of the cutting edge (sorry, couldn’t help myself) nature of the humour.
The Eskisehir Museum of Independence is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5.30pm. Here’s the link to the website . It’s in Turkish but you can always use Google translate to read it in English. However in the museum itself, almost all the items on display have English descriptions as well as Turkish, and the documentary is subtitled. We went in September 2021 and entry cost 7tl.
Keen to make your own trip to Eskisehir? Check out my post with information how to get there, what to see and eat and where to stay.
