İstanbul Rahmi M. Koç Museum

İstanbul Rahmi M. Koç Museum, which has a unique view of the shores of the Golden Horn, intertwined with the historical beauties of Istanbul, has been the only address that can offer culture and entertainment together since 1994. The opportunity to take a tour through all the details of history, from the "submarine" tour to the "Nostalgic Train" tour, from airplanes to classic cars, and much more await visitors at the Istanbul Rahmi M. Koç Museum. Rahmi M. Koç Museum, which is the first and only industrial museum in our country reflecting the developments in the history of industry, communication, and transportation, appeals to those who want to spend a long and full day with its collection of more than 14 thousand objects, training, and workshops for children.

The vast majority of the rich collection of the museum consists of objects from the private collection of Rahmi M. Koç. The Rahmi M. Koç Museum expands its collection every year with various donations, temporary works, and especially large objects such as cars, trains, planes, a real World War II submarine, and the historical Fenerbahçe Ferry, which is almost one of the symbols of İstanbul. Thus, it offers its visitors the opportunity to make new and different discoveries every time they come.

Rahmi M. Koç Museum appeals to guests from all age groups from 7 to 70 who are interested in different areas. The museum, from the 1898 model Malden Steam Car to the 1963 model Anadol; from models of steamship engines to the celestial sphere made in 1384; mirrors the history of the industry with objects from different eras, from the transit telescope to the patented original model of the Edison telegraph.

The museum sections and collection contents are as follows.

· Atatürk Department

* Highway Transportation

* Railway Transportation

·         Maritime

·         Aviation

* Nostalgic Shops

* Communication Tools

* Scientific Instruments

* Machines, Models, and Toys

The museum, which is built on an area of about 27 thousand square meters, consists of 3 sections, including the Mustafa V. Koç / Lengerhane Building, Hasköy Shipyard, and Open-Air Exhibition areas. The histories of the departments are briefly as follows:

Mustafa V. Koç/Lengerhane Building

In the Ottomans, the chain threw into the sea to fix the ship and the anchor at the end were called "lenger", and the place where these were made was called "lengerhane". Mustafa V Koç/Lengerhane Building, which was built on the foundations of a 12th-century Byzantine building, was established during the reign of Ahmet III (1703-1730) to produce chains and anchors (lenger) for shipyard facilities. The Lengerhane Building, which was used as the Tekel-Cibali Tobacco Factory in the following years, is now included in the scope of the 2nd class historical monument.

After the building was purchased by the Rahmi M Koç Museum and Culture Foundation in 1991, as a result of the restoration works coordinated by Doctor Bülent Bulgurlu and lasting 2.5 years, it opened its doors to visitors in 1994 as the first section of the museum under the name Lengerane Building. In 2016, after the death of the late Mustafa V Koç, its name was changed to "Lengerhane Mustafa V. Koç Building". The building is located on a plot of about 2 thousand 100 square meters.

Historical Hasköy Shipyard

Hasköy Shipyard was built in 1861 by the Company-i Hayriye for the maintenance and repair of ships. It was purchased in 1996 because the exhibition areas were not sufficient for the Rahmi M. Koç Museum collection, and the dilapidated shipyard was included in the museum in 2001, following the restoration carried out under the presidency of Doctor Bülent Bulgurlu in accordance with its original condition. From the point of view of industrial archeology, the shipyard, which is of at least as great importance as Lengerhane, is located on an area of 11 thousand square meters.

During the Ottoman period, the Hasköy Shipyard was working first with a herringbone windlass, and then with a windlass that was made electrically operated in 1910. In 1938, the city line ferries Kocataş and Sarıyer with chimney numbers 75 and 76 were built here. In the following years, Hasköy Shipyard changed hands frequently according to the changes in the structure of maritime transportation.

Outdoor Exhibition Area

A part of the Rahmi M. Koç Museum collection is also located in the open area extending from the main entrance on Hasköy Street to the Golden Horn. This area extends to classic cars, the gigantic Turgut Alp Vinçi, B-24 Liberator and other aircraft, the Fenerbahçe Ferry, and TCG Uluçalireis Submarine anchored in the Golden Horn as part of the museum collection.