İstanbul Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion

FLORYA ATATÜRK MARINE MANSION

SHORT HISTORY

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who came to Istanbul for the first time on July 1, 1927, after the proclamation of the Republic, used Dolmabahçe Palace as a place of work, or as the President's Palace in that period's expression. Atatürk, who went out of Ankara for about four years at intervals between 1927-1938, began to carry out his presidency from both Ankara and Istanbul in this process. Atatürk's departure from Ankara was always during the summer months, with a few exceptions. Atatürk; made the Dolmabahçe Palace, which he used as a summer working palace, the focus of studies on Turkish Language and History, with the transition to new letters.

In time, the Istanbul Municipality started to look for a place to take a break from the busy work tempo and come together with the public and work in a quiet environment. In the course of time, Atatürk liked this place on the coast of Florya, which was a summer resort in Istanbul at that time with its deep blue sea, clean beach, and peaceful environment.

He gave the Atatürk Marine Mansion project job to architect Seyfi Arkan, whom he knew from a mansion project he had built in Ankara/Çankaya. The Marine Mansion, which was built on the sea in June and July of 1935 for a period of about two months, also served as the Presidency (Riyaset-i Cumhur) Office during Atatürk's stay in Florya. Along with the Marine Mansion, three more small mansions were built for the President's entourage. These are; General Secretariat Mansion (White Mansion), Auxiliary Mansion (Blue Mansion), and Guest Mansion (Red Mansion). The complex was completed in 1936, with the addition of a kitchen building to meet the food needs of the complex, which also includes service buildings.

Since July 1935, Atatürk has come to the mansion many times to swim and relax at intervals. He used to come to Florya for a day and returned to Dolmabahçe Palace in the evenings. After the construction and furnishing of the mansion were completed, this time he started to use the Deniz Mansion as a primary residence in the summer months and spent his official and private life mainly in Florya Sea Mansion from spring to the end of summer.

In addition, Florya Marine Mansion became not only a summer resting place for Atatürk, but also predominantly a Presidential Work Office. Atatürk followed the work of the government from the Sea Mansion and called the Council of Ministers (the first on August 21, 1935, the second on June 17, 1936) to meet at the Sea Mansion when necessary. The "table gatherings" he had previously held at the Çankaya Mansion in Ankara and at the Dolmabahçe Palace after he came to Istanbul began to be held here after the Florya Marine Mansion was built. At the tables set in the Sea Mansion, mainly issues related to the Turkish language and history were discussed in this environment where the experts of the period were also present.

Atatürk hosted a high-level guest at the Florya Marine Mansion.  Atatürk, who hosted the King of England Edward VIII., who came to Istanbul for a special visit on September 4, 1936, at Dolmabahçe Palace, hosted him with a cocktail on the terrace of the Deniz Mansion in the evening the next day.

As a result; Florya Marine Mansion in the last three years of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's life; served as a third Presidency (Riyaset-i Cumhur) Office next to Çankaya Mansion and Dolmabahçe Palace.

After the death of Atatürk, the Marine Mansion was used as a summer resting place by the Presidents, respectively, until 1988. While the General Secretariat and Auxiliary Service Buildings, which were left over from the mansions that had to be demolished over time for various reasons, were converted into accommodation facilities, the Presidential Marine Mansion was named “Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion” in 1993 and has been offered to cultural service as a “museum mansion” within the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.