Galata Tower

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The tower from the direction of the Bosporus
The Galata Tower above Karaköy , Beyoğlu, the old Galata

The Galata Tower ( Turkish Galata kulesi ) is located in Galata , a district of Istanbul 's Beyoğlu district . Originally it was part of the city fortifications built under the Genoese. Perhaps it also served as a lighthouse.

history

The old Galata Tower was built around 527 under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and served as a viewing tower. The old tower was destroyed in 1204 in the conquest of Constantinople . 1348–49 a new Galata tower was built as the Christ Tower at the highest point of Galata and the Genoese used the hill as a fortress, which was built to defend Galata opposite Constantinople. The Galata Tower withstood a number of earthquakes, storms and fires, and even repeated damage. The architect Köksal Anadol restored the tower in 1967 and restored the original elevation after many years, even reconstructing the conical roof of the Galata Tower. Today the tower with its cylindrical hull still dominates the north bank of theGolden Horn and is one of the most beautiful viewpoints over Istanbul.

In 1453 the Ottomans took over the tower and stationed the Janissary troops here. In the 15th century the tower was used as a prison for prisoners of war and in the 16th century as a watchtower. After the end of the Ottoman Empire, it was turned into a fire station in the 1960s. Today the Galata Tower is being renovated and opened to tourism. From the nine floors you can take two elevators to the seventh floor, a wooden spiral staircase takes you to the last two floors, there is a restaurant with a magnificent 360-degree city panorama, the restaurant also offers access to the viewing terrace.

reception

A water tower was built in Niederlehme near Berlin in 1902, the design of which is clearly based on the Galata tower. It is unclear whether the builder or architect of the water tower had a personal connection to the model.

literature

Web links

Commons : Galata Tower  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi). In: Istanbul Tourist Information. Accessed June 9, 2019 (German).

Coordinates: 41 ° 1 ′ 32 ″  N , 28 ° 58 ′ 27 ″  E