Ulus (Ankara)

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Coordinates: 39 ° 56 '  N , 32 ° 51'  E

Ulus is an urban region in Ankara . It is the common name of an area, the boundaries of which are not defined, and not an official administrative name, but is also used for bus, dolmuş stations and a metro station that are located in this area. The region takes its name from the central place in it ( Ulus Meydanı , in German: Place of the Nation). The square, which has been redesigned many times over the course of history, is located at the intersection of four boulevard-like streets, Ataturk Bulvarı from the south, which then continues beyond the intersection as Çankırı Caddesi , and Cumhuriyet Caddesi from the west of the train station, which is initially aimed at the citadel as Anafartalar continues Caddesi . The place is given a special accent by the Zafer Abidesi (Victory Monument) built by Heinrich Krippel in 1927 with a larger than life equestrian statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk , which extends the square-like, square extension of the intersection between the Atatürk Bulvarı and the Anafartalar, which is separated from the sidewalks by retaining walls Caddesi dominates. The effect of this statue, which is occupied by innumerable pigeons, is impaired by the surrounding modern, but unattractive high-rise buildings and the level of the square below street level. According to this statue, the location of the square (if the square is exactly and not the district in the vicinity is meant) has the name Heykel (the Turkish word for statue ).

The Zafer Abidesi on Ulus Meydanı
For comparison: historical recording

Ulus has a certain importance for local transport. Various bus routes cross the Ulus Meydanı. Much of the through traffic, however, is routed around the district. The metro has a stop called "Ulus". This is not on the central Ulus Meydanı, but in the periphery, about 400 m southwest of the square at the entrance to Gençlik Parkı . There is also an end point of many Dolmuş lines. Other Dolmuş lines move closer to the square, but have their terminus in the maze of alleys around Ulus Meydanı. The market halls are also located in Ulus.

Historical

In the early days of the Republic of Turkey, the first government district and the then modern city center of Ankara were located here. The Ulus Meydanı marked the edge of the old Ottoman Ankara and the beginning of the route to the train station. This importance can be seen in many public government and parliament buildings as well as bank and other commercial buildings, such as the Türkiye İş Bankası . The loss of centrality through the relocation of the central state authorities to Çankaya results from the fact that most of these buildings have either been cleared, turned into museums or occupied by subordinate agencies.

Originally the location was known as Taşhan (stone inn), after the hotel there, which was considered the best or only one in Ankara at that time. The Taşhan was demolished in 1935 and in its place a central business building of the Sümerbank was built, one of the state-owned companies with which the Kemalist government wanted to carry out the economic development of Turkey. The Sumerbank, despite its name mainly a textile company, was privatized, dissolved and merged with the Oyakbank . The building is now used by Ankara Sosyal Bilimler Üniversitesi (ASBÜ: Ankara Social Science University). The name "Taşhan" is now used by a modern commercial building that is diagonally opposite the old location on the other side of the Çankırı Caddesi.

The square opposite the Taşhan, where the Victory Monument is now located, was originally taken up by the building of Darülmuallimin Mektebi , a teacher training institute that continues under the name Erkek Öğretmen Okulu . The building was used by the Ministry of Education for the first few years before it was demolished to make way for the memorial.

Both the eponymous square and the streets changed names several times in the 20th century. It used to be called:

  • the Ulus Meydanı: Taşhan Meydanı, Hakimiyet-i Milliye Meydanı, Millet Meydanı.
  • the Anafartalar Caddesi: Karaoğlan Caddesi
  • The Ataturk Bulvarı: Bankalar Caddesi, Millet Caddesi, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Caddesi, Ataturk Uranı
  • Cumhuriyet Caddesi: İstasyon Caddesi

Surroundings

In Ulus or within a few hundred meters of Ulus Meydan there are numerous easily accessible museums, sights and shopping opportunities. Not all of these sights are still in their original location. Both the victory monument and the Julian column were moved in the 20th century. In detail:

Outside Ulus, but still within walking distance, are the Ankara train station , the Ankara Etnoğrafya Müzesi , the citadel (Ankara Kalesi) and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations .

literature

  • Ekrem Işın (Ed.): Ankara: Kara Kalpaklı Kent, 1923–1938. Ankara: City of the Black Calpac 1923-1938. İstanbul araştırmaları enstitüsü, İstanbul 2009, ISBN 978-975-9123-66-6 (exhibition catalog)
  • Önder Şenyapılı: Geçmişten bugüne. Isim isim Ankara. Boyut, İstanbul 2013, ISBN 978-975-23-1079-7