Haydarpasa Train Station is one of the iconic buildings in Istanbul representing the city’s glorified past with a nostalgic flavor. The station enjoys a premium visibility along the Bosphorus, with its beautiful German Neo-Classical facade facing and its main doors and marble stairs opening up to the sea, and its wings at the back of the building embrace the Asian side of Istanbul and the broader Anatolia with the intercity connections.

In parallel to Istanbul’s speedy into “yet another global city”, this cultural heritage building is under the threat of a gentrification project, which aims to privatize and transform the building into 7 stars hotel. The hotel would serve for the tourists coming to the Cruise Port planned to be built on the site of Haydarpasa Port. Following the completion of the Marmaray Tunnel Project that will connect Europe to Asia with an under water railroad connection, Haydarpasa’s transportation functions are planned to be cancelled and the area surrounding will be transformed into a high-class commercial, residential area. Urban transformation project of Haydarpasa is one of the hot issues keeping urban social movements in the city alert and resist, trying to conserve the heritage building and its public functions. In November 2010, a suspicious fire broke out in the train station during its restoration works, raised many questions as well as reminded people how fragile the survival of the building is.

Having been there many times, only recently I noticed a text about the history of the building, which is hung on the wall next to the main door. Clearly the text is written in another language and then translated into English. I found it quite amusing to read, especially the way in which the brackets are being used. Enjoy the history of Haydarpasa Station Building!

Yekpare Show on Haydarpasa: