25/09/2020
THE STORY OF TAKSIM SQUARE
Taksim Square is a 280-year-old square. Many buildings that make up this square have undergone great changes over the years and many of them have been demolished. I briefly summarize the buildings in the square.
TAKSIM REPUBLIC MONUMENT
The Taksim Republic Monument was built in Taksim Square in 1928 by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. With the help of sculptors Hadi Bara and Sabiha Bengütaş, the monument was completed. Opened on 8 August 1928, the pedestal and landscaping of the monument was made by architect Giulio Mongeri. In 1925, a commission formed under the chairmanship of the Istanbul deputy Hakkı Şinasi Pasha established a connection with Pietro Canonica and the monument was ordered. Stone and bronze were used in the construction of the monument, which lasted for 2.5 years. Donations were collected from the public as financial resources were not available. The monument weighing 84 tons was brought to Istanbul from Rome by ship. This monument is the first sculpture that introduced Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the new order to the society with a figurative expression. In the settlement planning of this monument, landscaping has been made considering that a ceremony will be held in front of it. Due to this plan, many buildings in Taksim were built in a circular plan.
TAKSIM WATER MAX
The maxem, built in 1732, is the first building on the right when entering the Istiklal Street from Taksim Square. During the reign of Sultan Mahmut I, water dams were built in Belgrat Forests to bring water to Istanbul. Water maxims were made to distribute this water coming from the embankments to different parts of the city. Maksem is also called a water dispersion cistern. Maksem has an octagonal limestone body and a pyramidal eight-sided roof. The last two lines of the three-couplet talik inscription on the entrance door of the Maksemin indicate the date of the building, 1732, by calculation of ebcet. Taksim Maksemi, where a verse that means "We gave life to everything with water" is written on its front, is closed today.
TAKSIM CISTERN
The water coming to the city from the Belgrat Forest was kept in this cistern before it was distributed by purpose. This cistern building is a stone building. The structure is 21 meters wide and 90 meters tall. The cistern has twelve sections, each section is 6 X 21 meters. The height of each section is 2.91 meters. The water volume of the cistern is 2730 cubic meters, which is a very important amount compared to that period. During the Ottoman period, there were makeshift structures on the side of the cistern facing the square. There was even a simple hut and a theater where Hacivat and Karagöz plays were played. Masse store was built here later. Luxury phaetons, or horse-drawn cars, were sold in the Masse store. In time, police station and toilet buildings were built here. In 1940, with a new urbanism concept, all of these add-on structures were demolished and the cistern emerged.
The second structure of the Artillery Barracks was built between 1803-1806 with the original name Halil Rifat Pasha Artillery Barracks. The architect of the barracks was Armenian Kirkor Balyan. The architectural style of this building is a trend called Orientalism. The main body of the Artillery Barracks, which was inspired by Indian, Russian and Turkish architecture, was two-storey, with onion domed and tower-like corners three-storey. This structure was used as a barracks until the occupation years of Istanbul. It was allocated to the soldiers of Senegal during the occupation. After the occupation, the building was largely destroyed. In 1940, Governor and Mayor Lütfü Kırdar made radical changes in Taksim within the framework of the urban design project of consulting architect Henri Prost. Taksim Barracks was destroyed in 1947. The resulting area was associated with the square with the name of Taksim Gezisi. The area of 38 thousand square meters became the breathing space of Istanbul residents after that date. While urban planning expert Henri Prost was preparing the development plan, he designed a large park between Taksim, Dolmabahçe, Nişantaşı and Beşiktaş Vişnezade. He also suggested Taksim Gezi to the authorities. It was the first park in Istanbul built in the Republic period. Marble staircases with marble railings, seating areas overlooking the Bosphorus, benches, grass fields have made Gezi a place where the people frequently come and walk.
In 1944, the pedestal of the statue of the then President İsmet İnönü on a horse was built in the southern part of Taksim Gezi, which faces Taksim Square, but the statue was never erected. After the Democrat Party came to power in 1950, the horse statue was kept in a warehouse for a long time, the pedestal was removed, and the statue was erected not in this park, but in Taşlık Park in Maçka. Taksim Municipality Gazinosu was built on the Asker Ocağı street at the northern end of the Gezi Park. In the following years, Taksim Municipality Casino was demolished in the 1970s and the Taksim Sheraton Hotel was built. The large park area envisaged by the Prost plan suffered the first blow in 1955 with the construction of the Istanbul Hilton Hotel. This green large area lost its effect with the Hyatt Hotel, Intercontinental Hotel, Swiss Hotel, Ritz Carlton hotels.
DIRECTORY-TALİMHANE
The soldiers in the Artillery Barracks would conduct their training activities on the great plain across the street. This area was named "Talimhane", meaning the place where the training was made over time. The topography of this area was not uniform in the early days. Over time, this place was flattened so that the cannon cars could move freely. In 1920, when the Artillery Barracks lost its function, this area was opened to settlement. In the reconstruction project, it was planned as regular streets intersecting each other. Permission was given to build six-story apartment buildings in this area. As Taksim square gained importance, development in this area accelerated. Talimhane district was filled in fifteen years from 1930 until 1945. Especially when Taksim Gezi Park was opened since 1948, a district where an elite group lived in summer and winter was formed. Since 1950, American Cars have taken an important place in our daily lives. Spare parts for these automobiles started to be sold in the shops under the apartments in Talimhane. For the last ten years, streets have been cleared of car traffic and turned into a hotel center.
TAKSIM STADIUM
When Istanbul was occupied, the Artillery Barracks was given to foreign soldiers. The barracks were used as one of the centers of the Occupation forces during this period. Arrangements were made for foreign soldiers in the barracks. Even Bar was established for foreign soldiers. Foreign occupation forces started to use the empty space in the middle of the barracks as a football field. After the liberation of Istanbul on October 6, 1923, this area was organized as a stadium in the Republic period. From 1929 to 1947, 18 years of football matches were played here. Foundations were laid in 1939 in Dolmabahçe for the construction of İnönü Stadium. But things got longer when World War II intervened. With the opening of Dolmabahçe Stadium in 1947, the Taksim Stadium's function ended.
by Turan Akıncı
