Renovation starts in historic Kaleiçi district

EDIRNE

The historical Kaleiçi district, an old residential area in the northwestern province of Edirne and home to old mansions and grid-type streets, will be opened to tourism within the scope of a project initiated by the Governor’s Office.

Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer said, "We want to create mansion tourism here, like in Gaziantep, like in Mardin, like in Urfa. Our goal is to make Kaleiçi a living place with fine art streets, a gastronomy street and an accommodation street.”

The Edirne Governor’s Office launched the “Revival of Historical Mansions” project covering different regions, including the Kaleiçi district in 2018.

Within the scope of the project, three mansions were repaired with the “grant for 20 to 30 years” agreement program with their owners and began to be used as museums, guesthouses and public buildings.

After taking office in August last year, Sezer initiated a rehabilitation program to revitalize the project related to the historical mansions in Kaleiçi.

Twenty-eight mansions will be renovated in the first stage of the project, which was included in the 2024 investment program of the Culture and Tourism Ministry in January at a cost of 450 million Turkish Liras.

As part of the project, carried out in cooperation with the Environmental Ministry and the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Kaleiçi district, drawing attention with its mansions that are examples of civil architecture, grid-type streets and historical texture, will be brought into tourism. The Edirne Governor’s Office also started the first restoration works on the Olympic Mansion and Edirne Bar Association Mansion.

Stating that they want Kaleiçi to return to its former glory days with the completion of the project, Sezer said, “Works in Kaleiçi continue. We believe that Kaleiçi will return to its former glory days with beautiful street arrangements, buildings and restorations.”

He said that restoration work has already started on the mansions whose projects have been completed, adding, "We initiated the restoration of the structures, whose projects have been completed. On the other hand, project drawings still continue. We provide restoration support to all of them, without distinguishing them as private sector and private property. We give restoration support to all of them.”