Story of hazelnut to be told at museum
ORDU
A new museum is set to open its doors in the Black Sea province of Ordu, the motherland of hazelnut.
The historic three-story Kahraman Sağra Mansion was recently restored with the initiatives of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry to become the “Museum of the Story of Hazelnut.”
The museum was established with items belonging to the local community and materials collected from institutions.
Everything on hazelnut will be exhibited in the museum, Uğur Toparlak, the city’s tourism and culture director, told state-run Anadolu Agency.
Toparlak said they were happy to see an unused building turned into a museum. The work that started in 2017 is now complete and the museum is waiting for its official inauguration, according to Toparlak.
Hazelnut is one of the primary products that contribute to the region’s economy, said Toparlak, adding that the city is providing a major proportion of the world’s hazelnut production.
Ever since Ordu was founded, the local community has always had a particular relationship with hazelnuts, said Toparlak. “The hazelnut is our life, our food, dish, culture, wedding, and future. The absence of a historical memory of such a precious product that could not be shared with future generations was a significant shortcoming.”
The three-story museum will serve to satisfy the community’s curiosity.
“The museum exhibits the hazelnut’s history, culture, story and everything it adds to our lives. Each artifact here is a part of us. In this museum, we saw ourselves and more importantly, we enhanced the strength of our memory. The city’s historical memory has improved as well,” he said.
Stressing that people who come from other regions are always curious about hazelnuts, he said, adding, “Local and foreign visitors would always wonder how hazelnut is harvested, and how it would come to their tables. Now we can satisfy this curiosity with the museum.”
Materials in the museum were specifically obtained from the locals as well as the hazelnut industry.