Home of Santa Claus to be renovated

ANTALYA – DHA

The Mediterranean province of Antalya’s Demre district will undergo a series of renovation projects that will renovate many of its historic relics and venues, including the house of Santa Claus and a district square headed by the province’s metropolitan municipality.  

Demre is visited by millions every year for touristic and faith purposes. Its municipality aims to make it a more attractive place in the forthcoming days for its visitors. 

Organized under the Demre Center Renovation Project, the district’s Museum Street, Cumhuriyet Square, the front of the municipality and its access roads will be fully renovated and turned into a disable-friendly place with street furniture, shaded rest areas and its fascinating landscape. 

The project, approved by the Council of Monuments, will make Demre a locus of attraction for all tourists, according to the municipality. 

The renovation project will design a plainer square that will make the magnificence of the world famous Noel Baba Church stand out. The current ancient tissue of the area will not be changed as its green tissue will also be protected. Seating units will be placed under trees and the square will be more aesthetically striking. 

The Museum Street, which is the busiest access road between the church and the Cumhuriyet Square, will be renovated, too. The street, where cafes and local businesses are located, will be embellished with new illuminations, ground floors and landscapes. Trees, arbors and seating units will also be placed all over the street. 

Larger square 

The project also includes the renovation of the Cumhuriyet Square and the front section of the Demre Municipality. The square, where a statue of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is located, will be extended and a larger ceremony area will be built. 

The square will become more accessible and friendly with the new seating areas. A teahouse in front of the municipality will be kept, like before, and a pool will also be established there. 

The maintenance of an old marketplace, which was turned into a multi-purpose square last year, is another leg of the project. 

The project is set to be finished by the summer of 2017 as part of the renovation of an area of 11,000 square meters. 

Santa Claus, recognized as an important figure in Russian and Greek Orthodox Christianity, resided in present-day Antalya in the 4th century as a patriarch.