Odunpazarı Boutique Museums

For lunch, we met Mui’s sister, Işıl, and his niece, Banu, and enjoyed our midday meal at Akademik Kulüp, the faculty club at Anadolu University. Then, leaving them to their own devices, we headed off to do some more sightseeing.

Odunpazarı, which literally translates as the firewood market, is one of the historic neighborhoods of Eskişehir. Aside from colorful houses built in the traditional Anatolian and Ottoman styles, the neighborhood is home to a number of boutique museums that operate under the auspices of the city municipality.

The first museum that Deniz and I went to was the Wax Museum … sort of like Madame Tussaud’s. The figures here are mostly of Turkish dignitaries, political and historical figures, artists, journalists, and more. Many, if not all, of the figures were sculpted by Yılmaz Büyükerşen, the current mayor of the city.

The second museum we checked out was the Museum of Independence. A small historical museum, we found it to be well done … especially the short 20-minute documentary. It is housed in a mansion where İsmet İnönü, commander of Turkish troops during the War of Independence and the second president of the Turkish Republic, was hosted during the war. Touchscreen exhibits add to the static displays, making for an interesting experience … as does the photo op with Atatürk before one leaves the museum building.

Mui joined us for our third museum … the Modern Art Museum. I’ve got to admit that although there were some very interesting pieces on display, most of them left me scratching my head.

Our final stop before returning home was the Contemporary Glass Museum. On exhibit are some 125 pieces by Turkish and international artists who employed various glass sculpting techniques to create their art. An interesting addition, which I thoroughly enjoyed, was an art exhibit featuring the Devrim Arabası (see previous footprint for the story.)

Thus, we wrapped up our first day of sightseeing in Eskişehir … more to come tomorrow.Read more