İzmir Culture & Arts Factory

This is how the "Factory" we visited today is described on the website ... "The İzmir Culture and Arts Factory is a new meeting place for residents and visitors of all ages and a new generation culture and art center that will shape the cultural and artistic landscape of the city."

Meeting up with the family, we started our day with a leisurely walk to the "Factory." Those of us who have achieved the "magic age," were given free admission tickets ... the rest purchased their "MüzeKart," which might as well have been free since admission to the "Factory" alone is TL 200 (~$7.45) and the Türkiye-wide annual museum card (for Turkish nationals only) costs TL 60 (~$2.25).

We started off with breakfast at the Simit Sarayı ... a café on the grounds. A selection of pastries and Turkish tea got us off to a good start and gave us the energy to wander several of the buildings to enjoy the exhibits.

The "Factory," which opened in April 2023, is housed in the buildings that were re-purposed from what was once the Tekel Cigarette Factory. The 140-year-old facility is an important part of the city's industrial heritage and I was happy to see the grounds put to good use.

Exhibits in the museum run the gamut from archaeological finds and ethnographical pieces to paintings and sculptures. There are several libraries housed in the buildings that we did not get to today, including the Turkic World Music Special Library. Cultural and art workshops are also held on a regular basis. And there is an open-air movie theater as well.

With so much to see, methinks multiple visits may be required to do the place justice.Read more