Başkent Millet Bahçesi

Başkent Millet Bahçesi (Capital Nation Garden) is a city garden in the very centre of Ankara, in the Zübeyde Hanım neighbourhood of Altındağ district, laid out on the former hippodrome section of the Atatürk Cultural Centre area. In the records of the Housing Development Administration and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change its name is Başkent Millet Bahçesi; opening-day news reports called it AKM Millet Bahçesi, and some sources use Ankara Millet Bahçesi. The garden was opened with a ceremony on 28 October 2021, the 98th anniversary of the Republic. The project was carried out by the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ). According to TOKİ the total area is 700,000 square metres, 94 percent of it green and open space; before the opening Anadolu Agency had given 637,000 square metres. The story of the site goes back to the first years of the Republic. The Ankara Hippodrome, designed by the Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi, was built here between 1934 and 1936 and opened in 1937. According to Wikipedia the hippodrome was the ground where the parades of national holidays were held. When the ceremonies moved elsewhere the site lost its importance; the hippodrome closed in 1979 and its structure was demolished in 2019. Meanwhile Law No. 2302, passed on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Atatürk's birth, declared the wide zone including the hippodrome the Atatürk Cultural Centre area. The foundation of the AKM building on the Ulus side of the area was laid in 1981 and the building was completed in 1987; its architects were Filiz Erkal and Coşkun Erkal, and the landscape designer was Yüksel Öztan. The nation garden was built on the hippodrome section of this area and took the place of the demolished hippodrome. Some 10,133 quality trees and plants of 83 species were planted in the garden. According to Anadolu Agency there are 154,000 square metres of woodland, 91,400 square metres of plant and flower beds and 78,700 square metres of lawn. The large water-show pool and fountains at the centre of the garden, together with the tall monument column on its edge, are the most photographed corner. A biological pond, flower gardens and vegetable plots line the walking paths. A 2.7-kilometre running and cycling path loops through the garden. The most striking facility is the green-roofed public reading house; the 7,661-square-metre building holds a library, education rooms and a seminar hall. A 700-seat conference hall, art workshops, an open-air cinema and children's playgrounds are spread across the garden. The sports areas cover 30,250 square metres; the 1,007-square-metre ice rink and the 1,320-square-metre skate park are aimed at young people. A 1,110-metre zip coaster line, an adventure park and a riding area give the garden the feel of an amusement park. A health centre, a mosque, a marketplace selling regional products and a country restaurant are also within the grounds. The Zero Waste and Climate Museum, completed in 2023, explains climate and waste issues to children with projections and a two-metre spherical screen in 925 square metres of indoor space. The best-loved detail of the garden is the heritage tramway. There are six stops on the 2.7-kilometre closed-loop line: Art School, Adventure Park, Nation Library, Hippodrome, Farming Workshop and Mosque. Two diesel trams run on the line; each carries twenty people and completes the loop in about twenty minutes at no more than ten kilometres an hour. The tram is not free; check the operator's announcements for the current fare and running hours. The route board of the red-and-white tram reads Başkent Millet Bahçesi; it is the easiest way to see the garden with children. The garden contains a large state ceremony ground; bear in mind that ceremonies may be held in this section on national holidays. The walking paths are wide and level. Because the trees are still young there is little shade at midday in summer; carry a hat and water, and the best light is in the late afternoon. In autumn the woodland changes colour; in winter the ice rink becomes the centre of the garden. The garden neighbours Gençlik Park, the new CSO Ada building and the service building of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality; its eastern end reaches Hergelen Square. It can be reached on foot from Ulus and Gençlik Park; the Hipodrom station of the Başkentray commuter line is close to the western end of the garden. A covered car park for 1,136 vehicles was built for those coming by car. A walk that combines the garden with Gençlik Park and the historic centre of Ulus on the same day shows different periods of Republican Ankara side by side.