Haller Gençlik Merkezi

The Haller Youth Centre is a centre for culture and the arts in Tepebaşı, created by restoring the historic Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Market Hall. The old market building has become a covered arcade that today houses a theatre stage, an exhibition hall, a bookshop and small shops. GoTürkiye, the ministry's promotion platform, presents the building as a piece of industrial heritage once used as a fruit and vegetable market. The same source writes that while the memory of the architectural shell has been preserved, the place carries Eskişehir's lively youth culture. A market hall saved from demolition According to Turkish Wikipedia, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Market Hall was a building that was being considered for demolition because it stood unused and looked run down. In 2000 it was restored without departing from its original form, and shopping, entertainment and retail units were fitted inside. The restoration took Covent Garden in London and the flower market hall in Hamburg as models. Wood, wrought iron and natural stone dominate the building. On Wikidata the building is recorded as a historic structure in Tepebaşı under the name Old Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Market Hall. It also carries an identification number as a monument in the Kültür Envanteri heritage database. Part of an industrial city The area around the market hall grew as Eskişehir turned into a city of trade and industry in the Republican period. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam explains that in this period facilities such as tile and brick factories came into operation and Eskişehir left behind its old appearance as an agricultural centre. According to the same source, the city's famous market gardens also turned into residential areas during the rapid growth between 1940 and 1950. The Eskibağlar neighbourhood, where the hall stands, is one of the neighbourhoods founded in the northwest of the city in that period. A fruit and vegetable market standing in this belt is a reminder of the city's transformation between agriculture and industry. The first stage of the city theatre Theatre is what gives Haller its real place in the city's cultural life. The Haller Youth Centre Tepebaşı Stage of the Metropolitan Municipality City Theatres opened on 27 March 2001. The theatre's official website gives the auditorium's capacity as 202 plus four seats. According to Turkish Wikipedia, the Eskişehir City Theatres were the third subsidised city theatre founded in Turkey, and their first stage was the Tepebaşı Stage here. The theatre raised its curtain on 27 March 2001 with Bir Şehnaz Oyun, written by Turgut Özakman and staged by the founding general director Ergin Orbey. In the same season a children's play called Kutup Yıldızı, written by Cengiz Toraman, was also staged. According to the same source, in its first twenty years the theatre staged 130 different plays and reached 1.5 million spectators. Over time the institution also set up units for children's and youth theatre, traditional Turkish theatre, and reading and radio theatre. Today it has several stages in different parts of the city, and the list of stages on its official website still begins with the Tepebaşı Stage at Haller. Check the current programme and ticket information on the City Theatres website. What to look at inside According to the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, besides gift shops, kiosks and cafes the centre has an exhibition hall and a bookshop. GoTürkiye likens the building, whose rhythm changes through the day, to an arcade inside the city. From the outside, the red brick facades, the round windows set along them and the tiled eaves catch the eye. The large arched entrances close with heavy wooden doors studded with metal bosses. Once through these doors, shops and enclosed spaces line a stone-paved interior street. To take in the roofline and the brickwork, we suggest first looking at the whole facade from the pavement opposite. Visiting and getting there The centre is on Üniversite Caddesi in the Eskibağlar neighbourhood of Tepebaşı. If you want to see a play, plan your visit around the evening programme; to see the exhibition hall and the bookshop you can also drop by in the daytime. Because it is close to the city centre and the banks of the Porsuk, it can be combined with a walk through Adalar. You can get there from elsewhere in the city by tram or bus; check the operator's transport page for current lines.