Trabzon Müzesi (Kostaki Konağı)

The Trabzon Museum is an archaeology and ethnography museum housed in the Kostaki Mansion on Zeytinlik Street in the city centre. The mansion was built as a residence between 1898 and 1913 by the banker Kostaki Teofilaktos. Kültür Portalı states that its architects were Italian and that much of the material used was brought from Italy. Turkish Wikipedia writes that the architect's name could not be identified, while English Wikipedia attributes the design to Alexandros Kakoulidis, who also designed other buildings in the city. It is worth knowing, then, that sources differ on the architect. When the owner went bankrupt in 1917, all his property was seized. During this process the building was bought by the Nemlioğlu family. On his first visit to Trabzon, on 15-17 September 1924, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was hosted in this mansion together with Latife Hanım and his delegation. Expropriated under Governor Ali Galip Bey, the building served as the government house between 1927 and 1931. It was then used as an inspectorate building from 1931 to 1937. The next half century of the building was devoted to education. Assigned to the Ministry of National Education in 1937, the mansion served for fifty years as a vocational high school for girls. In 1987 it was handed over to the Ministry of Culture to be turned into a museum. Restoration began in 1988 and was completed in 2001. The mansion opened to visitors as the Trabzon Museum on 22 April 2001. The most striking feature of the building is its interior decoration. According to Kültür Portalı, the walls of every floor except the basement are entirely covered with painted hand decoration. English Wikipedia describes this ornament as handcrafted work with a Baroque influence. Outside, the corner tower with its fine stonework is the part of the mansion most easily recognised from the street. The mansion is counted among the notable examples of civil architecture in Turkey. The museum is arranged floor by floor, and following that order makes the visit easier. The basement is given over to archaeological finds. Marble, basalt, ceramic, metal and glass objects and coins from the Bronze Age through the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods are displayed here. The ground floor tells the architecture and history of the mansion in chronological order. The first floor is the ethnography section, showing objects typical of the region. The mezzanine is reserved for administration and is not open to visitors. It is a good idea to start on the ground floor, because the story of the mansion is told in those rooms. Looking at the ceilings and wall junctions, you can follow how the painted decoration changes from room to room. The coin cases in the basement show the city's importance in the Roman period in a very concrete way. The provincial culture directorate's history notes that Roman-era Trabzon coins carried local mythological figures on their reverse. The same source writes that a building programme in the early 4th century is known from a Latin inscription in the museum. On the ethnography floor, regional clothing and household objects form an interesting contrast with the bourgeois interior of the mansion. Since the museum is in the city centre, it is easy to reach by city public transport. Walking from the main square is also possible and can be combined with the old market streets. Opening hours, closing days and entry conditions may change, so current information should be checked with the Museum Directorate. Choosing hours with plenty of daylight makes the details of the painted decoration more rewarding. After the visit you can go up to Boztepe to see the city from above or continue to the Atatürk Pavilion in Soğuksu.