Alaçam Population Exchange Museum

The Alaçam Population Exchange Museum sits in a renovated two-story building from the 19th century that once served as a primary school under Ottoman rule. The ground floor holds administrative areas and gallery spaces with photographs, while the upper level contains ethnographic collections.

This museum documents the aftermath of the 1923 Lausanne Convention, which mandated an exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey following the independence war. The treaty marked a major demographic turning point in the post-conflict region.

The upper floor displays everyday objects from the exchanged populations, including traditional clothing, kitchen tools, and personal storage chests. These items give visitors a direct sense of how the people who were relocated actually lived.

It is easiest to start your visit at the ground floor level, where information and guidance are available. The stairs to the upper floor provide access to all exhibition spaces without requiring any special preparation.

The collection holds original copies of passports used during the population exchange, providing direct documentation of this demographic upheaval. These documents offer a personal view into a major historical event.

Location: Alaçam

Location: Samsun Province

Inception: 2010

GPS coordinates: 41.60556,35.59694

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:01