Bandırma Gemi-Müze ve Millî Mücadele Açık Hava Müzesi, History museum in Kale Mahallesi, Samsun, Turkey
Bandırma Gemi-Müze ve Millî Mücadele Açık Hava Müzesi is a history museum in the Kale Mahallesi neighborhood of Samsun, combining a full-scale replica ship with a large open-air area displaying artifacts from Turkey's independence movement. The reconstructed steamship, known as the Bandırma Vapuru, contains themed rooms inside, including sleeping quarters, a kitchen, the captain's cabin, and exhibition halls, while outside there are large ceramic panels, statues, and monuments.
The original ship was built in Glasgow in 1878 and changed owners and names several times over the years before being scrapped after a series of accidents. The museum opened in 2003 in the Canik district with a carefully reconstructed version of the vessel, built to closely match the original.
The ship is best known as the vessel that brought Mustafa Kemal to Samsun on May 19, 1919, a date now celebrated as a national holiday in Turkey. Inside, wax figures of the key figures, including Atatürk in the captain's quarters, give the visit a direct, almost personal quality.
The site sits along the coast and can be reached on foot along the seafront or by public transport, and signage throughout the outdoor area is in Turkish. The grounds are accessible for visitors with reduced mobility, and parking is available nearby.
The original vessel was built as a mail boat in Glasgow in 1878 and even carried a Greek name, Kymi, sailing under several flags before reaching Turkey. The current replica follows the original plans so closely that details like the wood paneling and navigation instruments in the chart room were recreated to match the old records.
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