Taksim Gezi Park

The Gezi Park ( Gezi means " walk " ) is an urban park in the Beyoğlu municipality in Istanbul. The park dates back to a design by architect Henri Prost. The park is one of the few urban green areas of Istanbul; small plant is immediately adjacent to the Taksim Square. The Gezi Park was 2013 starting point of a nationwide protest movement in the summer.

History

Until the 1930s it was at the site to an area that was on the northeastern edge of the former Old City in Constantinople in the former district Pangaltı. In the northern area of the current park site, a disused since the end of the 19th century Muslim cemetery was originally a tree-lined garden ( on the map as Taxim Baghtghessi called ), east ( General Plan 1922, fields F-G/11-12 ) called Ayaspasa Mezarlığı. The also no longer used in the Armenian cemetery Pangaltı district, called on the adjoining map as ( Ermeni ) Mezarlighi, there was not in the area of ​​the planned Prost parks, but should at this point building arise ( Prost Parc 2). A new cemetery for the Armenian community existed in the Şişli district.

1936, the Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the French architect and town planner Henri Prost had invited to Turkey and instructed him with the General Plan for Istanbul. As part of Prost's planning a design for a larger Grünananlage, which included the area of ​​the present park was created. With the creation of Taksim Square and the subsequent İnönü Esplanade an urban eminent place should arise. The Governor and Mayor Lutfi Kirdar arranged in accordance with Prost's designs on the demolition of the built in 1806 and since 1921 used as Taksim Stadium Topçu Barracks ( Halil Paşa Topçu Kışlası ). The barracks was a rectangular, four-wing building with a bastion -like corner buildings; the complex enclosed space like a courtyard and covered an area of ​​seven acres.

After removal of these buildings a flat open space was created that could be used for a formal garden ( French style ). It rows of trees were planted, created beds and placed benches. In complementary contrast Prost continued to rate the grounds of the Taxim Baghtghessi, in modern Turkish spelling Taksim Bahçesi ( " Taxim Garden" ) in a landscape style with trees and bushes.

The Esplanade was opened in 1942, the park completed until 1947, and under the name İnönü Park ( in honor of the second president İsmet İnönü ) to the public. Prost's original plan ( Prost Parc 2 ) had a more extensive park that period should extend in a northeasterly direction. However, it was not realized, but were in subsequent years gradually built after numerous buildings. Finally, the day designated as Gezi Park area remained. The green area, redesigned several times, remained an important, albeit small recreation area.

Shape and components

Originally symmetrically structured Today there are the larger, Taksim Gezi Park said portion has a rectangular plan and a smaller facility in the northwest, the successor to the Taxim Baghtghessi. The southwestern area is as overbuilt as the northeastern portion where in the 1940s a building designed by Rüknettin Güney Casino ( Taksim Belediye Gazinosu ) was that later had to give way to the high rise of the Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel. The narrow southern edge adjacent to the Taksim Square.

The middle portion of the remaining main part of the park is dominated by a parterre, to the north adjoins a square space in the middle of a roundabout is with the round water basin of the fountain. Another fountain is the smaller dolphin fountain with a square pool of water. The margins of the park have dense trees, including some trees are still from the founding days of the garden ( age about 70 years).

Protests against overbuilding 2013

The Gezi Park was 2013 base nationwide protests in which a general dissatisfaction with the Turkish government expressed in May. Occasion were the plans for construction of the park, which was considered as part of continued environmental degradation (particularly deforestation in the greater Istanbul ) in favor of economic development ( Sammann DLF 25 9 ).

Already on 16 September 2011, the Beyoğlu municipality had decided the further redevelopment of the garden. In May 2013, the Turkish government decided to use the parking area for the construction of a shopping center. The planned building was obtained by a replica of part of the facade of the Topçu barracks and historicizing appearance in Ottoman appearance. On May 27, 2013, a man was opposed by an excavator, a day later protests began against the announced construction projects, that would mean the final destruction of the park.

The demonstrations of the park guards found strong inflow and widened after trying the crackdown by the police end of May 2013 to a nationwide wave of protest against the policy of the Turkish government. The park was evacuated from 15th to 16th June 2013 the police use of force.

Beginning in July 2013 it was announced that the Istanbul Administrative Court refused the development plan for the park in June. The court followed a request by the Istanbul Chamber of Architects. Another reason was that the residents were not adequately informed about the project. A celebration of the cordoned-off since June 15 parks on July 6, 2013 by protesters was forcibly prevented by security forces ( NZZ 155).

On July 20, it again came to clashes between protesters and police. The occasion was this time of the call to a wedding of a couple who had met during the protests. Because of official intimidation, the number of demonstrators took in late July apparently from ( Mirror 30). The park was unceremoniously locked in the further course at regular intervals with signs critical of the government protests.

Swell

• Plan général de la ville de Constantinople, Sheet 3 Edited by Société anonyme ottoman d'études et d' entreprises urbaines. Stamboul 1922.
• Henri Prost: Parc No. 2, plan at a scale of 1:2000 to 1940.
• Birge Yıldırım: Transformations of public squares of Istanbul in between 1938-1949. 15th International Planning Society conference history.
• Istanbul does not come to rest. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, International Edition, Vol 234, No 155 of July 8, 2013, p.1
• Özlem Gezer, Maximilian Popp: The big clean up. After the mass protests [ ... ]. In: Der Spiegel, No. 30 of 22 July, 2013, pp. 74-75.
• Louise Sammann: Taste it what it may. Mission in the series " background " of the DLF on 25 Sept. 2013.