Trabzon Museum

The villa Kostaki ( Turkish Kostaki Konağı ) is a house in Trabzon in Turkey, which is now used as an archaeological and ethnographic museum.

History

The house was built as a private residence by Kostaki Teophylaktos the early 1900s, a banker of Greek origin. The architect was of Italian origin was, and many materials that were used for the construction of the building, came from Italy. His name is unknown.

As Teophylaktos, who was mayor of Trabzon since 1916, in 1917 was bankrupt, confiscated the Ottoman state his assets including the villa. The building was handed over to the Nemlioğlu family.

During the Turkish War of 1919-1923, the villa Kostaki was used as headquarters of the military in the region. In 1924 it was for the first visit of the Turkish state's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, transformed in Trebizond. Between 15 and 17 September were Mustafa Kemal and his wife Latife in the villa. 1927, the building of Governor Ali Galip Bey of Trebizond was nationalized and served until 1931 as the Governor's house. Between 1931 and 1937 it was used as the office of the inspector. The villa Kostaki was taken over by the Ministry of Education in 1937 and used from then on for 50 years as a professional high school for girls. Finally, the building was handed over in 1987 at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, to convert it into a museum.

Museum

The villa Kostaki was restored in the years 1988 to 2001. On April 22, 2001, it was opened to the public as Trabzon Museum. A total of 3,561 items are in the inventory of the museum. The building has a basement and three floors. The basement includes archaeological works, while the first floor contains the Department of ethnographic collections. On the ground floor are items that belong to the architecture and the history of the villa, issued. The top floor is reserved for the administration.

In the archaeological department ancient coins and artifacts from marble, basalt, ceramic, metal and glass are shown from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine period.

The ground floor shows the architecture and the building's history in chronological order. The walls of all the rooms are decorated with hand carved ornaments in baroque style.

In the ethnographic department items may be exhibited which are characteristic for the region. Even Muslim art and artefacts from the Ottoman period (1299-1923) are to be found in the exhibition.