Restored Atatürk House reopens in Selanik with official ceremony

The birthplace of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye, has reopened to visitors after a major restoration. The reopening ceremony was held in Selanik with the participation of Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

Minister Ersoy stated that “the main goal of the restoration was to return the house to its original appearance from 1953, the year it was converted into a museum.”

The Atatürk House, built before 1875 and where Atatürk was born in 1881, was restored under the supervision of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA). The restoration project began in 2022 and included both interior and exterior renovations—renewing the electrical system, wooden structures, bathhouse, attic, and roof to their authentic forms. The museum now features thematic rooms dedicated to Atatürk and his family, ethnographic exhibits, sections narrating the house’s history, and a library.

Minister Ersoy emphasized that the project was not only a physical restoration but also an effort to preserve historical memory. He noted that personal belongings of Atatürk’s family, including items belonging to Zübeyde Hanım, Ali Rıza Efendi, and Atatürk’s early childhood artifacts, were returned from various museums in Turkey to their original home in Selanik. Archival documents, rare photographs, and artworks from Ottoman and Greek sources were also added to the collection.

Ersoy expressed his hope that the Atatürk House would become a symbol of Turkish-Greek friendship, recalling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s message during his 2003 visit: “May this house be a symbol of peace.”

During the ceremony, the national anthems of Türkiye and Greece were performed, followed by the screening of a documentary about the Atatürk House.

Turkish Ambassador to Greece Çağatay Erciyes 

Turkish Ambassador to Greece Çağatay Erciyes highlighted the emotional significance of the event, describing the Atatürk House as “a symbol of the eternal light and unending hope in the hearts of all Turks.” He noted that the site now attracts over 500,000 visitors annually, reflecting the growing cooperation between Turkey and Greece in culture and tourism.

Greek Deputy Minister of Tourism Anna Karamanli

Greek Deputy Minister of Tourism Anna Karamanli, representing Minister Olga Kefalogianni, expressed her pleasure in attending the reopening:

 “Greece and Turkiye are not just two neighboring countries. We share a long and complex historical journey—filled with challenges but also with hope for the future. The revitalized Atatürk House stands as a symbol of cultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence,” she said.

Karamanli also underlined the importance of tourism as a bridge between peoples, fostering understanding, stability, and prosperity.

The ceremony concluded with the ribbon-cutting and a tour of the restored house by Minister Ersoy and attending dignitaries, including Greek officials, members of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, and representatives from both countries’ institutions.