Down By the Station

The architect of Sirkeci Train Station that opened to use in 1890 is none other than August Jachmund that we have previously mentioned in this blog about Deutche Orient Bank. When designing the station, Jachmund portrayed it as a conjecture of East and West.

While the station used to be by the Bosphorus when it was first built, later the building got landlocked with land reclamations. These days you can find truck drivers that have their destinations pinned on their collars waiting for customers by the main door of the station that is no longer being used (above picture).


During the construction of the station, the part that passes through Topkapı Palace’s garden and reaches Sirkeci was ordered to be built by Sultan Abdülaziz.

Sadly the Byzantium and Ottoman villas and palaces that were on the way were destructed at this time.





Once you are inside the station, do stop by at the Railways Museum. Alongside historical documents, railway scale models, photos, and various equipment; you get to explore the locomotive of a train.


Also within the station, Orient Express Restaurant thatwas formerly known as Gar Lokantası used to be a hotspot in the 1950s for household names of İstanbul to meet up. 












Inspired by this train menu photo, we bid you goodbye with famous singer Manço and famous group Kurtalan Ekspres’ famous song: Dönence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjdZCInV3r4

Take care of yourselves,
Tracer of Istanbul