Restored Atatürk House in Thessaloniki to reopen on Nov 10

THESSALONIKI

The historic Atatürk House in Thessaloniki, Greece — the birthplace of Türkiye’s founding leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk — is set to reopen to visitors on Nov. 10, following the completion of a comprehensive restoration and landscaping project.

The Turkish Consulate General in Thessaloniki announced that the museum will reopen at 10 a.m., immediately after a ceremony commemorating Atatürk on the Day of Remembrance, observed every year on Nov. 10, the anniversary of his passing in 1938.

The restoration, overseen by Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Ministry coordinated with Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in collaboration with Greek authorities, sought to revive the building’s authentic spirit as a “Turkish House,” which had been altered in previous renovations.

Drawing on archival photographs and original architectural details, experts meticulously restored wooden doors, windows, ceiling and floors to reflect the atmosphere of the late Ottoman period in which Atatürk was born. The museum’s infrastructure, including its electrical and mechanical systems, were set to be modernized, with the courtyard undergoing stone paving and wall reconstruction.

When it reopens, the three-story house will feature exhibitions on its basement, middle and upper levels, focusing respectively on the building’s history, local ethnographic culture and Atatürk’s early life.

The Atatürk House is one of the most visited heritage sites for Turkish nationals abroad with around half a million visitors in 2024.