Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital Museum

Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital Museum is located within the campus of Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Hospital for Mental Health and Neurological Diseases in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul. Established as the largest mental and neurological diseases hospital of the Republican era, the institution has served Türkiye in the fields of psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery since 1924. The museum was opened on 26 June 2008 to document the hospital’s historical development and its pioneering role in these fields.

Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital Museum (Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health)

Establishment Process

Initiatives to establish the museum were led by Dr. Faruk Bayülkem, former chief physician and president of the Association for the Readaptation of Mental Patients. Supported by the Museum Studies Master’s Program of the Department of Art and Design at Yıldız Technical University’s Institute of Social Sciences, the project progressed through national and international collaborations. As a result of the partnership between the association, the university and the hospital, the museum was organized in the hospital’s former PTT building. The structure was renovated to suit exhibition needs and reinforced to withstand earthquakes.

Collection and Exhibitions

The museum’s collection includes an extensive archive spanning from 1924 to the present.

• Medical Instruments and Documents: Devices used in psychiatry and neurology, surgical logs, treatment tools and rehabilitation materials.
• Personal Belongings and Archives: Documents, patient files, correspondence and personal objects belonging to Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman and other chief physicians.
• Symbolic Objects: Materials of historical significance in psychiatry such as restraint gowns and belts.
• Visual Records: Photographs from various periods of the hospital’s history, supplemented by archives contributed by former staff and families of patients.

The exhibitions are arranged chronologically. Sections titled “From Bimarhane to Hospital”, “The 1930s”, “The 1940s–1950s”, “The 1960s–1970s”, “The 1980s” and “The 1990s–2000s” present period-specific artifacts supported by informative labels. Special sections are also dedicated to former chief physicians and medical staff.

Cultural and Scientific Significance

The museum is not merely an archive of a healthcare institution but an important cultural heritage site that documents the development of modern psychiatry and neurology in Türkiye. It transmits the history of Bakırköy Hospital, which contributed to changing societal perceptions of mental health, to future generations. It also functions as a center for research, reflection and awareness, preserving both tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the context of medical history.

Visitor Experience

The museum is open to healthcare professionals, medical students, families of patients and the general public. Visitors experience both scientific and social dimensions through exhibitions that present the hospital’s history and the evolution of modern psychiatry in Türkiye using visual materials, documents and films. The museum’s purpose is to bridge the past and the future by promoting, preserving and raising awareness of its cultural heritage.