The Balıkesir Press Museum is a museum operates in a two-story historic Paşa Mansion located on Kaya Street, Karesi Neighborhood, in the Karesi district of Balıkesir. Owned by the Special Provincial Administration, the building was designated as a press museum in 2012 following discussions between the then-Governor of Balıkesir, Yılmaz Arslan, and the Board of Directors of the Balıkesir Journalists Association (BGC). With the allocation of the mansion to BGC approved by the Provincial General Assembly, renovation works were completed in 2013. The museum officially opened on October 10, 2013, as the Balıkesir Journalists Association Press Museum and Media Center.
Balıkesir Press Museum (T.C. Karesi Kaymakamlığı)
Museum Structure and Sections
The museum consists of eight separate rooms, each named in honor of individuals who made significant contributions to Turkish journalism and the press in Balıkesir. Among these are Hasan Basri Çantay and Mustafa Necati Bey, journalists from the National Struggle period; BGC’s founding members Cevdet Demiray, Münir Yenal, Cahit Albayrak, Ekrem Balıbek, and M. Reşit Kıpçak; as well as the “Room of Murdered Journalists.”
On the upper floor, the museum houses a library, a seminar hall, and various educational rooms, serving researchers in media and journalism. The Education Hall is used to provide information about the history of the press and the Balıkesir Press Museum through audiovisual presentations and also hosts press conferences.
Exhibitions and Collections
The Press Museum exhibits printing machines used in the 1950s, old cameras, audio recording devices, lead type, the first offset printing press, various typewriters, old telephones, and computers. In the museum’s garden, there is an Entertip typesetting machine used for casting lead letters, which was utilized by local newspapers in Balıkesir until the early 1990s.
The Tipo Section, created in honor of the Association’s first founding president Cevdet Demiray, displays tools used for letterpress printing, examples of lead pages, and a hand-operated press from 1895. The library, established in memory of Hasan Basri Çantay, contains collections of newspapers, magazines, and books related to journalism and printing history.
Events and Art Gallery
Between May and September, the museum garden serves as an Art Gallery where artists can exhibit their works. This initiative supports cultural activities and provides visitors with an artistic experience.
Significance of the Balıkesir Press
Balıkesir played a central role during the National Struggle period through newspapers such as Karesi, Ses, Doğru Söz, and İzmir’e Doğru, contributing to organization and propaganda efforts. The city is also notable for producing prominent journalists, including Hasan Basri Çantay and Mustafa Necati Bey, which was a key factor in establishing the Press Museum. The museum documents the development of Turkish journalism from the first example, the 1831 Takvim-i Vakayi newspaper, to the present day.
