Thessaloniki Atatürk House

Thessaloniki Atatürk House is the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, was born in 1881 and spent part of his childhood and youth. The building, located today in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, has been converted into a museum in memory of Atatürk. The property, owned by the Republic of Türkiye, is situated within the grounds of the Thessaloniki Consulate General and represents an original example of Ottoman residential architecture.

Front Facade of the Thessaloniki Atatürk House (Anadolu Agency)

History

The building housing the house is located on Islahhane Street in the Koca Kasım Paşa neighborhood of Thessaloniki and was constructed in the second half of the 19th century. Although the exact construction date of the house is unknown, it is mentioned in neighborhood census records from 1875. In early 1878, ownership of the house passed to Ali Rıza Efendi, who served as a customs official and waqf clerk in Thessaloniki, and his wife Zübeyde Hanım. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in this house in 1881 and spent his childhood and part of his early youth here.

After Ali Rıza Efendi’s death in 1887, Zübeyde Hanım, due to financial difficulties, rented out the house for a period and then moved with her children to live with her brother Hüseyin Ağa in Langaza. During his studies, when Mustafa Kemal returned to Thessaloniki, he again resided in this house with his mother and sister. While serving as a young officer in Thessaloniki in 1907, he also conducted some of his political activities from this house.

Following the Balkan Wars in 1912, when Thessaloniki was captured by the Greek army, Zübeyde Hanım and her daughter Makbule Hanım, like many Turkish families, left the city and settled in Istanbul. In 1917, the Greek government seized Turkish-owned properties in Thessaloniki, and the house where Atatürk was born came under state ownership. After the Treaty of Lausanne, the building was used for a time by families involved in the population exchange and was sold to private individuals in 1930.

Thessaloniki Atatürk House (Anadolu Agency)

Conversion into a Museum

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Republic, on 29 October 1933, the Thessaloniki Municipal Council decided to install a commemorative plaque on the house where Atatürk was born, as a symbol of Turkish-Greek friendship. The marble plaque, prepared in Turkish, Greek, and French, bears the inscription: “The great reformer of the Turkish nation and advocate of Balkan unity GAZİ MUSTAFA KEMAL was born here. This plaque was placed on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye. Thessaloniki, 29 October 1933”^【1】. This decision became a symbol of rapprochement between the two countries, and the plaque was officially affixed to the house’s wall on 4 November 1933 during a ceremony.

In 1936, the Thessaloniki Municipality purchased the building from its current owners for 650,000 drachmas and formally gifted it to the Republic of Türkiye on 19 February 1937. The keys were handed over to the Thessaloniki Consulate General, thereby granting the building diplomatic status. During the same period, preparations began under Atatürk’s instructions to convert the house into a museum. However, restoration work was halted due to the outbreak of the Second World War and was only completed in 1950.

On 10 November 1953, on the 15th anniversary of Atatürk’s death, the restoration of the house was finalized and it was opened to the public as the “Thessaloniki Atatürk House Museum.” The museum’s organization during this period was carried out under the coordination of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Education, led by Professor Dr. Enver Ziya Karal, President of the Ankara University Institute of Turkish Revolution History.

Back Facade and Garden of the Thessaloniki Atatürk House (Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

Architectural Features

The Thessaloniki Atatürk House was constructed in the last quarter of the 19th century as one of the urban examples of Ottoman residential architecture. The building reflects a three-story residential typology: a stone and lime mortar ground floor rising above a basement, with two upper wooden floors. The house occupies a rectangular plot measuring approximately 7 by 13.5 meters and is situated within the narrow street fabric typical of the period, with its long facade facing the street.

The construction materials consist of stone and lime mortar walls on the ground floor, while the upper floors are built using a wooden frame filled with wattle and daub. The exterior facades are painted pink over plaster, a feature that led to the house being known over time as the “pink house.” The lower-floor windows feature iron grilles, while the upper floors have wooden lattice screens (muşabak), characteristic of Ottoman residential tradition. The roof is covered with traditional clay tiles and designed with a sloping form to accommodate Thessaloniki’s climatic conditions.

The house’s layout is based on a functional internal spatial organization. The basement served as a storeroom, housing pantries and service rooms. The ground floor contains the stone room and auxiliary spaces. The first floor includes the kitchen, sofa, and sitting and guest rooms belonging to Zübeyde Hanım. The second floor completes the layout with a gusülhane (bathroom), a sofa, and the room with a hearth where Mustafa Kemal was born. The wooden staircase connecting these spaces forms the center of the house’s internal circulation. The sofas served both as connectors between floors and as shared living areas within family life.

Ground Floor, Atatürk and Children’s Room (Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

The garden, measuring approximately 7 by 6 metres and rectangular in shape, is enclosed by high walls that ensure privacy from the outside. The mulberry tree planted by Ali Rıza Efendi and the stone-paved courtyard are elements that support the building’s integration with its natural surroundings. Access to both the basement and the first floor is provided from the garden.

The materials and fittings used in the interior spaces also reflect traces of 19th century Ottoman residential tradition. Floors are covered with wooden planking and ceilings feature plaster decorations. Hearth niches are provided for heating the rooms and wooden shutters that open inward are used in the windows. Although the overall character of the building is simple, it possesses a balanced aesthetic in terms of window proportions and facade symmetry.

When the house was converted into a museum in 1953, the restoration process remained faithful to its original architectural fabric; facade colours, window proportions, interior layout and wooden joinery were renewed in accordance with the original design. Subsequent repairs, particularly during the restorations of 1978, 2012 and 2024, have preserved the building’s structural integrity while integrating modern museum requirements without compromising its historical form.

First Floor of the Thessaloniki Atatürk House (Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

Restoration and Renovation Processes

Since its conversion into a museum in 1953, the Thessaloniki Atatürk House has undergone numerous repairs, restorations and exhibition reconfigurations. These interventions aimed to preserve the building’s physical integrity while establishing an exhibition layout consistent with contemporary museum practices.

The first comprehensive restoration works began in 1940 to prepare the building for use as a museum following the Second World War, but were not completed until 1950 due to wartime conditions. The building opened to the public as a museum on 10 November 1953, with its initial exhibition arranged to reflect domestic life of the period.

The earthquake that struck Thessaloniki in 1978 caused significant damage to the building, resulting in cracks in its walls. In response, the Ministry of Culture launched a restoration project in 1980 under the supervision of Turkish architects Köksal Anadol and Esin Arıoğlu. The works were carried out with strict adherence to the building’s original form and the house was reopened to the public in 1981 as part of the centenary celebrations of Atatürk’s birth. Repairs conducted during the 1980s and 1990s primarily focused on exterior facade improvements and maintenance.

First Floor, Thessaloniki Room with the Bust of Zübeyde Hanım (Anadolu Agency)

At the beginning of the 2000s, the need to renew the museum in accordance with contemporary museum principles became a priority. A 2007 report prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed both structural and exhibition-based renewal of the building. In line with this, restoration works initiated in 2012 under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were completed by mid-2013. During this period, inauthentic later additions were removed and interior spaces were reorganized based on archival documents.

The most recent comprehensive restoration was carried out between 2024 and 2025. As part of a project implemented in cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), wooden joinery, the roof and garden walls were renewed; the trunk room and the bathhouse were restored to their original condition. In addition, the electrical infrastructure was upgraded to meet modern standards.

With the 2013 restoration, the exhibition and arrangement system was renewed, and the building was divided into five thematic sections: “Atatürk and the Children’s Room,” “Thessaloniki Room,” “Monastir Room,” “Istanbul Room,” and “Ankara Room.” In these rooms, informational panels illustrating different phases of Atatürk’s life, replicas of his personal belongings, and photographs from the period were displayed. Additionally, audio guide applications in Turkish, Greek, and English were provided to visitors. During the same period, the wax statue of Atatürk placed in the “Ankara Room” became one of the most striking features of the museum atmosphere.

First Floor, Monastir Room (Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

In 2022, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched a new restoration project aimed at preserving the historical fabric of the house while developing a more comprehensive exhibition plan. After obtaining the necessary permits, implementation work began in December 2024 and was completed during the autumn of 2025. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) also participated as a project partner. During the restoration, wooden joinery was renewed in accordance with their original forms; the roof, garden walls, and stone pavements were restored. The electrical and security infrastructure was upgraded to meet contemporary standards, and the storage room and bath section were returned to their original states.

As part of this latest renovation, the museum’s collection was enriched. Personal items of Zübeyde Hanım, prayer beads of Ali Rıza Efendi, objects from Atatürk’s infancy, and 19th-century Ottoman documents were reintroduced to the exhibition. Additionally, the painting of Atatürk House by Rahmi Pehlivanlı, a Greek-language property deed dated 1925, and photographs taken during the visit of the third President of the Republic, Celal Bayar, were added to the museum inventory.

Following the completion of the restoration on 9 November 2025, the museum was reopened with the participation of Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and TİKA President Abdullah Eren. The renovation project not only strengthened the structure but also expanded the museum’s exhibition space. As a result, the Thessaloniki Atatürk House has maintained its original architecture while aligning with contemporary museum standards, continuing to serve as one of the most important cultural representation sites of the Republic of Türkiye abroad.

Thessaloniki Atatürk House Second Floor (Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

Collection and Exhibition Areas

The collection and exhibition layout of the Thessaloniki Atatürk House are structured thematically to chronologically present the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, his family, his education and military years, and the process leading to the founding of the Republic. When the museum first opened to the public in 1953, it was furnished with original items reflecting Turkish domestic life of the period and has since been enriched both physically and thematically through successive restorations. The current exhibition arrangement was established following comprehensive renovation works carried out in 2013 and 2025.

The museum consists of three floors and a basement. The ground floor houses the entrance hall and the “Atatürk and the Children’s Room” section. This section features informational panels highlighting Atatürk’s emphasis on children, short films depicting his childhood, and a wax figure of young Atatürk. Additionally, documents, architectural drawings, and photographs detailing the history of the house and its restoration processes are exhibited on this floor.

Second Floor, Ankara Room Atatürk Statue (Anadolu Agency)

The first floor contains two main exhibition areas: the “Thessaloniki Room” and the “Monastir Room.” The “Thessaloniki Room” presents photographs of the city where Atatürk was born, maps illustrating the urban fabric of the period, and copies of his school records from his time in Thessaloniki. The “Monastir Room” reflects Atatürk’s years at the Monastir Military Preparatory School. Here, transcriptions of his school grades, examples of textbooks, and visual materials depicting student life in Monastir are displayed.

The “Istanbul Room” and “Ankara Room” on the second floor are dedicated to Atatürk’s military career and his years as a statesman. The “Istanbul Room” displays copies of documents from the War School, Atatürk’s enrollment record from the Army War College, and uniform replicas. The “Ankara Room” focuses on the Republican period. It features a desk and chair from his presidency, along with a wax statue depicting Atatürk seated in his armchair. In this section, a gold replica of the Presidential Seal, originally housed in the Ankara Republic Museum, is also exhibited in a special display case.

The museum’s collection includes a significant number of personal belongings belonging to Atatürk. These include a frock coat, hat, tie, cane, shoes, mouthpiece, plate, matchbox, and scarf. Additionally, tableware, sets of spoons and forks, cigarette holders, and everyday items reflect Atatürk’s simple lifestyle. A substantial portion of these artifacts was selected from museums in Kocaeli and Uşak in Türkiye and transported to Thessaloniki. All items are displayed in specially designed display cases with controlled humidity and temperature.

Personal Belongings of Atatürk (Anadolu Agency)

Some personal items belonging to Zübeyde Hanım and Ali Rıza Efendi are also part of the collection. Zübeyde Hanım’s rosary beads, headscarf, and hand mirror, along with Ali Rıza Efendi’s prayer book and wooden cane, are notable objects in this section. Additionally, a silicone statue depicting Zübeyde Hanım holding rosary beads while seated on a wooden bench is displayed in the “Thessaloniki Room”.

A significant portion of the museum’s collection consists of documents. These include an 1878 Ottoman land deed, a 1925 Greek property title, a 1925 population exchange record, a signed photograph sent by Atatürk to his sister Makbule Hanım in 1921, Rahmi Pehlivanlı’s painting of Atatürk’s House, and photographs of President Celal Bayar’s 1952 visit, along with a replica of the Presidency Seal. Visitors are provided with audio guides in Turkish, English, and Greek, and short documentary films summarizing Atatürk’s life are shown within the museum. In addition, the basement library of the Thessaloniki Atatürk House contains approximately 1,200 books.

Cultural Significance

The Thessaloniki Atatürk House is not merely an architectural structure but also a symbol of cultural interaction between Türkiye and Greece. The decision made by the Thessaloniki Municipality in 1933 marked a period of growing Turkish-Greek friendship and is regarded as a spatial manifestation of Atatürk’s principle of “Peace at Home, Peace in the World”.

Today, the museum attracts considerable attention from visitors both from Türkiye and other countries. In 2023, approximately 285,000 people visited the house; by early 2024, prior to the restoration process, this number had reached 490,000.

The Thessaloniki Atatürk House holds great historical, architectural, and cultural importance as a well-preserved example of 19th-century Ottoman residential architecture. The building where Atatürk was born acquired the status of an international cultural heritage through its transformation into a museum, which began in 1933. Through successive restoration efforts over different periods, it has preserved its original identity and endures to the present day. The museum continues to serve as a memory space that bears witness to both the founder of the Republic of Türkiye and the history of Turkish-Greek cultural relations.