After several months of living in Istanbul, I came to the conclusion that, despite the city's vastness, I have seen most of its interesting landmarks. Therefore, I was excited to discover the story about the exhibition space called SantralIstanbul on social media. Despite the museum opening 16 years ago, the place can be considered non-touristy, as many locals are not aware of it.
How to get There
You can reach SantralIstanbul conveniently by tram. The T5 line station Ünıversıte is a ten-minute walk from the museum.
In recent times, the entrance fees to Istanbul's museums have increased significantly. Therefore, one of the advantages of this exhibition space is that you can enter for free.
A bit of history
The Energy Museum is located in the building of the first power plant in Istanbul, called Silahtarağa. The facility was commissioned in 1911, and it operated for 72 years. Until 1952, the power plant supplied electricity to the entire city of Istanbul.
The power plant was built by a company from Austria-Hungary. The complex covered an area of 118,000 square meters. Initially, electricity from here was supplied only to the European side of the city, but after the installation of an underwater cable across the Bosphorus, residents of the Asian side also gained access to the power plant's resources.
The former power plant is just a part of the larger public space of SantralIstanbul. In addition to the energy museum, the site houses restaurants, cafes, workshops, and a gallery that hosts exhibitions of contemporary art. The complex opened its doors on September 8, 2007.
The Energy Museum includes several huge halls in the former power plant building. Its feature is that the original equipment has been preserved. Visitors to the space can walk among enormous turbo-generators and see the dispatch room, where a large part of the equipment has also been preserved.
On the ground floor of the power plant, there are many interactive exhibits dedicated to the theme of electrical power. Here, for example, you can see a model of a power plant or conduct small physics experiments with various equipment.
In the area where the former power plant building is located, there are not many landmarks, but you can find something interesting here as well. Nearby, for example, is the Miniaturk Park, which features many models of Turkey's most famous buildings.
Have a nice trip!
