The museum of the Bandırma Ferry, a replica of the SS Bandırma, a mixed-freight ship that played a pivotal role in delivering Atatürk and his comrades to Samsun at the beginning of the War of Independence, welcomed a record number of visitors in the first six months of 2023.
Hosting 126,221 visitors during the initial half of 2023, the museum has reached its highest visitor count in the past five years.
The historical Bandırma Ferry that carried Atatürk was destroyed in 1925 after being taken out of duty. A replica, accurate to the original dimensions and details, was completed in 2001 and later became the home of the museum. The museum, and its virtual counterpart, consist of two areas, the Ship Museum section and the Open Air Museum. Various documents, including visas and telegrams, throughout the museum's two sections, tell the historical journey of the ferry, as well as Atatürk's life.
The museum, overseen by the Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, has attracted significant and growing interest from individuals eager to immerse themselves in the essence of the "National Struggle." Notably, both the two areas of the museum have experienced a remarkable surge in visitor numbers. In the initial six months of 2023, a record-breaking total of 126,221 individuals explored these sites, marking the highest figure for the same period in the past five years.
Mustafa Demir, the mayor of Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, emphasized that the Bandırma Ferry is one of the first places visited by everyone who comes to Samsun, the city of independence and the future.
"The Bandırma Ferry played a significant role in the beginning of the War of Independence. 104 years ago, it carried Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye and his comrades from Istanbul to Samsun, altering the history of a nation. People of all ages, young and old, who visit this place, embrace the spirit of the National Struggle. I recommend that all local and foreign tourists visiting our city visit this museum, which is highly valuable to Samsun."
The virtual museum, established by the Sabancı Foundation in cooperation with Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, was opened to visitors on both their respective websites on the 102nd anniversary of that historic day – May 19, 1919, now marked as a national holiday.
The museum displays a replica of the document declaring Atatürk's birthdate as May 19. The original 1923 Ottoman edition of the Treaty of Lausanne is one of the museum's most important historical documents. The exhibition features various documents such as mission orders, British visas and records of the headquarters' team, offering a historical journey.
Additionally, significant artifacts such as the telegram announcing Mustafa Kemal Paşa's arrival in Samsun and important records from the Havza, Amasya and Erzurum journeys are on display. The exhibition hall also showcases an original Belgian-made Nagant brand revolver, owned by Atatürk, as well as replicas of the clothing he wore at Dolmabahçe Palace and aboard the Savarona Yacht.
The front deck hosts a cabin designed similarly to Atatürk's bedroom on the Savarona Yacht, with walnut furniture dating back to the 1900s. Moving across the ship, the cargo area can be found, symbolizing the actual cargo hold. Spanning 35,000 square meters (some 376,730 square feet), the Bandırma Ferry and the Open Air Museum house Türkiye's longest ceramic reliefs depicting the Battle of Çanakkale and the enemy's retreat from Izmir, a memorial to the 1,200 martyrs from Samsun and surrounding districts during the War of Independence, 10 bronze reliefs narrating the National Struggle and the seven-figured National Liberation Monument.
