- History of Haydarpasa Train Station
- How to get to Haydarpasa
There are thousands of historical monuments and structures in Istanbul, which has been the capital of the Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years. Some of these buildings create the skyline of Istanbul, while others stand out with their architectural shapes and strategic importance. One of these works is Haydarpaşa Train Station. It would not be wrong to call Haydarpaşa Train Station, one of the most spectacular places in the city, a work of art. Haydarpaşa Train Station is the old main train station of TCDD located in the Anatolian side of Istanbul, in the district of Kadıköy. It was built to be the starting station of the Baghdad Railway line and entered service in 1908. Today, TCDD hosts the 1st Regional Directorate.The station was closed to train services on June 19, 2013. It was the starting point of the Istanbul-Haydarpaşa-Ankara railway when it was in service. On July24, 2014, all train lines belonging to the station were transferred to Pendik Train Station. The clock on the roof of the station was completed with the building itself in 1908, unlike many similar roof and facade clocks in Anatolia. The clock on the baroque ornamented pediment consists of a circular dial. While the original movement of the watch is preserved, the Eastern Arabic numerals on the dial were replaced with Arabic numerals with the Letter Revolution.
The History of Haydarpaşa Train Station
Its construction started on May 30, 1906 during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and it was put into service on August 19, 1908. According to a rumor, the site where the building is located was named after Haydar Pasha, one of the pashas of Selim III. The construction of the building was carried out by a German company under the name of Anadolu Baghdad. In addition, a breakwater was built in front of the station with the initiative of a German, and facilities were built for the function of loading and unloading the commercial goods of the wagons coming from or going to Anatolia. The project, prepared by two German architects Otto Ritter and Helmuth Cuno, came into effect and German masters and Italian stone masters worked together in the construction of the station. During World War I, a large part of the building was damaged as a result of a sabotage fire in 1917 on the ammunition in the station depot. The reconstructed building took its present shape. In 1979, the lead stained glass of the building, made by a master named O Linneman, was damaged due to the explosion and heat that occurred after the Independenta tanker collided with a ship in 1979. It was repaired extensively in its original form in 1976, and at the end of 1983 the restoration of four exterior facades and two towers were completed.
Due to the heavy fire that broke out on its roof on November 28, 2010, its roof collapsed and the 4th floor became unusable. Within the scope of Ankara – Istanbul YHD project, train services were suspended as of February 1, 2012, due to the railway works in the Istanbul-Eskisehir section. The station was completely closed to train services on June 19, 2013. Under the station, historical ruins of the ancient city of Khalkedon were found.
How to get to Haydarpaşa Train Station?
Located in Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Haydarpaşa Train Station is in a very easy place in terms of transportation. You can reach the garage, which is located almost zero to the sea in Kadıköy, by the city lines ferry from the European Side. After getting off at Kadıköy pier, you can walk to the station on your left for a few minutes. You can also get to Söğütlüçeşme station by metrobus and take buses or minibuses from here.
