Bandirma Ferry Museum

Symbol of the War of Independence: Bandirma Ferry

Anchored on the Samsun coast as the most concrete carrier of the city's historical identity, Bandirma Ferry is the most meaningful symbol of the journey to independence that enabled Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to set foot in Samsun on May 19, 1919, to start the National Struggle. Accepting its visitors as the "Bandirma Ferry Museum and Open-Air Museum" today, this historical ship makes its visitors live the sad and equally hopeful days of the past one-to-one. When you step into the ship, seeing the military discipline of that period, the living conditions of the crew, and Ataturk's study room takes you on a time travel to the beginning of the 20th century. In the museum, sketches of the independence movement, documents belonging to that period, photographs, and objects reflecting the atmosphere of the period are exhibited. This floating museum on the Samsun coast is not just a ship, but also a monument to the rebirth of the Turkish nation from its ashes. Walking on the deck of the ship, touching history, and imagining that moment when liberation began is a goosebump-inducing experience for every Turkish citizen. The wide open-air park surrounding the museum offers visitors the opportunity to both obtain historical information and rest in the peaceful atmosphere of the coast. The restored structure of the ship has been preserved with great loyalty to its original, and it has taken it as its duty to convey the technical and visual features of the period to future generations. Refreshing historical consciousness for people of all ages, Bandirma Ferry is the silent but most powerful witness of the honorable place of not only Samsun but all of Turkey on the stage of history. Visiting here is the most impressive way to understand how the big step that changed the fate of a nation was taken and to feel that historical responsibility.

Highlights of Bandirma Ferry

• Historical Mission and Symbolic Value: As the starting point of the War of Independence, it is the most important historical object and national symbol of the Turkish struggle for independence.
• Museology Understanding and Historical Touch: Museum arrangement where Ataturk's cabin, study room, and military documents of the period are exhibited, and a historical atmosphere is professionally presented.
• Educational and Cultural Experience: A unique open-air and floating museum experience that tells the history of the national struggle to younger generations with real objects and visual documents of the period.