Ulus Atatürk Monument Restored After 94 Years

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality continues to protect the historical and cultural values ​​of the Capital. The "Ulus Atatürk Monument", which has been worn out for years, was restored with the cooperation of the Department of Cultural and Natural Heritage and the Anatolian Organized Industrial Zone. Bekir Ödemiş, Head of the Department of Cultural and Natural Heritage, said, “We started the conservation work of the Ulus Atatürk Monument, the symbol of our liberation, on 19 June 2021. Our goal was to reach the deadline of August 30. The people made this monument. Again, the restoration work was done by the people of Ankara. I would like to thank the President and management of the Anadolu Organized Industrial Zone, who covered the cost of the work and cooperated with us.”

Protecting the historical and cultural values ​​of the capital, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality has completed the conservation work that it started in June 2021 for the "Ulus Atatürk Monument", one of the most important legacies of the Republican era.

For the first time in 94 years, the monument and its surroundings, for which the Anatolian Organized Industrial Zone covered the renovation cost, were restored in accordance with their original form and were brought up for the August 30 Victory Day.

Worn for 94 years

The Department of Cultural and Natural Heritage took action to prevent the deterioration of the Ulus Atatürk Monument, which was commissioned by the Austrian artist Heinrich Krippel on November 24, 1927, and placed in its current location with a ceremony.

While the patina formed over the years on the monument, which was painted yellow in 2009 but repainted in bronze after the public's reactions, deteriorated, it was determined as a result of the investigations that the destruction caused by the birds increased these deteriorations.

Metropolitan Municipality and Anatolian Organized Industrial Zone carried out cleaning, restoration, conservation and preventive conservation works in and around the monument, which is one of the symbols of the Capital.

Atatürk statue will continue to be the symbol of the capital with its new look

Stating that the monument, which has been meticulously restored without damaging the historical texture, has a new and clean appearance, Bekir Ödemiş, Head of the Department of Cultural and Natural Heritage, gave the following information about the work done:

“We started the conservation work of the Ulus Atatürk Monument, the symbol of our liberation, on 19 June 2021. Our goal was to reach the deadline of 30 August. One of the first demands of our President as soon as he took office was the construction of the monument. The people made this monument. Again, the restoration work was done by the people of Ankara. It was an expenditure of approximately 260 thousand TL. We did not only the monument but also the landscaping. This is the first time we have done such a comprehensive study after 94 years. I would like to thank the President and management of Anadolu Organized Industrial Zone, who covered the cost of the work and cooperated with us.”

“Organized industrial zones are great supporters of municipalities”

Hüseyin Kutsi Tuncay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Anadolu Organized Industrial Zone, emphasized that they have responsibilities towards Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades, and made the following assessments:

“We cooperate with the Metropolitan Municipality in various ways. In this context, we undertook the restoration of the Atatürk Monument. The restoration took approximately 2,5 months. Organized Industrial Zones are big supporters of municipalities. The lands where the Anatolian Organized Zone is located are the lands where the War of Independence began. We called the team from Izmir and commissioned it for its restoration. The team came and mechanically cleaned the statue. They identified and repaired the defective parts of the statue. We present a small service to Ankara to the public on August 30, Victory Day.”