Bursa City Museum

Bursa City Museum, which has been operating in the former courthouse building since 2004, is a museum that exhibits the changes and transformations Bursa has undergone over a 7,000‑year period. Bursa City Museum is a museum that displays the city's history and culture. The museum's purpose is to preserve Bursa's historical and cultural heritage and present it to visitors.

Bursa City Museum is located at Sculpture Square in the city centre, south of the Atatürk Monument, next to the Bursa Governorate Building.

History

The museum was established and opened to visitors on 14 February 2004 by the then DSP mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Erdoğan Bilenser. The museum building was originally constructed in 1926 by Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi as the Courthouse. Its architect is believed to have been Kemalettin Bey. After the courthouse moved to a new building in 1999, the vacant building was converted into a museum following a restoration process from 2001 to 2004. In this process, the prominent architect Naim Arnas was involved.

After the building of Bursa City Museum was used as a courthouse for a period, various proposals such as turning it into a restaurant or a casino emerged during the relocation process. However, it was ultimately decided to become a city museum. The museum presents exhibitions, promotional texts, photographs, photo‑block animations, models, computer‑assisted information and object identification.

Collection

The two‑storey building has a chronological arrangement on the first floor and a thematic arrangement on the second floor. Wax statues of six Ottoman sultans who lived in Bursa, decorations that recreate traditional trade life, and objects such as a topographic model of the city provide information about the city.

The layout of the museum consists of exhibitions, each with different content. The basement houses the Handicrafts Bazaar, a thematic exhibition about 18th-century Bursa. Based on photographs of Bursa taken by European travelers, reconstructions of 16 shops belonging to crafts such as saddlery, cutlery, and confectionery have been created. Craftsmen present their work through workshop activities held on weekends. On the ground floor, there are exhibitions that present the history of Bursa chronologically. The sections “City of Civilizations Bursa,” “First Footsteps in Bursa,” “Gateway to Civilizations,” “An Empire Is Born,” “Ottoman Empire,” “War of Independence,” and “Contemporary Bursa” are located on the ground floor.

On the first floor, temporary exhibitions that change every four months and exhibitions themed “Bursa with Its Life and Culture” are presented. In this section, topics such as entertainment and culinary culture, the story of Karagöz and Hacivat, famous personalities of Bursa, traditions and customs are exhibited.