İzmir Kültürpark
Kulturpark is a park located in Izmir, Turkey. It is located in the Mimar Sinan District of Konak district and is located in the north of Dr. Mustafa Enver Bey Avenue, 1395th and 1396th streets and Bozkurt Avenue in the east, Mürsel Paşa Boulevard in the south, Dr. It is surrounded by Refik Saydam and Şair Eşref boulevards. It was established in 1936 on an area of 360,000 m2, which was destroyed in the 1922 Izmir Fire. Three years later, it was expanded and reached a size of 420,000 m2. It has been hosting the Izmir International Fair since the day it was founded. The 9 September Fair, the first of which was held in 1933, was established in the area behind the Republic Square. Deputy Mayor Suat Yurtkoru presented his opinion to Mayor Behçet Uz that the fair area will not be sufficient in the future and that an area such as Gorky Park, which he saw and was impressed by during his Moscow trip, should be brought to the city. The report, prepared by Yurtkoru at Uz's request, was accepted by the city council on May 14, 1934, and the construction of Kültürpark was approved. Uz went to Moscow in 1935 and had two architects commissioned by Mayor Nikolay Bulganin draw up a draft project. Debris in an area of 360,000 m2, which was in ruins due to the 1922 Izmir Fire, started to be cleared as of the second half of 1934, and on January 1, 1936, the foundation of Kültürpark was laid. Before the fire, there was a part of the Armenian quarter in this area. Kültürpark was put into service with the 6th İzmir International Fair, which was opened by Prime Minister İsmet İnönü on September 1, 1936. In 1937, the Izmir Parachute Tower was built in the park. In 1938, the Izmir Zoo, the Foundations Pavilion and the Clock Tower were opened in the park. In 1939, the park was expanded by 60,000 m2 towards the south, reaching a size of 420,000 m2. In 1951, the Izmir Archeology Museum was moved into the park and operated there until 1984. The Izmir Painting and Sculpture Museum and Gallery, which opened in the park in September 1952, moved to the new central building built outside the park in 1973. In 2004, the Izmir History and Art Museum was established in the park. With the opening of İzmir Natural Life Park in 2008, the zoo in the park was closed and the animals were moved to the new area. An underground car park with a capacity of 594 vehicles was put into service in August 2009. In June 2015, free Wi-Fi service began to be offered in the park. Before Fair İzmir, built in Gaziemir in 2015, was put into service, all fairs in the city were held in Kültürpark. Today, only the Izmir International Fair is held in the park. In 2017, Kültürpark Cup tennis tournament was held for the first time.
