The battle of Çanakkale happened in 1915, and its history is being introduced to visitors in new ways at the recently opened Çanakkale Epic Promotion Center on the Gelibolu Peninsula. Since opening, the center has been running at full capacity each day.
Nearly 30,000 people have visited the Çanakkale Epic Promotion Center opened on June 7 by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the northwestern province of Çanakkale.
The center tells the story of the Battle of Çanakkale using various simulation and presentation techniques, and is located in the Gelibolu Peninsula National Park. Visitors aged 65 and older, 7 or younger, martyrs’ and veterans’ families, and orphans are able to visit the center free of charge.
The center is one of the most important projects carried out by the Ministry of Forest and Water Affairs to date in the park, where the spirit of the Battle of Çanakkale is preserved, the park’s director, Ozan Hacıalioğlu, said. Visitors 65 and older, 7 or younger, martyrs’ and veterans’ families, and orphans can visit the center free of charge.
“From those [free-of-charge] categories, 4,003 people have visited the center since it opened. Other visitors have included 13,991 students, 10,535 Turkish citizens and 748 foreigners,” Hacıalioğlu said.
Sea warfare plans belonging to the allied powers, which are displayed in the center’s third hall, as well as artillery- fire simulations in the fourth hall especially transport visitors back 97 years ago to the battle scene, and many say they leave the center very pleased and with unforgettable feelings, Hacıalioğlu said.
As many as 1,578 visitors have visited the center in one day, Hacıalioğlu said. “It opens at 8:30 a.m. and is open until the evening hours. The occupancy rate reaches 100 percent every day. Although reservations are necessary, we do not want to refuse walk-in customers. This is why the interval between visitor groups has decreased to 10 minutes. Each day 35 group sessions take place, and each session takes 65 minutes. Each group includes 50 people.”
Source: Hurriyet Daily
