İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has brought the city’s industrial heritage to the international stage by preserving and transforming historic industrial structures. Through meticulous restoration and conservation work, three landmark buildings in İzmir have been officially included in the European Route of Industrial Heritage.

İzmir has extended its success in protecting industrial heritage to the international arena. Acting with a vision to preserve the city’s historical fabric while promoting it globally, the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality continues to secure new international achievements and partnerships. The Historical Coal Gas Factory, the Historical Elevator, and Ahmet Piriştina İzmir City Archive and Museum (APİKAM), all carefully preserved and integrated into urban life, have been officially admitted to the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), one of Europe’s leading industrial tourism networks.
As a result, these structures, which stand as tangible evidence of İzmir’s industrial past, will now be included in the global itinerary of tourists and researchers as part of the European industrial heritage network.

Becoming a new cultural attraction
With this membership secured by the Tourism Directorate of the Department of Culture, Arts and Social Affairs of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the city is set to go beyond traditional “sea, sun and sand” tourism. İzmir aims to position itself as a more diversified cultural destination, attracting both domestic and international visitors through its rich industrial history. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality will continue its work in line with European standards, focusing on the preservation, documentation, and adaptive reuse of industrial heritage sites.

What is the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH)?
The European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), one of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, is a tourism and information network that connects key sites representing Europe’s industrial history.

İzmir Historical Coal Gas Factory
Built in the mid-19th century to illuminate the streets of İzmir, the Historical Coal Gas Factory is one of the key milestones in the city’s industrialization history. Once a strategic energy facility supporting nighttime commercial activity in the port area, it has today been transformed into a “living museum” that hosts cultural and artistic events. Its restored brick chimney remains one of the most iconic examples of 19th-century industrial architecture.

Historical Elevator
Constructed in 1907 to overcome the elevation difference between Mithatpaşa Street and Şehit Nihatbey Street, the Historic Elevator is a landmark combining engineering and social purpose. Originally designed with a hydraulic system powered by water pressure, the structure provided an alternative to the 155-step Karataş staircase. Featuring original brickwork imported from Marseille and cast-iron detailing, the building is a significant example of industrial-era aesthetics. It was later restored and converted to an electric system while preserving its historical character.

Ahmet Piriştina İzmir City Archive and Museum (APİKAM)
Originally built in 1932 as a fire station, the building now serving as APİKAM is one of İzmir’s most distinctive early Republican-era structures. Designed by architect Mesut Özok, the facility features wide garage doors for rapid fire truck deployment and a high observation tower used as an early warning system for detecting fires. This tower, once essential for urban safety, has been preserved as part of the city’s historical fabric. Since 2004, the building has functioned as a center preserving İzmir’s written and visual memory.
Together, the Historical Coal Gas Factory, Historic Elevator, and APİKAM demonstrate that İzmir’s industrial past is not limited to buildings alone but represents a living urban identity shaped by history, technology, and cultural continuity.

Diğer Haberler

Tüm Haberleri Gör