Kostaki Mansion (Trabzon Museum)

Kostaki Mansion, today serving as the Trabzon Museum, is a grand town house rising on Zeytinlik Street in the historic Ortahisar district of Trabzon.

History & Significance

The building was commissioned as a private residence between 1898 and 1913 by Kostaki Teophylaktos, a wealthy Greek banker of the city; its architectural design is attributed to Alexandros Kakoulidis, and much of the marble, timber and decorative material used in its construction was imported from Italy. When the banker went bankrupt in 1917 the mansion changed hands to the Nemlioğlu family and later took on a series of public functions. Between 15 and 17 September 1924, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, his wife Latife Hanım and their entourage were hosted here during Atatürk's first visit to Trabzon, a connection that lends the house a strong national significance. The Ministry of Culture restored the mansion between 1988 and 2001, opening it as a museum on 22 April 2001; after a comprehensive renovation and re-display programme carried out from 2018 to 2024, it reopened to visitors on 30 May 2025.

Architecture & Collection

Architecturally the mansion is considered one of Turkey's finest civil residences, with near-Baroque hand-painted ceiling and wall ornamentation, an imposing staircase landing, and interiors that blend European taste of the era with Black Sea domestic architecture. Arranged over three floors plus a basement, the ground floor preserves the mansion's original furniture and decoration in a house display, the first floor holds an ethnographic collection reflecting Ottoman and regional Trabzon life alongside documents and photographs of Atatürk's visits, and the basement archaeology hall exhibits thousands of artefacts spanning prehistory through the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

Visiting, Access & Route

Agencies favour this stop because it is the only fully covered, all-season indoor point on the Trabzon city culture tour, offering a safe alternative in the rainy Black Sea climate and combining easily with the Hagia Sophia, the Atatürk Pavilion and the Ortahisar quarter. The average visit lasts 45 to 60 minutes. On guided programmes it is usually scheduled in the first half of a morning city tour together with the walkable Meydan and Zeytinlik axis. Nearby sights include the Hagia Sophia of Trabzon, the Atatürk Pavilion, the Ortahisar Fatih Mosque and the historic timber mansions of Zeytinlik. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons to visit, but as a fully indoor museum it is comfortable in winter too, while the summer months are its busiest peak.