Architectural features of People’s Houses (Halkevleri) in the Turkish Republic

Abstract

In the early republican phase of Türkiye, »People’s Houses« (Halkevleri) served as educational and cultural centers to promote the principles of the »Kemalist« ideology embraced by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye. The Halkevleri were part of the efforts to modernize Turkish society. They were established to support Atatürk’s ideal of popularizing education. Representing the winds of cultural change in the country, Halkevleri also stood for architectural modernization. Located at the major squares of the cities, the buildings of the Halkevleri became important representations of modern Turkish architecture as from the 1930s onwards.

The aim of this article is a) to identify the characteristic architectural features of the Halkevleri and b) to understand how they contributed to the perception of the cities in which they were located. Additionally, this contribution aims to point out the symbolic references the building designs made to »modernism« and »progress«. Both aspirations are regarded as meaningful statements of the early Republic and of Kemalist ideology, aims that carried clear references to technology and industry as symbols of the crucial changes taking place in that era.

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