Yürüyen Köşk: Atatürk’s Walking Mansion in Yalova

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1. What is Yürüyen Köşk?
2. How do you get to Yürüyen Köşk?
3. When is the best time to visit Yürüyen Köşk?
4. What is the history of Yürüyen Köşk?
5. What is Yürüyen Köşk famous for?
6. What can you see at Yürüyen Köşk?
7. Frequently asked questions about Yürüyen Köşk
8. What do the official records say about Yürüyen Köşk?

What is Yürüyen Köşk?

The Yürüyen Köşk, the “walking mansion”, is a small house on the shore in Yalova that Atatürk used during his stays in the town. It is famous for one episode: when the branches of a large plane tree beside it began to press against the walls, Atatürk refused to have the tree cut and ordered the building moved instead. In August 1930 it was slid 4.80 metres away from the tree on tram rails brought from Istanbul.

Both the house and the plane tree survive, and the house is open to visitors as a small museum.

How do you get to Yürüyen Köşk?

The mansion is in Yalova town, a short taxi ride from the ferry port. From Istanbul, İDO ferries cross to Yalova, or you can drive over the Osmangazi Bridge from Gebze. It combines easily with a visit to Termal, 12 km south.

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When is the best time to visit Yürüyen Köşk?

Any time of year. The gardens around the house are greenest in spring and early summer, when the plane tree is in full leaf. Visits are short, usually under an hour, so it fits into a day that also includes the Termal baths. Check opening days locally before travelling.

What is the history of Yürüyen Köşk?

Atatürk visited Yalova often in his later years and grew attached to the town. According to the Yalova Culture and Tourism Directorate, he one day saw a gardener about to cut back the branches of the great plane tree beside the house, because they were pressing against the building. He rejected that solution and gave the order: “The tree will not be cut; the building will be moved.”

Work to dig around the foundations began on 8 August 1930. Tram rails brought from Istanbul were laid under the building, and by 10 August the house had been slid about 4.80 metres away from the tree (Yalova Culture and Tourism Directorate).

Yalova mattered to Atatürk for its springs as much as its shore. In 1928 the State Maritime Lines built him a residence at Termal, where he came to bathe and rest, and in 1932 he ordered the excavations there that uncovered Byzantine stelae, a church and columns bearing the monogram of Justin II. The Yürüyen Köşk was his house in the town itself, by the sea.

On 12 July 1980 the Ministry of Culture’s council registered the house as a protected cultural and natural asset. Yalova Municipality restored it in 2006 and opened it to visitors.

What is Yürüyen Köşk famous for?

The story of the tree. In Türkiye the episode is widely told as an example of Atatürk’s respect for nature, and his order, “the tree will not be cut, the building will be moved”, is often quoted. The house is also a reminder of how attached he was to Yalova, which he called “my city”.

What can you see at Yürüyen Köşk?

The house. The building Atatürk used, restored by Yalova Municipality in 2006 and opened to visitors.

The plane tree. The old tree whose branches caused the move still stands beside the house.

The setting. The house stands by the water on the Marmara shore.

Yalova town. The 17 August Park, with the Earthquake Monument to the victims of the 1999 Marmara earthquake, is also in town, as is the ferry port for Istanbul.

Atatürk’s other house in the province, the 1928 Atatürk Mansion at Termal, keeps his bedroom and bathroom with their original furniture.

Frequently asked questions about Yürüyen Köşk

What do the official records say about Yürüyen Köşk?

The 2002 inventory does not describe the Yürüyen Köşk separately, but it records Atatürk’s attachment to Yalova through his house at the springs: the Atatürk Mansion lies at the foot of a fairly high hill at the site of the historic Yalova springs, 12 km south of Yalova. It was built in 1928 by the State Maritime Lines Administration as a Presidential Mansion, and Atatürk often stayed there on the days when he bathed at the springs and rested.

The mansion has two floors. On the lower floor there is a large hall and study rooms; on the upper floor there are bedrooms, rest rooms and bathrooms. Atatürk’s bedroom and bathroom are preserved with all their furnishings and furniture. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Yalova Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)