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DIMITRI KANTEMIR MUSEUM and SOCIAL CENTRE RESTORATION COMPLETED.
EU FUNDED PROGRAMME FOR THE REHABILITATION OF
FENER AND BALAT DISTRICTS
NEW MUSEUM AND SOCIAL CENTRE OPENS
IN FENER BALAT DISTRICTS OF ISTANBUL
The President of the Republic of Romania, H.E. Mr. Traian Basescu, Opened on Monday, 25 June 2007, a new Social Centre and Museum in Istanbul’s Fener Balat district in the residence of Dimitrie Kantemir, a well-known Romanian resident of Fener Balat in the late 17th century. The Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey, H.E. Mr. Marc Pierini, also participated in the ceremony.
The restoration of the 300 year-old house, located at Tevki Merdivenli Mektep Sokak, Fener, Fatih, Istanbul, was carried out under the EU-funded Rehabilitation of Fener and Balat Districts Programme, a joint programme of the European Union and Fatih Municipality to restore a number of historical buildings in the area.
Kantemir’s House is one of the most notable places in the Fener and Balat quarters within the boundaries of Fatih Municipality in the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul.
Dimitrie Kantemir, a famous Romanian man of letters, made Istanbul his home between 1688 and 1710, yet only the inhabitants of the region know the house were Kantemir once lived, but without any information about his personality and works. Almost none of the visitors of this area are aware of such historic point.. This is now set to change with the opening to the public of a museum dedicated to Dimitri Kantemir and a social centre to help local people with various health and education related activities.
The Museum and Social Centre should reflect these characteristics, while enabling an interactive process which should result with a deeper understanding of Kantemir’s personality, his works in a variety of subjects and the milieu in which they were produced.
During the inauguration ceremony, Ambassador Marc Pierini stated: “This successful restoration programme is a model for similar projects elsewhere in the city. The rehabilitation of the historic area of Fener Balat reinforces Istanbul’s position as one of Europe’s great historical cities, and is also a significant contribution to Istanbul’s role as European City of Culture in 2010”
ACTIVITIES TO BE DEVELOPED
According to the agreement between Fatih Municipality and the Romanian Government, the upper floor will be allocated to the Kantemir’s Museum while the ground floor and the garden are to be used for the Fener and Balat Social Centre activities which will mainly be dedicated to the education of children, youth and women of the region,
25TH JUNE 2007
General -
June 29, 2007
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