Atatürk Museum, Thessaloniki

The Atatürk Museum in Thessaloniki is a historic house – the birthplace of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The founder of modern Turkey was born here in 1881. The three-floor property with a courtyard was built sometime before 1870.

In 1935 the Thessaloniki City Council gave it to the Turkish State, which decided to convert it into a museum. In September 1955 a bomb exploded close to the nearby Turkish consulate, also damaging the building. The damage, albeit minimal, marked the outset of an anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul. Six years later, the Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was deposed and a Turkish court found his government guilty of ordering the bombing. Menderes apologized and offered compensation but was sentenced to death, charged, among other wrongdoings, with promoting the Istanbul pogrom. Following the pogrom, the Kemal Ataturk street in front of the house was renamed.

The building was restored in 1981 and repainted its original pink color. Most of the furniture inside is authentic. The first floor features a reception room, a sitting room, Kemal's mother's room, and the kitchen. On the second floor, visitors will find the actual room where Kemal was born. Another room on the second floor features some of Kemal's personal effects: his formal dress, smoking requisites, cutlery, cups, and other items.

All the documents relating to Kemal's schooldays are hung on the walls. Also there are photographs of him at various periods of life. A pomegranate tree planted by Kemal's father still grows in the courtyard.

As such, this fascinating museum offers an interesting glimpse into the life of one of Turkey's most influential personalities. In 1981 a replica of the house was built in Ankara.