Bolu Province
Bolu Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in north-western Turkey, between the capital, Ankara, and the largest city in the country, Istanbul. Its area is 8,313 km,2, and its population is 320,824 (2022). The capital city of the pr ...
in the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
region of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, 52 km south-west of the city of
Bolu
Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province and of Bolu District,Mudurnu District.İlçe Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. Its population is 5,379 (2021). The mayor is Necdet Türker ( MHP), elected in 2019.
History
The town has a long history and the name Mudurnu comes from the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
princess ''Modrene'' (''Μωδρηνή'' in Byzantine Greek), and the ruins of the Byzantine castle can still be seen above the town. In the 8th century AD, the forces of the Byzantine usurper Artabasdos, commanded by his son Niketas, were defeated at or near this location by the army of the legitimate emperor
Constantine V
Constantine V (; July 718 – 14 September 775) was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able military leader, Constantine took advantage of Third Fitna, civil war ...
, before being defeated again at Chrysopolis, the same location where
Constantine the Great
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
defeated his Eastern rival
Licinius
Valerius Licinianus Licinius (; Ancient Greek, Greek: Λικίνιος; c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign, he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan that ...
.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Mudurnu was part of the Kastamonu Vilayet of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
.
This is an attractive district of forest and mountain. Mudurnu itself is a historical town with a number of well-preserved
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
period houses. A portion of the centre of town has been declared an Historic Preservation District ("''Kentsel Sit Alanı''").
In 1920, during the Nationalists' push to gain control over the country, İbrahim Çolak with the
Kuva-yi Milliye
The Kuva-yi Milliye (; 'National Forces' or 'Nationalist Forces') were irregular Turkish militia forces active in the early period of the Turkish War of Independence. These irregular forces emerged after the occupation of the parts of Turkey by t ...
besieged forces loyal to the Porte for three days, May 13 to 15, before taking the town.
Economy
Until 2002 when it went bankrupt, the local economy was heavily dependent on the "Mudurnu Chicken" (''Mudurnu Tavuk'') company, one of Turkey's largest poultry producers and fast-food chains. There is a large statue of a chicken at the edge of town. After the chicken processing plant closed in 2002, significant numbers of people left the town for jobs elsewhere and the remaining populace began to invest in tidying up and restoring the old town in order to attract tourists and weekend visitors. Many of the old houses are now restaurants serving local cuisine.
In 2007 as part of the dissolution of ''Mudurnu Chicken'' the brand name was sold to Pak Chicken (''Pak Tavuk''), who produced chicken under that brand name, but not in Mudurnu. Beginning in 2010 Pak Chicken opened a chicken packing plant in Mudurnu, employing 350 people by mid 2010.
Places of interest
* ''Babas Kaplıcası'' - mineral water spring with accommodation in a restored Ottoman wooden bathhouse.
* ''Yildrim Bayezid Mosque'' - built in 1372 as part of a complex of dervish lodges, the hamam and madrasha. According to the description at the mosque, it is the first mosque with a big single dome without columns.
* ''Yildrim Bayezid Hamam'' - still functional and beautiful Turkish bath with Sauna, built 1382 by Ömer Ibrahim.
* Lake Abant - located 20 kilometers North-East of Mudurnu
*The real estate development project ''The Burj Al Babas''
Gallery
File:Mudurnu june 2019 2811.jpg, Mudurnu old houses
File:Mudurnu june 2019 2844.jpg, Mudurnu Konak
File:Mudurnu june 2019 2855.jpg, Mudurnu Konak
File:Mudurnu 96 050.jpg, Mudurnu Decoration on house
File:Mudurnu062007 7388.jpg, Mudurnu Decoration on house
File:Mudurnu Haytalar’ Konağı in 2007 7394.jpg, Mudurnu Decoration on house
File:Mudurnu062007 7407.jpg, Mudurnu shop
File:Mudurnu062007 7389.jpg, Mudurnu clock tower
File:Mudurnu june 2019 2843.jpg, Mudurnu clock tower
File:Mudurnu Doruk Baba tomb june 2019 2838.jpg, Mudurnu Doruk Baba tomb
File:Mudurnu june 2019 2825 panorama.jpg, Mudurnu panorama
File:Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit Mosque june 2019 2871.jpg, Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit Mosque
File:Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit Mosque june 2019 2873.jpg, Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit Mosque
File:Mudurnu062007 7402.jpg, Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit mosque
File:Mudurnu062007 7342.jpg, Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit Bath
File:Mudurnu062007 7343.jpg, Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit Bath Entrance
File:Mudurnu062007 7346.jpg, Mudurnu Yildirim Beyazit Bath
File:Mudurnu062007 7378.jpg, Mudurnu Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Camii
File:Mudurnu062007 7360.jpg, Mudurnu Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Camii
File:Mudurnu062007 7367.jpg, Mudurnu Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Camii