Description of the attraction
The building where the famous Erzurum Congress took place on July 23, 1919 is located on the city square of the same name. This building suffered a fire in 1925, after which all the wooden parts were destroyed. Later, the building was restored and renovated and transferred to the Lyceum of Arts. The hall and two adjacent rooms, which are located on the second floor of the building, are currently the exhibition space of the Erzurum Congress Museum.
The Erzurum Congress gathered sixty-two delegates and was held in the building of an elementary school, which was then still a one-story building. The congress ran for fourteen days as a constituent assembly and ended its work on August 7, 1919. A ceasefire agreement was signed at Mondoros. In those years Erzurum was the most advanced city in which there was a massive awareness and understanding of the need for resistance. This congress is an important starting point in the history of the Turkish state. The first foundations of the War of Liberation were laid there, and the adopted resolutions became the cornerstones of the principles of the national struggle.
Thus, this building plays a special role in the history of Turkey. Today, the Museum of Congress has the status of a private museum, it offers its visitors photographs of members of the Congress, their biographies, and can also present lists and order of speeches, and all preserved documents.
The building has two floors. There is also a basement floor. If you look at the building from the facade, you will notice that it was built with the finest consideration of symmetry. It has, in addition to the main entrance, two more.
At the entrance, right at the doorstep, there is a statue of Ataturk, and under the walls there are chairs, a map of the area hangs on the walls, which indicates the delegations present from all settlements. Two more rooms are located on either side of the living room and are furnished with furniture from the time.
