Kültürel Mekânlar

Hazırlayanlar: Simge Akkaş, Yağmur Saygılı ve Elif Yazıcı Gümüşbıçak
Fotoğraflar: Cem Gültekin

Ankara, birçok sanatçının İstanbul'dan önce yolunun geçtiği, birçok yeteneğin doğduğu bir şehir ve bu bir tesadüf değil. Sanatı seven iyi izleyiciler olan sakinleriyle, sanatçı doğuran bir kent Ankara. Bu nedenle gerçek bir Ankara deneyimi için burada olduğunuz sürede en az bir sahne izlemenizi tavsiye ediyoruz. “Sıkıcı bir memur kenti” olarak anılan Ankara, “sıkıcı” tanımlamasını kabul etmez ama “memur” tanımı yerindedir. Aşağıdaki listeye göz attığınızda fark edeceksiniz ki bu kentte sanat icra edilen mekânların çoğu devlete aittir.

Cer Modern

Built in 1926-27 as a traction workshop for the repair of wagons next to the Ankara Historical Train Station, the hangar buildings lost their function when new workshops were built. The hangars, which had been idle for a long time, were recently renovated and expanded with additional structures to create Ankara's first modern exhibition space. Today, Cer Modern hosts many must-see art events, from open-air movie screenings to concerts and exhibitions. The famous Su Perileri Heykeli (Water Nymphs Statue), which was brought to Ankara in 1924, is now on display in front of this building.

Grand Theater/State Opera and Ballet

The State Opera and Ballet in Ulus, also known as the Grand Theater, was built as an Exhibition House between 1933-34. Initially, the building was used as an exhibition hall, true to its name. The first exhibition held was the "Yerli Mallar Sergisi (Domestic Goods Exhibition)", a good reflection of the then newly industrializing Republic. The building was converted into an Opera House in the late 1940s. With this transformation, the famous columned entrance was added to the building and many local and foreign works, from Gioacchino Rossini's Barber of Seville to Ahmet Kutsi Tecer's Koçyiğit Köroğlu, began to be presented to the people of Ankara. The Grand Theater still retains this function today.

Küçük Theater/Chamber Theater

Located in Ulus, Küçük (Small) Theater is the last remaining example of two apartment buildings built in Ulus in the 1920s to solve Ankara's housing problem. In this respect, the building is a good example to see the national architectural understanding of that period. This apartment building, where important authors such as Orhan Veli Kanık and Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar once lived, was later allocated to the General Directorate of State Theaters. The courtyard of the apartment building was transformed into a stage and started to be used as the Küçük Theater. The building also houses the Chamber Theater, which usually features one-person plays.

Kült Kavaklıdere

Located on Tunalı Hilmi Street, Kült Kavaklıdere is one of the most popular cultural venues in Ankara in recent years. Like the old Akün Movie Theater, which is now a theater stage, the fact that Kült Kavaklıdere was opened on the site of Kavaklıdere Movie Theater, one of the oldest cinemas in Ankara, puts Kült Kavaklıdere in a different place in the memory of the city. The venue draws attention with its restoration preserving the old texture, special film and theater screenings, talks and workshops.

CSO Ada

CSO Ada, which takes its name from the abbreviation of the music ensemble known as the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, is the most modern stage in Ankara. CSO Ada, which hosts many important concerts, exhibitions and shows, is also located right next to the first CSO building built in 1947. The old stage, which stands out with its historical texture, is today called the "Historical Hall" and is still in use. CSO Ada with its modern look and the Historical Hall with its neoclassical design are both city elements worth visiting.