Historic mansion turns into city museum

The mansion of Colonel İbrahim Çolak, one of the heroes of the Turkish War of Independence, has been restored to its original and turned into a museum in the northwestern province of Bilecik's Bozüyük district. 

Çolak, who served in the Ottoman army during the Balkan Wars and World War I, was a critical in figure in the beginning of the War of Independence in Anatolia. 

Known as Çolak Pasha, Çolak became a deputy after the proclamation of the Turkish Republic and made great contribution to the district's economy by establishing a lumber factory in Bozüyük. 

His mansion was built in 1930 and he lived there until his death in 1944. His son, industrialist and deputy Ertuğrul Çolak, donated the mansion to Bozüyük Municipality in 2004. 

In 2014, the municipality began restoring the ruined historical mansion, ultimately converting it into a museum after two years of work. 

Nearly 1,400 photos, historical documents and personal belongings were donated to the museum by people in the area. 

Besides artifacts collected from Bozüyük and other villages, a tank and various weapons were given to the museum by the Turkish General Staff.

Finally, the Bozüyük City Museum took its shape, displaying the district's history from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, as well as its traditions and customs.

A special section was also formed in the museum to showcase the life of Çolak and his family, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, and the War of Independence. 

The Bozüyük City Museum was opened at a ceremony on March 29 with the attendance of Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı. 

"As a pilot project, we have city culture courses in universities and some high schools. The reason...