ZIRAAT BANK MUSEUM 3D VIRTUAL TOUR
Türkiye's First Banking Museum Where Our Long-Standing Past is Exhibited
Ziraat Bank Museum, which is exhibited the long-standing past of Ziraat Bank which witnessed almost every stage of the Republic, is Türkiye's first banking museum.
Ziraat Bank Museum was opened in order to carry the richness and experience of the Bank into future in 1981 in the Honor Hall of General Directorate Building of Ziraat Bank located in Ulus district of Ankara and it was built by Italian Architecture Giulio Mongeri in 1929 and it was one of the constructions of the First National Architectural Period. Ziraat Bank Museum, which shows commercial, economic, political, cultural, artistic, educational change of the Turkish banking system and its development from past to present, exhibits many antique objects that includes these features and that are used in the banking system in a historical atmosphere.
Ziraat Bank Museum, which was enlargened by adding the basement to the first floor after the restoration works started in the historical building in 2017, was reopened to visit in November 2019 with its new face having been enrichened with digital elements in accordance with the modern museology understanding.
The First Floor was created with a concept in which bank chronology is told without damaging its traditional structure by being supported with digital applications. At this floor, folllowings are exhibited: Original "Homeland Fund (Memleket Sandigi)" belonging to 1863, Letters written by Mithat Pasha on explaining the necessity of establishing Homeland Funds to the Dersaadet (Istanbul), the first journal of 1889 and cashbooks with their long histories, books, seals, codes, zeyn reports, saving and foreign exchange account samples, typewriters, taxman books and the "Harman" (Harvest) (1928) painting created by İbrahim Calli which was made specifically for our General Directorate building.
Basement placements are chronologically located, just as in the Hall of Honor. In the section of legacy inherited from the Ottoman Empire, Ziraat Bank in the Republic period, there is a map showing the expansion of Ziraat Bank, which was first established in Pirot Town in 1863 and then developed its activities in Türkiye and the world. The development and growth of our Bank from past to present are presented to our visitors with this interactive map.
In the Section of Corporate Identity, the story of ear emblem, which consists of ZB letters, which is still used today, and which was elected as the first in the competition organised by our Bank in 1961, is told by Ayhan Akalp who has designed this emblem.
Main Vault and vault doors were made by the world-famous French Fichet company during the construction of building. Since vault doors and steel safes were quite heavy, the vaults were built together with basement of the building and then the other floors were completed.
In the Section of Digital Showcase, where the harmony of technology and history is exhibited in the most impressive way, we let our visitors to start a nostalgic journey in Ankara by playing the game of saving money with them through a digital screen.
Our bank has one of the most important art collections of Türkiye. Ziraat Bank Collection, which covers all branches of Fine Arts and which consists of works from the art movements which have developed and changed since its foundation, also has a documentary feature. We also present our Ziraat Bank Art Collection, enriched since 1926, for art lovers on a digital screen.
Radio Room, where the radio programs broadcasted under the sponsorship of our Bank in the 1960s and 1970s can be listened, is one of the most impressive areas of our museum. This room has been designed with the objects used in our Bank in the past. We bring the past into present in the Radio Room with programs such as Zeki Müren Özel Programı (Zeki Müren Special Program), Bu Toprağın Sesi (The Sound of this Land), Çiftçilerimizle El Ele (Hand to Hand with Our Farmers), Orhan Boran'la Neşe ve Müzik (Joy and Music with Orhan Boran), Her Hafta Bir Skeç (One Sketch Every Week), Dünya Masallarından Seçmeler (Selections from World Tales).
In another room where we create a small movie theater, our movies on the Events of the Month can be watched. The Events of the Month includes news presented to the audiences before movie screenings in all movie theathers across the country by collecting important events of the related months under the sponsorship of our Bank from 1967 to 1989.
In one part of the Corporate Communication and Architecture Room, Guilio Monger, the architect of our Eskişehir, Adana, Aydın, Kütahya and Manisa Branch buildings, is told as well as our Historical Building. In another part, all our TV advertisements broadcasted from past to present can be watched. In addition, our visitors have the opportunity to review "Posters", "Newspaper Advertisements" and "Ziraat Post" in this room. Ziraat Post is the first newspaper published by the Bank from 1964 to 1981, which consists of useful information on agriculture, banking and cooperation, which distributed even to villages and which was free of charge.
In the Child Activity Area, the historical development of both money and bank is told as an animated movie and we reinforce this with mechanical games.
A visual feast is presented to our visitors with digital mapping applied on the Ziraat Towers model, which is under construction at the Istanbul Finance Center.
In the Section of Safe Deposit Boxes, there are safes numbered 1 and 2 in which historical documents and belongings of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk are kept immediately after his death. These belongings were firstly kept at the safes of our Banks's Main Branch and then they were delivered to the Turkish General Staff with the decision of Council of Ministers dated 1964. In addition, there are some belongings of Adnan Menderes, which was found in the luggage of Ercüment Yavuzalp, Principal Clerk of the late Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, and which was delivered to our Bank to be kept at the safe of the Main Branch in 1960, are also exhibited in the section of Safe Deposit Boxes.
Our Bank Museum is temporarily closed to visitors.
Reservation should be made for school and group trips.
Address: Hacı Bayram Mah. Atatürk Bulvarı No: 8 06050 Altındağ - Ulus / ANKARA
For reservation and detailed information; 0312 584 21 56 / 0312 584 21 72 / 0312 584 21 74
Click for Ziraat Bank Museum Facebook page.
Click for Ziraat Bank Museum Facebook page.
History of Our General Directorate Building
Our historical General Directorate building, whose project was started in 1925 and whose construction was completed in 1929, is a work of Italian Architect Giulio Mongeri and it is one of the First National Architecture Period buildings. Although it was built by an Italian architect, he maintained Turkish national architecture style in our building and also took into consideration the needs that may arise in the future.
Mongeri, born in Istanbul in an Italian family, completed his education in Italy and continued his career in Türkiye, and gave lessons at Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts (İstanbul Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi) in the Department of Architecture.
Giulio Mongeri prepared the projects of following constructions: Saint Antoine Church and Apartments (1906-1912), Assicurazioni Generali Han (1909), Italian Embassy Building (1919), Majik Cinema (1914-1920), Karaköy Palas (1920), Maçka Palas (1922-1926); in Ankara, Ottoman Bank located along Bankalar Street (1926), İnhisarlar (Tekel) Directorate (1928), İş Bank (1929); and in Bursa, Çelik Palas Hotel and Spa (1930-1935).
Our General Directorate service building has a construction area of 10.000 m2 and consists of basement, ground floor, mezzanine, first, second and attic floors.
The contractor company that built this building imported cement and plaster from Germany and timber and bricks required for the wooden parts from Romania. The said bricks are grooved and sealed with old Turkish. The marbles used in the flooring are domestic production.
Italian construction foremen worked at the shell and core construction of the building under the presidency of Master Architect Burhan Arif Ongun, who was one of the students of Giulio Mongeri at the Academy of Fine Arts, and external plastering and paintings were made by Hungarian masters under the presidency of Master Architect Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu.
Artificial stone plasters of the facades were made by Italian Head Master Salvatore Genovezi, plaster designs at the ground floor in the honor hall were prepared by the Architect Vahan Bey.
Master architect archaeologist Mahmut Akok drew the soffit Seljuk motif decorations and painted them with turquoise blue.
Leaded window was made by Corvaya-Bazzi&C Company of Milan, established by Salvatore Corvaya and Carlo Bazii. The bunch of ear in the center of the leaded window symbolizes our Bank.
Selahattin Refik (Sırmalı) made the millworks and woodworks of the building, which are highly admired and considered as a superior artistry work.
İsmail Hakkı Altınbezer designed the monogram on the safes and iron fences at the Safe Deposit Vaults.
The land of our building was received on 26 February 1926 and actual construction began. Our building was completed at the end of 1929 and an official opening ceremony was held on 26 November 1929 with İsmet İnönü and the President of the Grand National Assembly Kazım Özalp Pasha.
Our General Directorate building, enrichened with Seljuk and Ottoman art of decoration and having charachteristics and aesthetic beauties such as broad marbled halls, high ceilings, archs, mirrors and crystal glasses, coloured stained glass and tile ornament, has become one of the magnificent buildings in Ankara.
