Ottoman Palace Reopens In Style
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Ottoman Palace Reopens In Style
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Category: Europe
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2007-06-26
The Çirağan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul recently reopened the palace of the famous landmark hotel on the shores of the Bosphorus.
Following a careful renovation programme, which started last year with the restoration of the opulent palace suites, this year sees the renovation of the lavish meeting rooms, public areas and the award-winning Tuğra restaurant. With renovation costs totalling approximately USD 5 million, the palace now offers not only grand surroundings but also state-of-the-art technology.
To ensure the authenticity of the designs were preserved, the renovation was supervised by Ms Handen Tözün, the palace architect, together with Professor Nurhan Atasoy, a specialist on Ottoman Art. They aimed to achieve a synthesis between East and West, by researching and incorporating Ottoman style oriental embellishments for walls and ceilings. The Tuğra restaurant, with balconies and terraces overlooking the picturesque river panorama, reflects the magnificence and grandeur of Ottoman palaces with carefully selected furniture and palatial curtains in blue and violet. The menu complements the restaurant’s setting, offering traditional Turkish-Ottoman cuisine, including stuffed vegetables, various rice dishes, meat dishes from kebabs to meat balls and palace-style desserts.
To celebrate the reopening and the Çirağan Palace Kempinski’s 15th anniversary, a six-week art exhibition has been unveiled and contemporary artists will exhibit in turn their art in the entrance hall of the palace. Works by the famous Turkish painter and poet Ilhan Berk will be shown until 20th June 2007, followed by an exhibition of Mehmet Guleryuz’ works.
Çirağan Palace (pronounced “Chiraan”), once the residence of the last Ottoman Sultans, was built in wood at the end of the 16th century and then rebuilt in marble for Sultan Abdülaziz in 1857. It was badly damaged by fire in January 1910 and lay derelict and abandoned until 1986. Managed by Kempinski since its reopening in 1992, the Çirağan Palace Kempinski has been a flagship property for Kempinski ever since.
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