6 . T H E
P A L A C E O F
C O N G R E S S
On July 3 , 1919 , at the time of preparation for the
National Liberation War , Ataturk arrived in Erzurum
from Sivas . On the night of July 8 - 9 , he sent a
telegraph to the last Ottoman Sultan , Vandettin
announcing that he resigned from the military and had
returned to “ the bosom of the nation ”. In Erzurum ,
preparations were begun for a great Congress . You can
check our Istanbul and Trabzon tour package from
Istanbul .
Shortly afterward , on July 23 , 1919 , the Erzurum
Congress began in an old school in the district of Kavaf
and continued for 14 days until August 6 , 1919 . The
school where the Congress was held had been built in
1877 - 8 as a middle school after the Ottoman - Russian
wars . After the Congress , it was used as an Art School
from 1920 - 21 , as Sultani high school from 1922 - 23 . and
in 1924 was burned to the ground after a short period
as a primary school . The special administration of
Erzurum province built a new school on the same site ,
which opened in 1926 as Gazi Primary School . Later , in
1940 , the school was turned into Ataturk Construction
Art School , as it remains today . Even though the
original building was burned down , a room of the new
building on the site where the Erzurum Congress took
place was taken over and made the location of Ataturk
and Erzurum Congress Museum in 1960 . On a large
table in the room are marble plaques inscribed with
the names of the 53 delegates who attended the
Congress . On the walls and in showcases are
photocopies of the minutes , documents , declarations
and telegraphs concerning the Congress , together with
photographs of the delegates and short biographies ,
various photographs of Ataturk , a photocopy of his
Tenth Year Speech in his own handwriting , and oil
paintings of some of Erzurum ’ s historical monuments .
Erzurum is one of the most popular city for the
tourists .