Audio GuideGazhane Museum

In the heart of Istanbul’s Kadıköy district stands Müze Gazhane, where old and new Istanbul meet in a place alive with history and creativity. This impressive complex began as the Hasanpaşa Gasworks in the late nineteenth century. Built during the time of the Ottoman Empire around one hundred and thirty years ago, it was one of four gas plants that powered Istanbul. Here, coal from distant lands arrived first by ship, then by rail, ending up in giant ovens. Inside these walls, workers carefully transformed coal into gas. Pipes carried this bright new energy through the city, lighting lamps and warming homes across Istanbul’s Anatolian side—at a time when electricity was still rare.

Oğuzhan Abdik

After serving the city for more than a century, the plant’s furnaces cooled in the early nineteen nineties, as natural gas took over. For some years, the site fell silent, used only for storage and left to rust. But the local community, activists, and architectural experts refused to see this industrial gem fade away. Thanks to their energy, the once-abandoned plant was protected, restored, and carefully transformed.

Ediz Burak Aksoy

Today, Müze Gazhane welcomes visitors into nearly thirty thousand square meters of open courtyards, red-brick facades, tall steel beams, and spacious interiors filled with sunlight. The buildings still recall their industrial past, with preserved stone structures, vintage machinery, and dramatic silhouettes. But they now pulse with the city’s creative spirit. You’ll discover science and climate exhibits, galleries dedicated to animation and caricature, community workshops, theaters with room for hundreds, and a public library stocked with tens of thousands of books. Cafés and walkways invite both locals and travelers to linger.

Ertug Ekenler

From the earliest flicker of gaslight to today’s vibrant mix of technology, art, and environmental thought, Müze Gazhane stands as a bold symbol of Istanbul’s journey—a tribute to innovation, collective memory, and a future shaped by community and culture.