Discover the Story of Bursa in One Museum
Few museums provide a better introduction to Bursa than
Bursa City Museum – Bursa Kent Müzesi.
Located directly in the historic city centre,
the museum brings together
archaeology,
Ottoman history,
Republican-era transformation,
traditional crafts,
silk production,
local customs,
food,
thermal culture,
industry
and everyday city life
under one roof.
The museum opened on
14 February 2004
with the purpose of preserving and presenting Bursa's
cultural,
historical,
social
and economic memory.
Its setting is itself part of the story.
Bursa City Museum occupies the city's
former Courthouse building,
constructed in
1926
during the early Republican period
in the architectural language of the
First National Architectural Movement.
For more than seventy years,
the building served as Bursa's courthouse
before being transferred to Bursa Metropolitan Municipality,
restored
and transformed into a museum.
Today its three floors take visitors through a remarkable journey.
The galleries introduce
prehistoric Bursa,
Bithynia,
Roman and Byzantine history,
the rise of Ottoman Bursa,
the Turkish War of Independence,
the Republican period,
migration,
urbanisation
and the growth of the modern city.
Other galleries explore the subjects that make Bursa different from almost any other city in Türkiye:
silk,
historic bazaars,
traditional craftsmen,
thermal baths,
Karagöz and Hacivat,
local cuisine,
Uludağ
and industrial development.
One of the museum's most atmospheric areas is the
Traditional Crafts Bazaar,
where recreated historic workshops introduce trades that once filled Bursa's commercial streets.
Visitors encounter representations of
towel makers,
saddlers,
blacksmiths,
shoemakers,
knife makers,
coppersmiths,
carpenters,
felt makers,
basket makers,
tile makers,
sweet makers
and other traditional craftsmen.
Another major theme is
Silk City Bursa.
For centuries,
Bursa stood at the heart of an international silk economy connecting
Anatolia,
Iran,
Central Asia,
the Mediterranean
and Europe.
The museum helps visitors understand how silk,
textiles,
markets
and manufacturing shaped the city's wealth and identity.
Bursa City Museum is therefore much more than a collection of historical objects.
It is designed as a
portrait of an entire city —
its landscape,
people,
memories,
work,
traditions,
changes
and cultural identity.
For first-time visitors,
it is one of the best places to understand Bursa
before exploring the mosques,
tombs,
bazaars,
külliyes
and neighbourhoods outside.
Bursa Through the Ages
Follow Bursa from prehistoric settlement through Bithynian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Republican history.
Traditional Crafts Bazaar
Walk through atmospheric recreated workshops representing professions that once filled Bursa's historic commercial streets.
Silk City Bursa
Discover how sericulture, weaving and international trade made Bursa one of the great silk centres of the Ottoman world.
Life & Culture
Explore thermal traditions, cuisine, entertainment, clothing, Karagöz and Hacivat and everyday Bursa life.
Historic Courthouse
Visit a beautifully restored 1926 civic building belonging to Türkiye's First National Architectural Movement.
Living City Memory
See how photographs, documents, objects and personal memories preserve Bursa's constantly changing urban identity.
