Introduction
This article is about the city in Turkey. For the village on Cyprus, see Palaikythro.
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City in Marmara, TurkeyBalıkesirCityClockwise from top: Clocktower in Balıkesir, Zagnos Pasha Mosque, Balıkesir Museum, Sarımsaklı Beach, Ottoman Architecture in Balıkesir, Atatürk Park, Fountain in Balıkesir
Emblem of Balıkesir Metropolitan MunicipalityBalıkesirLocation of BalıkesirShow map of TurkeyBalıkesirBalıkesir (Marmara)Show map of MarmaraBalıkesirBalıkesir (Europe)Show map of EuropeCoordinates: 39°38′50″N 27°53′17″E / 39.64722°N 27.88806°E / 39.64722; 27.88806Country TurkeyRegionMarmaraProvinceBalıkesir ProvinceGovernment • Governorİsmail Ustaoğlu • Metropolitan MayorAhmet Akın (CHP)Elevation70 m (230 ft)Population (2022) • Total314,958Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)Postal code10xxxArea code(+90) 266Licence plate10Websitewww.balikesir.gov.tr
Balıkesir (Turkish pronunciation: [baˈlɯcesiɾ]) is a city in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Balıkesir Province, which is also a metropolitan municipality. As of 2022, the population of Balıkesir Province is 1,257,590, of which 314,958 in the city proper (the urban part of the districts Altıeylül and Karesi). Between 1341 and 1922, it was the capital of Karasi.
History
[edit]
Close to modern Balıkesir was the Roman town of Hadrianutherae, founded, as its name commemorates, by the emperor Hadrian. Hadrian came to the region in 124 A.D., as a result of a successful bear hunting he had established a city called his name here. It is estimated that the city consisted of the castle, the homestead, the stud and a few homes. It is thought that the small town was where the current stadium is present.
Members of the Roman and Pre-Byzantine dynasty had used this castle as a vacation area and for hunting. During the Byzantine period, the small town which had become increasingly neglected was known as Palaiokastron (Greek: Παλαιόκαστρον) meaning Old Castle.
Also, when the Turkomans came from Middle Asia to Mysia, they called it Balukiser because of the remains of the castle, as Hisar is the Turkish word for castle. Balıkesir's former name was Karasi because Balıkesir city was founded by Karasi Bey in the 13th century as using the remains of the small town. 1297 is considered as the date of establishment of the city which was one of the few to be founded by the Turks in Anatolia. The Karasids was a Turkic principality in Mysia. Since the 13th century, Balıkesir city have been the administrative centre of the Mysia region.
In 1345, Balıkesir city was annexed by the Ottomans. In 1898 an earthquake destroyed much of the city. The number of buildings that were not destroyed in the 1898 earthquake was only 51. In 1914, Turkish students marched through the streets of the city singing a song of hatred against the Greeks. In April 1916, the Christian Greeks of the villages in the vicinity of Balikesser underwent persecution from the Turks. They were refused bread on payment. The women were told that they should become Muslim so as not to die of hunger.
At the beginning of June, many young Greeks were forced by the authorities to convert to Islam at Government headquarters. On 30 June 1919 Balıkesir city was occupied by the invading Greeks but on 6 September 1922, the Turkish Army took back the city. During the Turkish War of Independence, Balıkesir was the main centre of the Turkish militias in Western Anatolia against the occupying Greek Army.
On 3 August 1950, a major fire destroyed the centre of the city which was rebuilt later. That fire destroyed an important part of the city. According to estimates, it was the result of the firing of firecrackers belonging to child guns in a shop. According to another opinion, it was caused by the gnawing of the firecrackers of child guns by rats and this fire spread to the electrical contact. 498 shops completely burned.
It is the second biggest disaster to befall in Balıkesir after the 1898 earthquake. Nearly a thousand people were unemployed. The tents were set up by the Turkish Red Crescent and food aid was provided for a long time.
In January 1974, a cassette player and five tapes were stolen from a car belonging to Mehmet Aygün, located in the Yalın Apartment area, by unknown individuals.
Main sights
[edit]
The historical clock tower
Zaganos Pasha Mosque built by and named after the Grand Vizier of Mehmet the Conqueror, Zaganos Pasha in 1461. Only the mosque and baths remain.
Yildirim Mosque built in 1388 is the oldest remaining work from the Ottoman period in Balikesir city.
Sports
[edit]
Stadium of Balıkesir
Most known sports club in Balıkesir is Balıkesirspor which is established in 1966. Balıkesirspor is the football team played in the Süper Lig after achieving promotion having finished as runners-up of the TFF First League in 2013–14. The team's previous promotion was 40 years before that. Their stadium, the all-seater Balıkesir Atatürk Stadium, has a capacity of 13,732.
Climate
[edit]
Balıkesir has a fairly continental hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) under the Köppen climate classification and a temperate oceanic climate (Do) under the Trewartha classification. Winters are cool and wet with frequent frosts and occasional snowfall, while summers are hot and dry. The continentality increases as one moves from west to east and north to south. Therefore, winters are colder and snowier in the inland parts.
Climate data for Balıkesir (1991–2020, extremes 1938–present)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
23.5(74.3)
25.2(77.4)
30.0(86.0)
33.1(91.6)
37.8(100.0)
42.5(108.5)
43.2(109.8)
43.2(109.8)
40.3(104.5)
38.3(100.9)
31.2(88.2)
26.1(79.0)
43.2(109.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
8.8(47.8)
10.4(50.7)
13.2(55.8)
19.1(66.4)
24.2(75.6)
29.3(84.7)
30.8(87.4)
31.1(88.0)
28.0(82.4)
22.7(72.9)
15.0(59.0)
9.9(49.8)
20.2(68.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)
4.8(40.6)
5.7(42.3)
7.9(46.2)
13.1(55.6)
18.2(64.8)
23.0(73.4)
24.9(76.8)
25.0(77.0)
21.1(70.0)
16.6(61.9)
9.9(49.8)
6.6(43.9)
14.7(58.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
1.1(34.0)
1.5(34.7)
3.1(37.6)
7.4(45.3)
12.1(53.8)
16.1(61.0)
18.4(65.1)
18.9(66.0)
14.5(58.1)
11.0(51.8)
5.4(41.7)
3.1(37.6)
9.4(48.9)
Record low °C (°F)
−11.9(10.6)
−18.8(−1.8)
−7.1(19.2)
−4.0(24.8)
1.1(34.0)
5.0(41.0)
11.0(51.8)
9.4(48.9)
3.2(37.8)
−1.6(29.1)
−7.9(17.8)
−10.1(13.8)
−18.8(−1.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)
47.9(1.89)
54.1(2.13)
65.1(2.56)
55.7(2.19)
46.5(1.83)
16.2(0.64)
10.0(0.39)
9.4(0.37)
20.7(0.81)
44.4(1.75)
67.0(2.64)
87.2(3.43)
524.2(20.64)
Average precipitation days
13.25
13.63
12.50
11.00
10.88
5.00
3.63
2.13
2.75
8.00
10.25
14.75
107.8
Average snowy days
4.25
3.71
1.13
0.13
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.21
2.54
11.97
Mean monthly sunshine hours
93.0
101.7
136.4
171.0
223.2
276.0
294.5
279.0
234.0
161.2
105.0
52.7
2,127.7
Mean daily sunshine hours
3.0
3.6
4.4
5.7
7.2
9.2
9.5
9.0
7.8
5.2
3.5
1.7
5.8
Source: Turkish State Meteorological Service, Meteomanz(snow days 2000-2023)
Municipality
[edit]
See also: List of municipalities in Balıkesir Province
In the Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey, under law 6360, published on 6 December 2012, Balıkesir Municipality qualified as a"Metropolitan".
International relations
[edit]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Turkey
Balıkesir is twinned with;
Makhachkala, Russia
Shymkent, Kazakhstan (since 1995)
Kazan, Russia (since 1996)
Roxas City, Philippines (since 1997)
Prizren, Kosovo (since 1997)
Štip, North Macedonia (since 1999)
Lefkada, Greece (since 2000)
Schwäbisch Hall, Germany (since 2006)
Siirt, Turkey (since 2007)
Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea (since 2010)
Notable natives
[edit]
Ahmet Nuri Öztekin, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
Barış Falay, Actor
Bekir Sami Günsav, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
Caner Erkin, Football player
Cengiz Ünder, Football player
Cihat Arslan, Football player, coach
Çetin Zeybek, Football player
Egemen Korkmaz, Football player, coach
Erdal Tosun, Actor
Fikret Hakan, Actor
Hande Erçel, Actress and model
İlhan Eker, Football player
İlker Ayrık, Actor
Kazım Özalp, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
Kurtdereli Mehmet Pehlivan, World-famous oil wrestler
Mehmet Çoban, Olympian Greco-Roman wrestler
Nazmi Solok, Military officer in the Ottoman and Turkish armies
Necdet Tosun, Actor
Nedim Günar, Football player, coach
Oğuz Savaş, Basketball player
Olcan Adın, Football player
Ömer Seyfettin, Writer
Seyit Onbaşı, Ottoman army gunner
Şafak Edge, Basketball player
Şevket Altuğ, Actor
Tamer Yiğit, Actor
Tuğçe Kazaz, Actress and model
Tülin Altıntaş, Volleyball player
Vasıf Çınar, Politician and diplomat
Vedat İnceefe, Football player, coach
Zağanos Pasha, Ottoman military commander
Zerrin Tekindor, Actress and artist
