Gallipoli Peace Park

  • Project Date: 1998
  • Location: Gallipoli/Canakkale
  • Client: Presidency of Republic of Turkey
  • Project Team: Sevinç Hadi, Tulin Hadi, Cem Ilhan, Murat Germen
  • Awards: Mention Prize

Epilogue 

Peace on Earth comes with peace with the self and, in turn, with the earth. People stripped off their ego, attain more possibility to establish a closer relationship with the nature. Gallipoli Peace Park has a unique character not only with its history but also with its ecosystems, flora and fauna. In the new proposal, Gallipoli National Park park becomes a microcosm. Contemporaneity, rationality and sensitivity melt into a unitary notion that is shared by all cultures in the Earth: Peace.

Today, the identity of the park is overshadowed by its history of wars. The remains of 1915 battles stand out as the main consideration that induces people to visit the park. Yet, the park has a unique character not only with its history but also with its ecosystems. Having this in mind, the new plan asserts to create an international meeting place through transformation of the abandoned character of the park.

This task can be achieved through collective awareness created by radical interventions that will bring people together for mutual interests; celebrating peace through art forms (music, poetry, sculpture, etc.); joining a conference, hiking or just for commemorating.

Gallipoli Peace Park is intended not just to encourage peace and good will between nations but also to underscore the international nature of wilderness and the cooperation required in its protection.

The peace park embraces three different stages of an exceptional experience that shapes the new identity of the park. The coherence of the intended identity is achieved through an end / means relationship:

    • The Main Gate – Prologue / Threshold
    • The Battlefields – Revelation / Contemplation
  • The Forum – Epilogue / Assemblage

 

The Park Identity

There is a conceptual consistency / continuity in the proposed approach and this coincides with the architectural language that is used in different focus area interventions.

The intention is to transform the park into a unique place that has a yearlong activity programme (see the calendar of events at the far bottom of the 1/25000 sheet). Peace, as mentioned in the statement sheets, is a collective notion. Activities bring people together for a collective purpose, and that is why a yearlong activity programme becomes the transcending identity of the park. On the other hand, a solely tourism-oriented development is money driven and, therefore, contradictory to community spirit by its nature. When the entertaining side of activities is brought forward, instead of the financial dimension, a more anonymous character springs out as compared to an individual one. It is almost needless to say that peace is much more compatible with anonymity than individuality.

 

Boundaries

The border of the park is to be demarcated by natural formations like row of trees along major axes (such as major traffic roads), streams, particular topographical situations. In places where there is no indicative reference, flagpoles will be installed in a repetitive pattern at loose intervals to create linear demarcations. Consequently, there will be no physical barriers.

 

Management

Running a national park of this size requires expertise and professional competence. Considering the inefficiency of the present municipal administrative framework, it is highly recommended to form a group of professionals and commission them to manage the park. This new organization should work in continuous coordination with the Ministry of Forestry.

Turning the park into an activity-based ‘meeting’ place is not an easy task. There is need for a state subsidized autonomous administration that will leave no gateway for any kind of speculation, especially land speculation. This administration needs to be strong enough to direct the locals’ clearand? maintaining this identity there is much less park administration/management ambiguity for land speculation. Speculation reaches its apex when there is preventing lack of authority. Another way of preventing land speculation is to commission joint administrative teams, so that long-term planning decisions can be implemented. One of the biggest enemies of land speculation is planning that brings long-term projections. The unity in the architectural language will establish visual order in the park, that will later be reinforced by long-term planning decisions. Support from the government and other national and international organizations is needed.

 

Activities

A final concern is that it is highly important to regenerate an aquatic life in the peninsula. Water is soothing, relaxing, pure and very entertaining as well. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to get closer to the water to benefit from what it can offer us. The aim is to exploit the physical entity of architecture as a bridge between the water and the land, just like a bridge in the real sense. In addition to architecture, an appropriate aquatic life will be sustained in the peninsula by water activities like sailing, fishing, windsurfing, small boat tours and small-scale waterfront projects to encourage people to get closer to the sea.

There will be a Greenpeace action point in the site. Greenpeace, regardless of its ideological background, is an organization that strives for peace and protection of natural resources all over the world. Gallipoli Peace Park can be used as the Aegean post of this international group where service provision, support and a public relations office can be found.

 

Air balloon trips over the Gallipoli Peninsula can be organized. An aerial view could give a better idea of the natural and historically significant character of the park.

 

Energy Issues

Considering the global need for energy due to new development and the strength of winds in the area, wind turbines will be used for energy generation. Turbines, placed close to each other like a forest, will yield a unique image of landscape form.

 

Preservation Of Natural Heritage

There is need to protect the natural resources and culture that make Gallipoli and environments unique. Since this is a national park frequented by many people, a certain tourism activity is unavoidable. This activity can be considered as responsible “ecotourism” that conserves natural environments and sustains the well-being of local people. Appreciation and preservation of a region’s flora, fauna, ecosystems and culture should remain as priorities. Tourism development usually lead to land speculation and a resulting decay of the environment. Accordingly, it is crucial to control all sorts of development increasing human contamination of the environment so that residents and tourists may enjoy the scenic beauty and tranquility.

 

Local Income Generation

Another dimension of this proposal is to create community-based projects that directly benefit local communities. The possibilities are as follows:

  • Encourage natives to grow vegetables in large fields and sell them locally.
  • There is need for small-scale enterprises that provide support for these activities, such as: bike repair stores, caravan offices, retail stores for locally made foodstuff (olive, olive oil, flowers, seeds, cheese, etc.).
  • In Çanakkale region, there is an already established tradition of high quality pottery manufacturing, in addition to hand-woven kilim and carpet production. These indigenous artisanal activities and alike must be encouraged and supported by retail stores throughout the settlements within the park.
  • Some of the vast available land can be valued as horse ranches at which horse riding is taught and accommodation is provided. This is another environmentally friendly source of income for the locals. These ranches will be supported by horse riding trails in the vicinity.
  • Raise the level of the residents’ awareness through education. Natives should be able to possess and claim the national park idea in general. One possibility is to commission the management of the park to local people and make it a matter of community pride. Locals can be employed as park rangers who will control illegal construction, preservation of the historical heritage, maintain security and help the tourist orientation in the park area. Residents can join the management board of the park, working with invited experts. Another possibility is to initiate a vocational/agricultural school that will teach all kinds of agriculture and local income generation. Seasonal workshops on agriculture can be organized to invite people from various local and remote areas.