Today in History – 9 June

The result of the Anıtkabir Competition is announced

The committee assigned with the task of selecting the location of Atatürk’s mausoleum Anıtkabir held an international competition on March 1, 1941. 47 projects from Turkey, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Czechoslovakia participated in the competition. Selected for its successful approach to the national theme and its compatibility with the terrain, the design of Prof. Dr. Emin Onat and Assoc. Prof. Orhan Arda was announced as the winner on June 9, 1942.

The overall architecture of Anıtkabir reflects the characteristics of the period known as “Second National Architecture Movement of 1940-1950” in Turkish architecture. This period is characterized mostly by monumental, symmetrical, cut-stone clad buildings. Complying with these characteristics, the initial project of Anıtkabir contained a double-storey mausoleum, the second floor of which was eventually not executed due to financial reasons. Following a nine year-long construction period, Atatürk’s body was taken from the Museum of Ethnography and interred at his eternal resting place on November 10, 1953.