Kütahya: Tile Art, History and City Views

Kütahya brings together tile art, archaeological collections and distinctive historic buildings. Families visiting the city can explore a range of interests, from the chronologically arranged Çini Museum to evidence from different eras, as well as viewpoints and old mansions. When choosing a holiday rental, it is also worth considering whether you plan to spend most of your time in the city centre or focus on the higher-lying sites.

Tiles, History and Collections

The Çini Museum in Kütahya is considered Turkey’s first and only tile museum. Its exhibition presents architectural tile elements, tile inscriptions, vases, plates, panels and household objects in chronological order. The pieces from Kütahya and İznik date from the 14th century to the present day. During a single museum visit, you can therefore view different forms and objects of tile art rather than focusing on just one type of work.

The Archaeological Museum is in the city centre, next to the Ulu Camii, in a building known as the Umur-bin-Savcı Madrasa. Its finds range from the late Miocene through the Palaeolithic and Chalcolithic periods to the Early Bronze Age. There are also objects from the Hittite, Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The Amazon sarcophagus housed there adds a specific exhibit to this long historical span.

The Kossuth Museum also brings together a historic location and personal and ethnographic exhibits. It is housed in an 18th-century Turkish house on Macar Sokak in the city centre and displays personal belongings of Lajos Kossuth as well as ethnographic cultural artefacts from a traditional Turkish home. The Kent Tarihi Museum, meanwhile, is located in the restored Şapçızade and Karaca mansions on Germiyan Sokak. On the ground floor, information, documents and photographs trace the city’s history from prehistoric times through the Hittite, Phrygian, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Germiyan and Ottoman periods to the Turkish Republic. The museum also presents the production stages of the city’s traditional crafts.

Buildings and Different City Views

Kütahya Castle stands on a steep, bluish-red rock on a hill and has a pentagonal shape. According to Evliya Çelebi, it has 72 bastions. The castle grounds contain two fountains, two mosques, a revolving restaurant and a country café. The Hıdırlık Mescid stands on the hill of the same name, south of the Ulu Camii; the whole of Kütahya can be seen from there. These higher-lying places offer a different view of the city from the museums and buildings in the centre.

The Ulu Camii, also known as the Yıldırım Beyazıt Mosque, is in the Börekçiler district in the city centre. Construction began between 1381 and 1384 and was completed in 1410. The Çinili Camii is in the Maltepe district; its exterior façade is decorated with specially made blue Kütahya tiles. The Mevlevihane–Dönenler Camii offers another historical perspective: it was built in the 14th century as a ceremonial hall for a Mevlevi lodge. The Hıdırlık Mescid was built in 1243–1244 by the Seljuk emir İmadüttin Hezar Dinari.

Visitors can see 150-year-old Turkish mansions on Germiyan Sokak. They are considered examples of Ottoman architecture and preserve historic traces in stone, wood and everyday life. The Sıtkı Olçar Tile Museum adds a personal touch, displaying tile works and personal belongings of the artist Sıtkı Olçar. The Geology Museum of Kütahya is housed in the restored Şengül Hamamı, a protected historic building dating from the 16th century. The Rüstem Paşa Handicrafts Complex is on Balıklı Caddesi, near the Karagözpaşa Mosque. Its entrance and surviving sections have been restored true to the original, although its original form is not fully known.

Choosing a Convenient Base

Kütahya railway station is in the city centre and can be reached by city buses and dolmuş minibuses. If museums, mosques and houses along the central streets are the main focus of your trip, you can look for a holiday rental with a location in the centre that suits your plans. If you are mainly interested in the castle and hills, you can take those sites into account as a separate focus when choosing where to stay. The different collections and buildings offer families with varied interests several themes to choose from, without every stop having to share the same focus.

For further orientation, you can also find pages for Kayaköy/Kütahya, Alikahya Köyü, Altıntaş, Gediz, Tavşanlı, Çavdarhisar, Kızılcakaya and Simav.

For the broader travel overview: Kütahya.