ESKİŞEHİR
Having been the home to many civilizations throughout the history dating back to the Hittites and Phrygians, Eskişehir has come close to the level of developed European cities with its ever-developing city planning concept and practices as well as its two universities, cultural infrastructure and buildings of art, aviation center, planned industry, underground riches and options in social life.
Eskişehir is also a city of education and science. It is titled the only city in Asia Minor with two universities other than the metropolises; one being the Anadolu University with 12 faculties, 6 academies, 3 Vocational Academies, 1 state conservatory and 7 institutes; and the other being Osmangazi University with 9 faculties, 6 academies, 5 institutes and 1 state conservatory.
Being the junction, where railways are distributed to the regions in Turkey, Eskişehir has a large factory with the capacity to manufacture any rail transport vehicles, including manufacture of locomotives, a sugar factory, a factory manufacturing aircraft engines, and an aircraft and helicopter supporting industry factory with Skorsky as the shareholder. Over 200 factories, such as factories manufacturing machinery and factories of various sectors, e.g. textile, readymade clothing, food, electronics and ceramics are active at Eskişehir Organized Industrial Zone, which is planned reasonably and has a wider space as compared to the other organized industrial zones in Turkey.
Eskişehir Organized Industrial Zone generates its own energy and also operates Eskişehir Science Park jointly with universities.
In the Western countries, techno parks develop around a university and grow with the use of know-how, devices and labs and library facilities of the universities by entrepreneur firms, who are the lessees of the techno park.
Anatolian Technology Research Park has also been established for this purpose. The Scientific Research Center of Anadolu University is making researches on plants to produce raw material for pharmaceutical and cosmetic productions, on the other hand, it is a pioneer for the industry organizations with the production in the pilot institutions.
The Ceramics Research Center (SAM) established jointly with TUBITAK is, on the other hand, the sole enterprise in Turkey in its field producing its own high-tech and sharing it with the sector. The Ceramics Research Center is also a leading institution in “nano-tech”, where one millionth of a millimeter valued high-tech researches are made. In parallel to this, the Department of Ceramic Engineering of Anadolu University Faculty of Engineering changed to “Materials Science and Engineering” Department and expanded its field of occupation.
Anadolu University is professional and has been a pioneer in various fields of training, such as open education, civil aviation and disabled training. Nowadays, the development levels of countries are not measured only by economic development, also by development and expansion of services for disabled people in that country. In this context, Eskisehir has a leading position in many aspects, too; especially it has become the center of education for disabled people in Turkey.
Eskisehir has become the center of both military and civil aviation. These enterprises not only employ (hi-tech) leading-edge technology, but they also make it their duty to train manpower in every field of aviation sector.
Eskisehir’s traditional “labor intensive” earthenware-based industry was replaced by medium-sized and large enterprises with establishment and development of Organized Industrial Zone. Earth has not remained as a raw material for bricks and tiles only; it has also become a base industry material for sanitary wares, construction materials and various household goods. Within the context of Eskisehir, earth is also a main raw material for the art of ceramics.
Eskisehir is rich in resources, especially in terms of magnesite, borax, sepiolite mines and marble quarries. One of the most important wealth of Eskisehir is “boron” mineral. Used in many areas ranging from nuclear industry to space crafts, from fertilizer industry to pharmaceutical industry, from chemical industry to automobile industry, areas of application and use for boron extend day by day accompanied by the scientific and technological developments.
Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism in Eskişehir
