- Gerede
Gerede is a town and a district of
Bolu Province in the Black Sea region ofTurkey . It is located on the highway fromIstanbul toAnkara (approximately 150 km from Ankara, where the road to theBlack Sea coast brances off). It covers an area of 1,255 km², and the population (2000) is 41,391 of which 25,200 live in the town of Gerede. Elevation is about 1,300 m.Gerede is a large area of hill country surrounded by pine-covered mountains, on a passage from central
Anatolia to the Black Sea coast. The climate is notoriously cold and wet, enough to make it a centre for cross-country skiing, and traffic on the highway often has to negotiate fog, rain and ice around Gerede.History
Gerede was an established town in the
Ottoman Empire period and was visited by the 16th century travellerEvliya Çelebi , who described a town of 1,000 homes and 10 mosques, with a military base.For many the name "Gerede" evokes
Hüsrev Gerede , a key companion ofAtatürk in theTurkish War of Independence (of 1919-1922). He was later given the surname "Gerede" for his success in leading the town's rebellion against the occupying forces during that conflict.Gerede today
Gerede today is a small town with a number of tanneries and leather workshops, but even though the highway is so close the town is growing slowly, perhaps because of the forbidding climate. The people of this rural area are typically conservative in politics and religion.
Gerede has many high meadows ("yayla") and places in the forest for walking and picnics, particularly near the wood of "Esentepe". A number of Turkish football teams have their summer training camps here, attracted by the fresh mountain air. Esentepe also has ski slopes and cross-country skiing in winter.
Places of interest
* The ruins of the Byzantine castle, "Keçi Kalesi".
* There are also a number of mosques and caravanserai from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods.
* There is an oil-wrestling contest in the wood of "Esentepe" every July and a country fair ("panayır") in October.ee also
[http://www.gerede.net/ Local information website]
municipality
(http://www.gerede-bld.gov.tr/)
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