Polonezköy

About Polonezköy

Polonezköy or Adampol is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beykoz, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 346 (2022). It is on the Asian side of Istanbul, about 30 km (19 mi) from the historic city centre. It was inspired and funded by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski and settled in 1842 by a small group of Polish emigrės, after the failed November Uprising. There is still a Polish community there with its own church and cemetery.

Polonezköy, the 'Polish village', is a small settlement set in woodland in the Beykoz district on Istanbul's Asian side, about 27 km from Taksim Square and 20 km from the Black Sea coast. It was founded in 1842 by Polish émigrés who had fled after the failed November Uprising against Russian rule, inspired and funded by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, which is why it is also called Adampol. The first dozen settlers farmed and worked the forests; later waves of refugees joined them until Poland regained independence in 1918, when most returned home. A few families stayed, took Turkish citizenship and kept their language and customs. The village still has timber houses in traditional Polish style, a small 1914 chapel and the Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa, a cemetery of the community and around 350 residents, some of them Polish-speaking. In 1994 the surrounding forest was declared a nature park, and Polonezköy became one of Istanbul's favourite weekend escapes, with woodland walks, horse riding and cycling, country breakfast gardens, restaurants and a handful of small hotels. It suits travellers who want a quiet day out of the city, especially in spring and autumn when the forest changes colour.

Where:

Istanbul, Türkiye