Santralistanbul is the name of Istanbul’s new and impressive center for contemporary culture and arts, which opened in September 2007. Santralistanbul is located on the tip of Istanbul’s coastline known as the Golden Horn – the earliest industrial zone of Istanbul.

The center is founded by Istanbul Bilgi University and is the first of its kind in Istanbul. The ambitions are great as indicated by the name Santralistanbul. In Turkish “santral” means power plant and the vision is that Santralistanbul shall be “electrifying” and give Istanbul a more central role in the arts and culture networks worldwide. However, Bilgi University also expects Santralistanbul to stimulate urban regeneration in the traditional and religious neighborhood Eyüp. The reference to "power plant" not only relates to the ambitious visions but also to Santralistanbul's location in the former and now renovated Silahtaraga Power Plant that was established in 1911 as the first in Istanbul during the Ottoman period. 

The power plant is a colossal structure and covers a land of 118.000 sqm. Much of the campus is still under construction and in addition to the new Museum of Contemporary Art, Santralistanbul is also going to house university classrooms and departments; a Museum of Energy; a public library; a park; multiple cinemas; a dance hall; open air performance spaces; restaurants; a shopping street and artists’ residences. These are expected to give residency to 1.000 local and foreign architects, designers, thinkers, scientists and cultural professionals every year.

Santralistanbul, Eski Silahtaraga Elektrik Santrali
Kazim Karabekir Cad. No:1
www.santralistanbul.org 

Author David Rich Momondo