WHERE NATURE MEETS INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

The past and the accumulation of natural, cultural, social and historical elements that make up each city contribute to the formation of the spaces, social environment and urban identity of that city. Architectural structures are one of the biggest parameters that give the city an identity, keep it together with the past and contribute greatly to the preservation of urban memory. In this sense, industrial buildings constitute the most important building units other than residential areas.

Zonguldak is one of the leading cities of the Western Black Sea region, which has played an important role in the industrialization adventure of our country with its port and hard coal. In the past, Zonguldak, which has a more intense industrial identity than today, has many industrial, cultural and social facilities such as factories, lodgings, schools. Some of these structures were created by the private sector and some by the public sector. With the economic developments in recent years and the completion of the functions of some buildings, some of the production sites and factories were closed. These buildings are valuable elements of industrial heritage that reflect a period in which Turkey's industrialization steps were taken. Providing tourists with the opportunity to visit the mines, which are idle or used for different purposes, by making them suitable for tourists who want to have a mining experience, will offer a very important and unique tourism experience. In addition, different experiences can be offered with various activities in the mines to be opened for tourism.

In Zonguldak, the urban memory of coal, which is the reason for the existence of the city, and the industry that developed in connection with it are being lost day by day. Factories, mines and social facilities, which had a serious impact on the physical and sociological formation of the city, are abandoned because they have lost their functions. In recent years, important steps have been taken to strengthen urban memory, preserve the architectural culture of the city and bring industrial heritage to tourism. The values belonging to the industrial heritage are located in various regions of the province integrated with nature. It is important to read the relationship between the industrial heritage and the natural environment in which it is located in order to bring it into tourism.

Tourists in search of different types of tourism have the opportunity to experience these structures bearing the traces of the past while exploring nature. The sightseeing paths connected to the buildings also allow for the effective observation of the tree texture in the region and the landscape related to this texture.