Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum, established in the village of Beşpınar in Bayburt, became a finalist in the “European Museum of the Year Awards” competition held annually by the European Museum Form, which determines the most prestigious museums in the world.
The European Museum Form / European Museum of the Year Awards, which was established in 1977 to develop museology under the auspices of the Council of Europe, to contribute to, promote and encourage institutional and professional structures, and to make original museums visible, is the Kenan Yavuz Ethnography Museum, which brings a new approach to ethnography museums. determined among the finalist museums.

Businessperson Kenan Yavuz established a culture house in the village of Beşpınar, where he was born and raised, on a total of 15 thousand square meters, of which 4 thousand 500 square meters of indoor and 10 thousand 500 square meters of open space.

Serving as a cultural house for about 6 years, the venue has completed its development to a great extent and gained the status of “Official Private Museum” in 2019. Despite the new type of coronavirus epidemic, the museum was visited by 12 thousand people during the summer period.

“OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE A TRANSFORMATION IN MUSEUM”

Kenan Yavuz, the founder of the museum, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he is excited that the museum is a “European Museum of the Year Awards” finalist.

Stating that international acceptance is also an encouraging development, Yavuz said, “The international acceptance of the museum, which we established in my village where I was born and grew up in ancient Bayburt, with the aim of carrying the forgotten beauties of Anatolia to the present and the future, makes us proud and encouraging. there was an improvement. ” said.

Yavuz, underlining that the museum is a place that revives the lost values ​​by bringing them to life, transferring them to the future and bringing them together with historical heritage, “We are proud that our claim to be an original museum in the world in the relationship of time and space has been accepted in such a process.” he spoke.

Emphasizing that their aim is to realize a transformation in museums and bring together socio-cultural life with a structure that will be touched by the visitors within the museum, Yavuz stated that they have organized many events so far.

Yavuz stated that they are planning to open the boutique hotel “Loru Han”, which they have built integrated with the museum, in June 2021, and that they will have the opportunity to host travelers coming from distant places and introduce the Bayburt culture with the accommodation facility where the culture and historical texture of the region will be lived.

Explaining that they will bring together the visitors with the museum and accommodation facility systematically with events, Yavuz said, “We aim to be at the service of our cultural world in a creative and continuous improvement process by absorbing the understanding of cultural tourism based on experience that gained importance after the pandemic. We adopt an understanding of museology that puts people at the center, touches and makes them feel, swallowed by modern life and concretion. ” used the expression.

Pointing out that ethnography museums generally serve in modern structures, Yavuz said that they also ethnographically built the spaces that make up the museum.

Stating that they built 26 spaces in the museum using 3,000 tons of stone and wood materials collected from their ruined houses in the villages, Yavuz emphasized that they also stand against bad construction with the architectural structure that reflects the identity of the region.

Noting that every corner of Anatolia is a different beauty, Yavuz said:

“What we want to express with the motto that comes to us, lives us, is to offer our visitors a place where they can experience the folkloric values, literature, poetry, taste of food, mountains and plains of our region. “Whoever comes to us lives us” is to collect rosehips in the mountains, to beat them in a blend, to sing songs at the tandoor. Listening to my grandfather Korkut tales, to meeting with Poet Zihni, Aşık Hicrani and Ağlar Baba. Drinking water from cold springs is to have the pleasure of chatting in the village room under the light of the gas lamp. It is to live and keep alive the taste and texture of our culture with our guests by making everything valuable.

Expressing that it is necessary to bring the cultural world together with the future by moving from tradition, otherwise it will not be possible to reach the deserved place as a nation, Yavuz said, “We should not let our beauties that should not change disappear among the ruthless gears of modernity. The more important it is to be open to what needs to change, the more important it should be to protect our beauty that should not change. ” said.