International Symposium: One Hundred Years of the National Palaces
The Directorate of National Palaces will organize an international symposium entitled “One Hundred Years of the National Palaces” between November 24–26, 2025, at the Dolmabahçe, Topkapı, and Yıldız Palaces. The event will bring together 109 high-ranking representatives from 27 countries in Istanbul. Among the invited speakers will be Jacek Kuśmierski, Vice Chair of the Eduard Petzold Foundation. The symposium will be the largest international gathering in the history of Turkish palace museology.
In 2025, the Directorate of National Palaces will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding and will present to the world a century of experience in managing historical and cultural heritage through this symposium. The program, featuring 109 leading experts from 27 countries, will include 95 presentations. Since 2018, when the institution was placed directly under the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, many historical buildings — such as the Topkapı Palace, Yıldız Palace, Edirne Palace, and Ankara Palas — have been brought together under a single administration. This has enabled, for the first time in the history of the Republic, a holistic approach to the Ottoman palace heritage.
The Darphane-i Âmire Complex Opens to the Public for the First Time
The symposium will serve as a significant platform showcasing the achievements and potential of the National Palaces to the global museum community. Sessions held at the Topkapı Palace will take place in the Darphane-i Âmire complex, which will be opened to the public for the first time in its history. Dr. Yasin Yıldız, President of the National Palaces, announced that four new world-class museums will open within the complex in the coming months. He emphasized that the symposium will provide an important opportunity to present internationally the level achieved by the National Palaces. He also added that visitors will be able to see over ten thousand valuable objects in the unique collections of porcelain, weapons, calligraphy, and decorative arts at the Topkapı Palace.
From Versailles to Beijing, from the Uffizi to Topkapı
The “Century of the National Palaces” symposium will gather representatives of palace museums, national heritage institutions, and leading museum organizations from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas in Istanbul. Among the participants will be the directors of the Palace of Versailles, Palace of Fontainebleau, Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, Royal Collection Trust, Swedish Royal Palaces, Uffizi Galleries, Association of European Royal Residences, Spanish National Heritage Agency, National Palace Museum of Korea, Tokyo National Museum, Palace Museum in Beijing, and National Museum of Brazil. The participation of representatives from organizations such as ICOM (International Council of Museums), ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) will make the event an important international forum for discussion and exchange of experience.
Three Days, Three Palaces, a Multidimensional Program
The symposium will include sessions held in three palaces—Dolmabahçe, Topkapı, and Yıldız—showcasing palace heritage from various scholarly perspectives.
November 24, 2025 – Dolmabahçe Palace
The first day, beginning with protocol speeches and the opening session, will be devoted to the 100-year history of the National Palaces and their recent institutional transformation. Discussions will address the processes of transforming dynastic residences into museums in different countries, as well as topics such as post-earthquake structural strengthening, restoration projects, and the impact of the climate crisis on cultural heritage.
November 25, 2025 – Topkapı Palace
Sessions held in the Darphane complex will focus on preservation, exhibition, and accessibility policies in palace museums around the world. The continuing influence of Ottoman heritage on the present day will be analyzed based on archival documents, and new museum projects—such as the National Palaces Porcelain Museum—and examples of contemporary museum design will be presented. The day will conclude with presentations combining scientific analysis, conservation techniques, and art-historical perspectives.
November 26, 2025 – Yıldız Palace
The final day will be dedicated to comparative analyses of palace management models, institutional structures, and visitor policies in different countries. The transformation of historical centers into museums, educational programs, and forms of representation will be discussed. Using examples ranging from Ottoman palace gardens to European royal parks, the sessions will explore landscape, plant composition, diplomacy, and cultural exchange, both historically and in modern contexts. During this day, Jacek Kuśmierski, Vice Chair of the Eduard Petzold Foundation, will deliver a lecture entitled “Green Soft Power: Historic Palace Gardens as Instruments of Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange”. The symposium will conclude with a closing session attended by members of the Scientific and Evaluation Board of the National Palaces and representatives of international institutions.
Preserving Heritage, Sharing Knowledge, Strengthening Cooperation
The “Century of the National Palaces” symposium will go beyond a traditional discussion on historical and architectural heritage. It will focus on the role of palace museums within contemporary museological practice, the future of collection, archive, library, and garden management, as well as the effects of sustainability, risk management, and the climate crisis on palace heritage. The goal of the Directorate of National Palaces is to emphasize that Türkiye is not only the guardian of its palace heritage but also an active participant in its scientific, cultural, and international development and dissemination.