THE TRACE OF TURKISH-HUNGARIAN FRIENDSHIP: THE OPENING OF ‘MACAR KARDEŞLER CADDESI’

The inauguration of ‘Macar Kardeşler Caddesi (Hungarian Brothers Boulevard)’ in Fatih district, Istanbul, in 1917 was an important initiative for the improvement of the neighbourhoods that suffered from fires there and a symbol of Turkish-Hungarian friendship. In light of the fact that the Hungarians, an ally in World War I, had inaugurated an avenue in Budapest named for the Ottoman Sultan of that time, the Istanbul Municipality went into action and took the decision to bestow this name on an avenue stretching from Saraçhane Park to Millet Library. This area encompassed a small portion of the quarter of the city that was largely destroyed by the Çırçır Harik (Çırçır Fire) on 23 August 1908. Although the Istanbul Municipality announced the inauguration of Macar Kardeşler Caddesi with a decision dated 28 March 1916, construction of the avenue took time and finally became a reality thanks to the Ottoman State’s Consul General in Budapest, who continually kept the matter of the Municipality’s decision on the agenda. Macar Kardeşler Caddesi was opened in a ceremony attended by Turkish and Hungarian officials but the Istanbul public showed little interest in the ceremony. Even though the matter was somewhat important to the local public because of the expropriation actions taking place during the rehabilitation of the burned-out areas, people were living under extraordinary wartime conditions so the issues of city improvement and Turkish-Hungarian friendship were not considered particularly urgent.