Karabuk industrial heritage site and associated regeneration projects in Turkey

Several organizations have been formed to promote the industrial heritage debate as a reaction to the common undervaluing of our industrial past and its importance to world cultural heritage. Some of these organizations proposed 2015 to be the European year of technical and industrial heritage and aim to increase awareness of this subject. Turkey's industrial heritage sites reflect a nationwide struggle that paralleled the modernization of the Republic; however, recent regeneration projects threaten what remains of this cultural history. This paper questions the various projects and works undertaken at Karabuk industrial heritage site that have led to its gradual destruction and produced a code for gentrification. Karabuk serves as a case study and helps to provide a context for this city and elsewhere in Turkey.