Polonezkoy: Green and Polish

Polonezkoy, formerly Adampol, is a Polack village at Beykoz. It has lots of green and peace, so it is ideal for an escape from the city. It is 20 km away from Black Sea coast and 15 km away from the Bosphorus coast.

Polonezkoy was founded by Adam Czartoryski, who was the mayor during The November Uprising (1830 Polish Revolution) and the political leader of Polish exiles, in 1842. The village was named Adampol, the village of Adam (Adamköy, "köy" is village in Turkish). The land they settled was originally organized as a farm by the Lazarist fathers of Saint Benoit French High School (still in operation at Karakoy). Adam negotiated with Ottoman government, made deals and bought some land. The village began with 12 habitants and grew dramatically.

Even before the World War II, people started to come here with touristic purposes. Among the famous names who have visited Polonezkoy are Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt (1847), French writer Gustave Flaubert and Czech writer Karel Droz (1904).

Sights at Polonezkoy

Zofia Rizi Memory House: This house is one of the oldest houses of Polonezkoy. It was built between the years 1881-1883. It is a traditional Polish house and still original. It is almost hidden in the middle of its green garden. Inside, there are photos and belongings of Ryzy family.

Czestochowa's Church (Temple of Holy Anna): This is a historical church at Polonezkoy. The first religious building at Polonezkoy is Holy Anna Church, built in 1842. Unfortunately the original church was ruined severely at the big eartquake that hit Istanbul in 1894. In 1914, Czestochowa Chapel was built.

Polonezkoy Catolic Cemetary: The first residents of Adampol sleep their forever sleeps, here in the Polonezkoy Cemetary. There are also graves of important Polish people. The grave stones are mostly in Polish. An interesting grave that belongs to a Polish officer has reached today as a mausoleum.

And of course, you can always visit green planes, and walk or sit on them.

How to get to Polonezkoy

It is both hard and easy to get to Polonezkoy. There is no public transportation. You can go to a nearbyplace like Ucpinarlar, then take a taxi which may be expensive. In my opinion, the best way is to rent a car and go there free from any worries.

Polonezkoy hotels

There are no big and five star hotels at Polonezkoy, which is actually good. You can feel the nature at pansions and renovated traditional houses. However, if you go out in the morning, you won't even need to stay overnight and you can choose a hotel at the Istanbul city center.

What to eat at Polonezkoy

There are many choices of restaurants at Polonezkoy. My favourites are the ones with the village style. There is nothing more delicious at Polonezkoy than the economic combination of ayran (yoghurt drink) and gozleme (Stuff like cheese, potato or spinach between phyllo).

Every June, the village hosts the Polonezkoy Cherry Festival. It is very close, so don't miss it.