City of contrasts, one date and the "father of all Turks"

Samsun with a thousand colors - the host of the match between Montenegro and Turkey was a large and unusual place by the Black Sea

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Monument to Ataturk in the center of Samsun, Photo: Kosta Bošković
Monument to Ataturk in the center of Samsun, Photo: Kosta Bošković
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

From the special reporter "Vijesti"

Samsun is happy with himself - he would sing Johnny Stulic if one day he found himself in the most important Turkish port city on the Black Sea, a place where 700 thousand inhabitants live.

Satisfied with all its contrasts - beautiful beaches, wide boulevards, modern buildings, but also with settlements like South American favelas, blocks that are "pushed" between each other on the nearby hills, with a history of which they are particularly proud here...

The wide Ataturk boulevard that you pass through on the way from the stadium "19. maj" towards the center is an ideal guide through all the diversity of Samsun, and the names of the main street in the city and the new building where the battle between the football players of Montenegro and Turkey took place last night are something that follows everyone at every step.

Samsun
Samsunphoto: Kosta Bošković

Everything is about the number 19 and Ataturk

The stadium where the "falcons" collided with the host was, of course, not accidentally named "19. May", since it is probably the most important date in Turkish history.

Mustafa Kemal, later called Ataturk (the father of all Turks) on May 19, 1919, launched the Turkish War of Independence, which will determine the fate of this nation, and thanks to the "father of the modern Republic of Turkey" the great country will soon turn to the west, women will get greater rights, religion was no longer the driver of everything...

And why exactly May 19 is special for Samsun is told by the Bandirma ship, whose replica still stands by the Black Sea coast today and is a tourist attraction of the city. On the mentioned date, Ataturk arrived in Samsun on an old steamship, and Bandirma went down in history, because that very moment is associated with the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence.

Due to its historical importance, the ship received the aforementioned replica in 2003, which was ceremonially opened by the then prime minister, and today's president of Turkey. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The ship contains wax figures of Ataturk and other military leaders of the time, as well as many exhibits from the ship.

Ataturk's image is practically at every step, so he is a hero for Turks, for some other nations not so much, in Samsun he got a large monument, a park, the Cultural Center is named after him, the aforementioned boulevard, and his image is still on many facades today reminds everyone who is the most important personality of Samsun.

The earthquake damaged the super arena

19. May Stadium is one of the super arenas in Turkey, a modern building that meets all UEFA and FIFA standards... It was opened in 2017, it can accommodate about 33.000 spectators and is suitable for many other sports.

Although Samsun is located in the north of the country, the devastating earthquake that hit southern Turkey and Syria last year caused minor damage to the new stadium as well as the field.

This season, every match of the local Samsunspor is always a special party, since the club that returned to the Super League in 2023 is currently second in the table.

Savićević, but not Dejan

As in the whole of Turkey, football is adored here, and despite the fact that the Istanbul clubs are giants for Samsunspor, it seems that the whole city only supports their "red and whites".

In a conversation with the people from the Samsunpsor fan shop, we realized that Savićević is also a football surname here, but not like in the whole world because Dejan, former ace of Buducnosti, Crvena zvezda and Milan, already by Vukan Savićević.

Samsunspor training center is located near the port
Samsunspor training center is located near the portphoto: Kosta Bošković

The former member of the Montenegrin national team now plays for Vojvodina, but besides the Black Sea, he is still remembered for playing for Samsunspor while that club was building its way back to the Super League.

Finally, two more points of interest for the residents of Samsun - in this big city, you will hardly find anyone who knows even a few words of English, while on the other hand, everyone is incredibly warm and hospitable to guests.

Bonus video: