The Fieldwork-Understanding the Industrial History of Zonguldak: past, present, future

Industrial Development in Zonguldak: from industrialisation to de-industrialisation and attepmts for re-industrialisation

The second day of the fieldwork aimed to develop an understanding of the industrial history of Zonguldak. Our first visit was to Zonguldak Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Metin Demir-a member of the board of directors of the Chamber- and Zekai Aktan-the advisor to the president of the Chamber- made an impressive presentation of how the city of Zonguldak was born from nothing as the result of the development of the coal mining industry in the late 1800s, lived its had-days in the 1950s,60s and 70s thanks to the development of the state-owned coal mining enterprise of TTK, started to de-industrialise after the 1980s, and of the attempts of the Chamber of Industry for the re-industrialisation of the city.

Our team in Zonguldak Chamber of Industry and Commerce

Where the Chamber was located had a great view of the port of the TTK. Observing the traffic in the port, we talked about the role of the port for the mining industry, its importance for the city of Zonguldak and possible trends for the future.

The Zonguldak port

Coal mining in the city

After this general presentation, we were hosted by the TTK (the state owned mining enterprise in Zonguldak) in one of its coal mines which was  located in the city of Zonguldak. After an overview of the history of TTK and its contribution to the development of the city of Zonguldak in economic, social and cultural dimensions, we were taken to a tour of the mine.

The underground city
One of the first exciting observations from this excursion was the 'gallery' development and transportation infrastructure plans of the mines. It was fascinating to see that there was a working city 200-600 meters under the ground.

   The underground city-the plan of transportation infrastructure under the ground in layers

The undergroung city-the plan of the mining galleries under the ground in layers

Mining in the Kozlu mines of TTK

We also had the chance to observe how mines work and had some idea of the working conditions in the mines.

 The elevator which carries the minders underground

The iron tunnel inside which the miners work

Unauthorised housing development in the city of Zonguldak

The Filyos Valley: where the future of Zonguldak lies?

The ancient Filyos
After this fascinating excursion, we were on our way to Filyos to discover the possible future of Zonguldak. After a delicious late lunch by the sea at Filyos, we discovered the ancient Filyos. We visited the recently found port, amphi-theatre and the castle constructed 2500 years ago.

The recently found antique amphi-theatre in Filyos

Filyos today
We observed that the city of Filyos itself has had its own problems-one of the major being the brick factory constructed in the 1950s by the sea. Once employing 1500 workers and being the major source of employment in the city of Zonguldak, the factory has undergone a process of downsizing.The factory employs only 40 workers today and remains as a major source of pollution in the city.

The brick factory by the sea

As with other cities and villages in Turkey, the city of Filyos has also been a scene to massive housing developments.

The future of Filyos?
The Filyos Valley is the most productive agricultural area of the West Blacksea Region and is surrounded by forests on its mountains. Unfortunately, the Valley is the hotspot for the future development of the Region. In fact the so-called Filyos Valley project-a mega project of the central government for energy, industry and logistics development in the Region to serve the nation-seems to be most significant forthcomimg problem to the area.

The Filyos Valley-the planned port area

The Filyos Valley-the planned industry, energy and free zone development area (1000 ha land between the two villages are already expropriated)