Named after the river of the same name (“small water palace”), the two-storey Küçüksu Palace is picturesquely situated on the Bosphorus shore with a facade of white marble reliefs in both, Baroque and Rococo styles.
The palace was built in 1856 and 1857 on behalf of Sultan Abdülmecid I (1823-1861), who made it his hunting lodge. The opulent ornaments on the facades were later added by his brother, Sultan Abdülaziz (1830-1876), who thought the building was too plain. Küçüksu Palace was a popular destination. There was not a single bed in it. People traveled there in the morning and left in the evening. For decades the place on the banks of the small river has been a popular destination for walks and picnics. People liked coming here with the so-called “Kayık” rowboats. Even the state founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk found peace in this place and worked from time to time in the small palace on the Bosphorus shore.
In the years 1980 to 1983, the building was extensively restored and converted into a museum in 1996.