Some time ago, with the idea of opening a museum in Istanbul, Orhan Pamuk bought a run-down building from 1897 in Istanbul’s Çukurcuma neighborhood of Beyoğlu district.
Due to the joint expansion and renovation with well-known architects, the museum slowly took shape and was precisely tailored to his ideas. In the meantime, Pamuk continued to write his novel and began collecting everyday objects for his characters.
In spring of 2012, the museum based on the book of the same name “Museum of Innocence” finally opened. On display are the objects that his novel character Kemal links to memories of his lover: photographs, old film posters and postcards, boxes full of buttons, clothes, make-up utensils, tickets, lottery tickets, glasses and much more. In order to be able to use all these collectibles in the book, the writer came up with situations that matched the moments, scenes and his characters exactly. It is a museum of great emotions, where each of the exhibits illustrates its own story.
The concept of the museum, which combines illusion and reality, is worldwide unique. The Museum of Innocence is not meant to be an illustration of the novel, and the novel was not written to capture the museum. As a visitor, you don’t necessarily need to have read the book.
The book was published in Turkey in 2008. The museum is a great address for Istanbul lovers and Orhan Pamuk fans. The museum allows free entry to those who bring their book.
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