I have always been fascinated by the Black Sea. Despite its relatively humble size, Pontic coasts provide a good amount of interesting tales to those that venture over there. This is certainly helped by the fact that many polities and peoples call the region their home, but the varying natural landscapes (and what these lands contain beneath them) also pave the path for different intriguing histories to develop all around the Black Sea. Today we will take a look at Zonguldak, a Turkish city by the Black Sea that rose to prominence after high quality coal was discovered in its hinterland. Join me, to see what a medium sized town based on coal mining looks like in Turkey.
It is often said that Zonguldak is a city of labour, or a city of labourers. It is a well-deserved saying given how crucial the city has been to Ottoman and later Turkish coal mining industry. In fact, its hardworking population laboured even before coal was discovered in the region, working in the forests of Zonguldak, providing decent wood for the Ottoman and some foreign navies. Given the lack of proper irrigable land, and somewhat being separated from the interior up until 19th century due to its mountainous geography, it is no wonder that the impoverished population of what used to be a tiny fishing village could only really make ends meet by labouring in mines or forests of Zonguldak, which is hardly an easy way living.
No matter where you look at Zonguldak, you will find signs of this coal mining industry, both old and new. Its hills are full of apartments and dormitories that were built for miners and their families, whose daily commutes certainly do not evoke any envy. Below some streets of the city you can come across certain tunnels like this, which were once used to deliver the recently mined goods to the port efficiently. As mines closer to the port dried up and work moved to the interior, some such infrastructure projects were often left to their own devices. Thankfully, recently most of these sites became part of a touristic “Zonguldak Geopark” project, which aims to preserve the industrial heritage of the area and promote tourism for the city whilst doing so. More and more of these structures are being restored today, and you can find out a lot about them by reading the multilingual posts nearby which explain when and why such stuff were built, and why did they matter.
Of course, mining work continues at full speed today just beyond the first range of mountains from the Pontic coast. As you walk merely a few kilometres south from the city center, you will start to come across massive buildings like these. These are used to process the raw coal that are mined in nearby mines, which are then eventually transported further inland for use in Turkish heavy industry, or are exported as is through the port.
Zonguldak as a city is extremely new for Anatolian standards, hence why I referred to it as a boomtown. It kind of came out of nowhere by the end of 19th century with more and more investments being done to the region after the discovery of coal. This means that neither the architecture you will find here, nor the ancient ruins you may chance upon are anything to write home about. However, what it lacks in history should not be interpreted as a lack of culture. Without Zonguldak coal basin, the fledgling Turkish Republic would have an exceptionally hard time starting any of its industries when it was founded in 1923. Investments in the region, plans regarding it, dreams that depended on it all made Zonguldak one of the prime examples of early Republican Turkish cities. A new city, for a new country and a new industry, supported by a new people.
Perhaps one of the most interesting places to visit in this whole city is, unsurprisingly, none other than its Mining Museum. Other than seeing how mining was developed in the region, you also get to see an actual mine, one of the first of its kind in the region, as part of this exhibition. Besides this museum, however, at least on the surface, Zonguldak does not seem to offer all that much to its visitors. However, I would argue that its lack of more traditional stuff that you would find in pretty much any other Anatolian city is what makes Zonguldak worth a visit. It has industrial heritage that is unmatched in the country, and a few other titbits that may be of some interest to those who are not necessarily excited by seeing some derelict factories of closed off mines.
If mines are not for you, know that this geologically active part of Turkey is also home to some of the country’s best caves. Gökgöl Cave is one of the better examples. It is barely a few kilometres outside the city center. I could walk there in an extremely sunny day so transportation should not be an issue for most. Gökgök cave is relatively wide and certainly long, but most importantly, since it is not very famous even on a national level, it seems to be quite deserted for the most part. I got to enjoy the kilometre long walkway it offers to its visitors all alone, and I would not exchange that feeling of solitude in such a unique environment with anything else.
Other than some industrial heritage and pretty caves, a visit to Zonguldak in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey will put you in a much closer touch with Turkish cuisine and culture like you cannot in bigger and more touristic cities. Even simpler dishes, like the Ezogelin soup in this photo just tastes better and more authentic in a smaller town like Zonguldak. Service is friendlier, prices are cheaper, and food tastes more natural due to an ease of access to higher quality ingredients that are readily available in more rural areas, such as the herbs, tomato paste, and spices that are used in most Turkish cooking.
Even extremely simple dishes, like this bulgur pilaf, which is essentially just some cracked wheat with a simple tomato paste based sauce tastes divine in this part of the country. Of course, you cannot leave the city without trying some yoghurt as well, which is almost always made in house in any establishment you will visit in the center, well any that takes its job seriously that is. Bizim Çorbacı is one such establishment.
Since Zonguldak is a coastal town, fish and seafood is readily available as well. It is not only cheap and fresh, but also surprisingly tasty. The anchovies I had here easily rivalled the seafood I enjoyed in Batumi, and in fact, it may be better than the latter. I just love being able to eat a fish without worrying about its bones, and that is exactly what you can do with the anchovies photographed here. Due to their size and how well they are fried, you can simply eat them whole and do not worry about any bones posing any threat to you anytime soon. This huge plate of fried anchovies somehow going for less than 7 USD certainly makes it more enjoyable as well.
However, other than its surprisingly low price, and overall quality, it really is this excellent salad that you can order separately that really sets the seafood here at Kadir’in Yeri apart. They make the most flavourful salad by mixing your usual bunch of greens with some pickled vegetables and just the right amount of vinegar. The result is a mix that is so divine it could be a dish of its own if you are not feeling particularly hungry. Once again, the ability to reach local natural ingredients with ease helps the owners with this fantastic creation immensely.
No matter whether it is the rich mining history that caught your attention, or its spelunking potential, or perhaps the all-natural food that it offers, you should be able to find something you can truly enjoy in Zonguldak. Frankly, due to its extremely hilly and disorganized cityscape it is not one of the easiest destinations to explore out there, but if you are patient with it, you will come out of your trip pretty satisfied to say the least. Moreover, if Zonguldak itself seems does not seem enough to plan a trip to this part of Turkey for you, join me again in the next two weeks, as I will be covering two interesting daytrips that I made while I was based here, all offering something very different to their visitors than Zonguldak does.