Karaağaç(Elm) Railway Station

The first places that come to mind when the historical sites of Edirne is called is Karaağaç Railway Station, as its name suggests, it is located in the district of Karaağaç Station. It was built during the reign of II.Abdulhamid. Although it was thought of as Edirne Railway Station at the time, today it is used by Trakya University. The Faculty of Fine Arts uses this historic site for educational purposes. The station is inspired mainly by Sirkeci Station, which is located in the city of Istanbul. Therefore, both structures are very similar to each other. A neoclassical style has been adopted in the historical structure, the signature of a company called Orient Railways can be found. Karaağaç Railway Station is uncovered by architect Kemalettin Bey. He also has an important role in many artefacts in Edirne. The station, which has three storeys in total, has a rectangular-shaped plan. In those years, a great importance was attributed to this place in terms of establishing a connection point between Istanbul and Europe. The railhead building was built during the period when the railway first came to the city. Even in the oldest postcards in Edirne, this special place is generally preferred. The railhead building was dedicated to the people of Edirne in 1872. There was a different station building in the area where Edirne station is located today. In fact, this place is used as a social facility by the University of Edirne(Thrace) for a certain period. It cannot serve for a while due to the effects of known developments in the first World War and its aftermath. In 1930, the station began to become active again. Its first major repair takes place in 1959. During this repair, especially some internal arrangements take place. Due to the change of the line between Edirne and Istanbul, it is moved to the new station building. For this reason, the historical railhead located in Karaağaç, 1971, was abandoned because of mandatory year. At that time, during the Cyprus Operation, it began to function as a high-level outpost. In 1977, the building was purchased by the Ministry of Finance.