A paper mill turned laboratory
Around 210 hands-on experiments inside a hall of the historic SEKA mill, Turkey's first paper factory.
Ucandairebaskani — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ucandairebaskani — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cobija — CC BY-SA 4.0
In a hall of the factory that made Turkey's first paper, the SEKA mill whose foundations were laid in 1934, some 210 experiment stations now wait for children to get their hands on them. The SEKA paper mill in İzmit shut in 2005 after roughly seventy years of production, and Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, working with the national research council TÜBİTAK, turned one of its vast sheds into a science centre that opened in 2015 across roughly 8,500 square metres. The detail that matters to a family counting costs: entry is completely free, and so are the workshops. The floor is split into four interactive galleries: 'Perception and Reality' for optical and sound illusions, 'Dynamic World' for earth science, life science and astronomy, a water area where small sleeves get wet steering channels and racing pumps (it closes for the winter months), and 'Sultans of Science', a hall devoted to the scientists of the Islamic golden age from al-Jazari to Ibn al-Haytham and Ulugh Beg. Everything is meant to be pushed, cranked and tried, which is why two hours pass without anyone asking for a phone. Panel text is mostly Turkish, but the experiments explain themselves, and English-reading children will not miss much. There is a science stage with short demonstration shows and a library; do not count on food, though, as the official site says only vending machines are available, so bring your own snacks. Getting here from Sapanca is straightforward: by car it is about 40 km on the motorway to İzmit, roughly 40 minutes, with parking at Seka Park. Without a car, take the Ada Express regional train from Sapanca station to İzmit (about half an hour), then the Akçaray tram from the town centre to the Sekapark stop, which is practically at the door. The factory hall is largely on one level and pushchair-friendly, and it opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:30, closed Mondays. Is it worth a day of your Sapanca holiday? With children aged four to thirteen, and especially on a rainy day or in the grey of winter when the lake loses its charm, yes without hesitation, though the water area will be shut then. Without children, no: this is built for the young first. And do not leave Seka Park without the SEKA Paper Museum next door, then a walk along the İzmit Bay waterfront where museum ships are moored.
Around 210 hands-on experiments inside a hall of the historic SEKA mill, Turkey's first paper factory.
The two halls children love most: one gets hands wet with pumps and channels (closed in winter), the other fools the eye.
The Paper Museum next door and the museum ships on the waterfront round out the trip.
Kozluk Mah., Mehmet Ali Kağıtçı Sok. No. 77, Seka Park, İzmit
SEKA Paper MuseumThe first sheet of paper ever made in Turkey came off a machine in this building2 min walk
Kocaeli Archaeology MuseumSeventeen centuries ago İzmit was Nicomedia, Diocletian's capital of the Roman E8 min walk
TCG Gayret Museum ShipThis destroyer slid into the water in Seattle in January 1946 as USS Eversole, e9 min walk
İzmit Clock TowerOn the morning of 17 August 1999 thousands of buildings in İzmit came down in un12 min walk
Kasr-ı Hümayun Palace MuseumThe museum bills this as the one small imperial palace the late Ottomans built o13 min walkHonestly, no. The centre is built for children and teenagers, and adults without kids will be bored within half an hour. Go if you have a family in tow, or if Sapanca is rained out and you want a free indoor option nearby.
No. The exhibition galleries are walk-in, no ticket and no booking. Advance registration is only for the workshops, which are aimed at local children (registration requires a Turkish ID number) and are announced on Tuesdays at 11:00, so do not plan your trip around them.
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