Developing with industrialization and tourism, "Karabük"

It has been 28 years since Karabük became a province after the establishment of the Karabük Iron and Steel Factories (KARDEMİR) in 1937, in the village of Güzelbeli, of Safranbolu, within the scope of the national industrialization movement initiated by the instruction of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Karabük, the 78th province of Turkey, with a population of approximately 250 thousand, celebrates the anniversary of its formation on the 6th of June with the slogan "City of the Republic".

Karabük is among the provinces that contribute to the country's economy with its tourism potential, with its machinery and accessories, especially steel, furniture, paper and forest products, ready-made clothing and apparel, electrical and electronic products sectors.

Saffron fields are a new tourism destination

KARDEMİR, which has an important role in making Turkey the 7th largest steel producer in the world, achieved a net profit of more than 2 billion liras by producing approximately 3 million tons last year with approximately 5 thousand employees.

KARDEMİR, which has started to support the defense industry and automotive fields with its investments in recent years, is the biggest and the only rail and train wheel manufacturer in the country.

The factory, which is the only national brand of the country in the production of heavy sections and thick coils, continues to work in line with its annual production capacity target of 3.5 million tons.

Last year, around 30 kilograms of saffron was harvested from saffron, which was produced on an area of 79 decares by farmers and institutions, which is called the "miracle plant" because it is used in many fields such as paint, food, cosmetics, medicine and food industry, which adds economic value to the city.

The production areas of saffron, which can dye a liquid up to 100 thousand times its weight yellow and make a name for itself as "the most expensive plant in the world" because it finds buyers for 125 thousand liras per kilogram, have been increased by 20 decares with the support provided.

It is expected that 40 kilograms of product will be obtained from the plant, which started to be planted in August, by increasing the production areas this year.

In addition, the saffron fields in the district, which has become the new destination of Safranbolu tourism, have been among the frequent destinations of domestic and foreign tourists in recent years.

The goal of 1.5 million tourists has been reached

Karabük's Safranbolu district, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and reached the goal of 1.5 million tourists last year, is among Turkey's favorite cultural tourism centers.

Last year, 200 thousand local and foreign tourists stayed in the historical district, which includes inns, baths, mosques, fountains and bridges from the Ottoman period, as well as traditional houses with 6-8 rooms, built in the 18th-20th centuries.

Safranbolu, which is an "open-air museum" among the "20 best-protected cities" in the world, hosted approximately 1.5 million people with daily visitors as part of various tours and excursions.

Keltepe Ski Center, which was completed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and put into service 3 years ago, became the new address of ski enthusiasts in a short time.

Located on Keltepe Mountain at an altitude of 2,000 meters, 23 kilometers from the city center, the ski resort serves ski lovers with 3 tracks of 2,400, 2,300 and 1000 meters, a chairlift of 873 meters, 58 suspension chairs with a length of 690 meters, teleski and babylift systems.

Although the ski center is new, it has hosted thousands of ski lovers in the winter season since its opening in January 2020.

"Karabuk is a city that stands out especially with its industry"

Governor Fuat Gürel thanked the AA correspondent and the statesmen who contributed to the formation of Karabük as a province.

Reminding that iron and steel businesses were established in Karabük in 1937 with the instructions of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Gürel said, "With the establishment of the factory, people from other cities of our country migrated here. Thus, Karabük became one of the most important cities of our country, growing and developing."

Stating that Karabük is a city that stands out especially with its industry, Gürel said, "Karabük, whose iron and steel infrastructure has developed especially with the drying up of iron and steel enterprises, has become one of the most important industrial cities of our region and our country with its rolling mills. On the other hand, Karabük is a tourism city because it has Safranbolu within its body. In addition, Karabük is a city 72 percent of which is covered with forests. Karabük, as our 78th province on June 6, 1995, started to become one of the most important cities of our country. Since that day, our city is a city that has contributed to the development of industry and tourism all over our country."