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Hereke Weaving Factory
In the period of Sultan Abdülmecid, Ohannes and Bogos Dadyan took the responsibility of building broadcloth factory.For this business they were travelling between Izmit and Istanbul.One day they stopped for a meal in Hereke.They impressed Hereke's natural beauty.They wanted to build their own factory beside broadcloth factory's expenses.In 1843, a weaving factory was built around Ulupinar Brook by the permisson of Serasker Riza Pasa.There were 50 cotton looms and 25 silk cloth looms.Sultan Abdülmecid learnt the factory in 1844.He got angry building factory without his own permission and he made a journey to Izmit with Serasker Riza Pasa.When they were passing Hereke he asked the factory as if he didn't know it.Serasker Riza Pasa was clever and cunning.He understood that the situation was critical.He said "It's my surprise for you but I wanted to show you in its own place.So I kept it as a secret, I didn't mention about it in Istanbul.The contractors built a factory on behalf of you in Hereke." The factory was ceded to Abdülmecid by its owners.We haven't got detailed information about the factory's foundation period.But we know that the first manager was Sarkis Aga and the first administrative committee was consist of Sarkis Aga and an Italian painter, Camaron.
A three storied big wooden building was constructed in Kemhane in 1850.It was build to produce silk clothes to furnish the palace.The number of the silk looms were increased from 25 to 100 and 50 cotton looms were moved to Bakirköy factory.So the factory started to produce only silk fabric. In 1850 a shop opened in Old Bazaar to sell factory's products directly but the palace had the shop closed.In 1878 the furnace of silk curling department was burnt.The factory closed for five years and in 1882 the furnace rebuilt so the factory started to production.
The carpet workshop was constructed in today's Lise's place with the signature of Sultan Abdülhamit on it, in 1891.There were 100 carpet looms in it.The factory got to be internationally famous.Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to see it when he was visiting Ottoman Emperor in 1898.As a result of this, the historic villa was made in Abdülhamit's palace in three weeks and constructed in Hereke in a night. Also, in Hereke weaving Factory they made the carpets and curtains of famous American industrialist Andre Carnegie's palace in La Haye(The Peace Palace).The factory opened a Primary School in Hereke.(Today's Sümer Ilkogretim Okulu) In 1902, broadcloth, wool and fibre departments started to production with 20 looms.In 1905, fez department began to operate.In 1917, 30 more wool looms were added and there were 50 wool looms.The factory was transferred to Sanayi ve Maadin bank which related to The Ministry of Finance.Most of the building and some of the machines were destructed by fire that happened in wool department in 1932.In 1933 the factory was transferred to Sümerbank.The weaving looms were increased from 52 to 103 in 1938.
In Hereke Weaving Factory in 1967, 114 tons of Strayhgarn fibre, 953.000 meters raw woolen cloth, 874.000 meters produced woolen cloth and 1366 meters silk fibre were used.In 1967, 946 employers was working, 94 of them were civil servants and 852 of them were workers.
The factory was privatized in 1995 and we know that its production capacity was 321 tons of fibre, 2,96 million meters cloth with 624 spindles and 74 looms.There were 52 civil servants and 430 workers, altogether 482 employers.
The first manager in the period of Abdülhamid, was Haci Akif Efendi.Other managers are Agah Efendi, Resat Agriboz, Nihat Alpar, Vasif Dokuman, Sabri Teoman, Kenan Sidal, Müeyyer Kerimoglu, Nail Andac, Cevat Alpar, Saip Serte, Hüsnü Özmen,Ragip Kulelioglu, Sabahattin Taray, Nevzat Kinay. |
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