Guide
The Uzun Mehmet monument was built in 1973, in three months, under its architect Yılmaz Soylu. It was made by the Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the republic, with support from the governor of the day, Nihat Oğuz Bor. The idea behind it is the three martyrs held to belong to Zonguldak: the fallen soldier, the fallen miner, and Uzun Mehmet, the first victim of the mines and the legendary figure of the coalfield.
It was placed on the Balkaya ridge so that it could be seen from every part of what was then the city centre, despite the difficulty of getting there. In 1983 the municipality laid out the ground around the monument as a picnic area with walking paths. It is on the Zonguldak-Kozlu road, about two kilometres from the centre.
