The legacy of the ghostly wooden palace of Prinkipo (16 photos + 1 video)

A stunning giant stands frozen on a hilltop on Buyukada Island, off the coast of Istanbul.





This rickety wooden behemoth, ready to collapse at any moment, holds the title of the largest wooden structure in Europe and the second largest in the world.



The history of the Prinkipo Greek Orphanage, also known as the Prinkipo Greek Orphanage or the Buyukada Greek Orphanage, began with glitz and glamour. In 1898, the French-Ottoman architect Alexandre Vallauris commissioned the Compagnie Internationale de Wagon-Lis, the creators of the legendary Orient Express.





A luxury hotel and casino was planned for the European travelers who flocked to Istanbul during the Belle Époque. However, Sultan Abdul Hamid II refused a license, considering gambling immoral.



The majestic building passed into the possession of Eleni Zarifi, the wife of an influential Greek banker, who donated it to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Thus, the amusement palace became an orphanage. From 1903 to 1964, it provided shelter to approximately 5,800 Greek children.



Its closure was a forced move amid heightened political tensions between Turkey and Greece over the Cyprus conflict. In 1997, Turkish authorities confiscated the building, but in 2010, a court ordered its return to the Patriarchate.



Half a century of neglect and the devastation of the elements have left this 20,000-square-meter architectural monument in a state of disrepair. In 2018, Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank added the orphanage to their list of cultural heritage in danger.



The Patriarchate of Constantinople is striving to preserve and restore the building, but a lack of funds is hampering the work. The plan is for the opulent building, with over two hundred rooms, to be repurposed as a luxury hotel. However, the plans remain on paper. The empty halls and corridors are empty of guests, and only the wind blows through the creaking staircases and floors, a reminder of its former grandeur.





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