Gallipoli Historical National Park (Gallipoli National Historic Park)

An important battle of World War I took place on the peninsula opposite Canakkale. The Allied forces first tried to cross the Dardanelles, to join forces with allied Russia and try to capture Istanbul (also for this, to exclude Turkey from the war). Then, after the failure of this action, tried to take over the peninsula, which would give the Allies control on this important section and allow for further march deep into south-eastern Europe. The landing action has started 25 April 1915 r. An army made up of British soldiers, French and Hindu, but mainly Australian and New Zealand (abbreviated as ANZAC – Australian and New Zealand Military Corps) for nine months she fought bloody battles with the Turks. Admiral Fisher, who commanded the fleet on the unfortunate crossing of the strait, he warned Winston Churchill in a letter with words: the damned Dardanelles will be our grave, but that could not turn the tide. There was a struggle on both sides for several square kilometers of land (sometimes the enemy's trenches were only a few meters away!) nearly half a million soldiers, and the same number of soldiers died here, which made this campaign one of the bloodiest in World War I.. They fought fiercely and heroically, and on the Turkish side young Kemal Ataturk became known as a capable officer, who definitely commanded his soldiers. One of his orders has gone down in history: I do not order you to attack, I order you to die!, which the soldiers did too, by winning one of the numerous battles, and then the entire campaign.

Currently, the peninsula is over 30 the cemeteries of both Turkish soldiers, and those fighting on the side of the allies, as well as many monuments commemorating the fights. The most important of them are in the Anzac bay area, where the soldiers of this corps are lying – a moving testimony to the pointlessness of wars. A few hundred meters away there is a Turkish monument, where you can read a touching and informative message, spoken by Ataturk to the mothers of the Allied soldiers, who lost their lives on the peninsula: There is no difference for us between Johns and Mehmetes, when they rest here side by side, in our country. You mothers, who spilled their sons into a foreign land, wipe your tzas. Your sons, having lost his life in this country, they rest peacefully in a friendly tone. They are also our sons. Lone Pine Cemetery is also important (Bloody Back), that is, "Lonely Pine Cemetery”, where the Allied soldiers who took part in one of the bloodiest battles of the entire campaign are buried. Soldiers of the Ottoman army (its commander-in-chief was the German general Liman von Sanders) are buried, among others. in cemeteries 57. Regiment (Regiment 57) and 10. Regimental Front (Regiment 10). The famous one stands at the southern tip of the peninsula, otoczony sosnami pomnik Canakkale Martyrs Monument (Monument to the Martyrs of Canakkale), which reaches height 42 m and was built in honor of the Turkish soldiers.

You can get to the peninsula by ferries from Canakkale or the town of Lapseki (40 km northwest of Canakkale). Navigating Gallipoli on your own is a bit of a hassle, but for those who want nothing difficult. We always get somewhere by dolmus, hitchhiking, and sometimes even on foot. If we are not going with an organized trip, let's set up a base in the town of Gelibolu on the other side of the strait. When twilight unexpectedly finds us there, we won't have to worry, is the ferry still flying, or maybe not anymore, and what will happen to our luggage left in Canakkale. Individual tourists can advise, that they should go to Kabatepe first (8 km from Eceabat), where the information office is located, where they will learn all about Gallipoli, and maybe they will also get a map. We get to Kabatepe by dolmus from Eceabat, and also by ferry from Canakkale. A good solution for those who are particularly interested in cemeteries and military history is to use the offer of numerous travel agencies concentrated in the city center. Some hotels also offer excursions to Gallipoli. The prices for participating in a one-day excursion vary within limits 20 – 40 USD; more expensive offers have no justification.