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The First Meteorological Measuring House

in Ankara

György Tittes was one of the architects working in Ankara in the 1920-30s. The plans of the first meteorological meterologicalstation, which had a crucial role in the creation of the national meteorological services, was designed by him. The meterologicalstation was inaugurated in 1927 as part of the program led by Antal Réthly. The building was built by Turkish and Bulgarian craftsmen. The building passed under the control of the High School for Agriculture and later to the Veterinary Faculty of the Ankara University. It currently hosts the Museum of the History of Veterinarians, having been reconstructed in 2012-13.

Antal Réthly (1879-1975), meteorologist and geographer lived in Turkey between 1925 and 1927, founding the first Meteorology Institute of the country by the assignment of the Turkish government (Rasadat-ı Cevviye),  which is serving as General-Directorate of Meteorology (Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü) since 1936. In the first times, weather forecast included only Istanbul and Turkish Thrace, but the Ankara meterological station was ready by 1926 (planned by Hungarian architect György Tittes), and later on the whole country was covered. Most of the tools of the Turkish meteorology services originated from Hungary. The work of Antal Réthly was supported by fellow Hungarian József Szemián. This Hungarian scholar played a major role given that the Turkish Radio started broadcasting weather forecasts in September 1927. The introduction of Turkish earthquake forecasts is also a work of Antal Réthly. He published important articles about the situation of Turkish meteorology in the 1928 and 1930 editions of Hungarian periodical Időjárás (Weather), after returning back home to Budapest. Turkish government offered him a 5-year stay again in 1929, but this time this Hungarian scholar refused the offer.

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E-mail:macarkulturmerkezi@mfa.gov.hu