Çatalca
Being there
A small town 40 km west of central Istanbul and 15 km north of Büyükçekmece that had a substantial Greek population until the 1920s transfers. Spared from destruction in the Balkan wars which foreshadowed the Great War, the old quarter has many historic wooden buildings and fountains in leafy squares. A short stretch of the old town walls still stand just north of the centre. In the outer areas, bunkers of the WW2 'Çakmak Line' and remnants of the Byzantine Anastasios Walls could be observed.
The story
Çatalca (Turkish pronunciation: [tʃaˈtaɫdʒa]) is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 1142 km2, making it the largest district in Istanbul Province by area. Its population is 77,468 (2022). It is in East Thrace, on the ridge between the Marmara and the Black Sea. Most people living in Çatalca are farmers or owners of vacation homes. Many families from Istanbul come to Çatalca for weekend hiking or picnics.