Elmalık: Hiking and Paper History

Elmalık brings together the approximately eight-kilometre Höyüktepe–Elmalık hiking route and a local history that dates back to the founding of a paper mill in 1745. It also has archaeological remains and traces from the Turkish War of Independence. When planning your trip, you can weigh up whether hiking or cultural history should be the focus of your stay.

Hiking and landscape

The Höyüktepe–Elmalık hiking route is about 8 kilometres long and passes through an area with fresh forest air. The hike offers opportunities for landscape photography. Its approximate length gives you a concrete indication of how much room to allow for hiking in your plans. If you include the route, check the current trail conditions before setting out.

The route adds a landscape perspective to your trip, while the local history offers other topics to explore. When choosing a holiday apartment in Elmalık, it may therefore be important to consider whether you want to focus more on hiking or the town’s history.

Paper history and the resettlement of Elmalık

Yalakabad Kağıthanesi was founded in Elmalık in 1745. Kağıthane-i Yalakabad is considered the first paper mill in the Ottoman Empire documented by official records; its founding place was the village of Elmalık. The history of papermaking therefore offers a concrete way to explore the town’s past.

The resettlement of Elmalık in 1924 is also part of its history. It took place after the population exchange between Turkey and Greece. First, 21 households arrived from Burhaniye; later, 81 migrant families followed from the city of Drama and from Yassıören and Demirciören. The people who moved from Drama included Muslim Turkish families. The places of origin and the sequence of events give the settlement’s history a clear outline.

Castle ruins and archaeological traces

Elmalık contains the remains of a Byzantine-era church foundation and worked fragments. Nearby, Elmalık Kalesi stands on 270-metre-high Bahçe Tepe: about 500 metres south of Elmalık and Kirazlı, and north of Esadiye. Several of the castle’s towers remain; its walls are made of brick and rubble masonry.

On the slopes opposite the castle site, you can see trenches dug by Turkish soldiers during the Turkish War of Independence. The church foundation, castle remains and trenches represent different historical perspectives: archaeological remains, surviving structures and traces of wartime history. If you would like to see the castle remains or church foundation in person, check access in advance.

Local character and Yalova as a wider context

Cut-flower production is also one of the area’s main activities. It adds an economic aspect to the picture of Elmalık, alongside its landscape and history.

In the wider destination of Yalova, Yürüyen Köşk offers another perspective on regional cultural history. On 10 August 1930, the building was moved about 4.80 metres to save the centuries-old plane tree beside it. In 2006, Yürüyen Köşk was restored and opened to visitors as a museum. It displays objects owned by Atatürk, contemporary photographs, famous paintings and documents. This story provides a distinct regional context, separate from Elmalık’s local attractions.

If you would also like to explore regional cultural history, you can include Yalova in your plans. This makes it possible to assess Elmalık as a potential holiday-apartment destination based on specific experiences.

Discover more destinations: Çiftlikköy, Çınarcık, Esenköy Belediyesi, Armutlu, Termal, Altınova, Yalova, Kirazlı Köyü.

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