Eskisehir
Turkey's first car (Devrim) and first locomotive (Karakurt) were both built here in 1961—Eskişehir remains Turkey's aviation, railway, and appliance manufacturing center. Three universities including Anadolu make it Turkey's definitive student city. Eti (food) and Arçelik (appliances) anchor an economy serving 922,000 metropolitan residents.
In 1961, engineers at the TÜLOMSAŞ factory in Eskişehir produced Devrim—Turkey's first automobile. That same year, they built Karakurt, Turkey's first steam locomotive. This wasn't accidental: Eskişehir was already Turkey's aviation and railway manufacturing center, and it still is. The province makes trucks, locomotives, fighter aircraft engines, home appliances, and agricultural equipment. When Turkey launched high-speed rail, the first line ran from Ankara to Eskişehir.
The industrial concentration attracted universities. Anadolu University, founded from a 1958 economics academy, ranks among Turkey's largest. Eskişehir Osmangazi University anchors medical and engineering education. Eskişehir Technical University holds a unique distinction: the first university in the world to manage airports. Together, these institutions make Eskişehir Turkey's definitive university town, with a metropolitan population of 922,000 that includes tens of thousands of students.
Major manufacturers leverage this talent pipeline. Eti, one of Turkey's largest food companies, is headquartered here. Arçelik operates a major appliance factory. GKN, a global automotive supplier, runs a powertrain plant. The Porsuk River flows through a city that balances industrial heritage with café culture—affordable living and a youthful atmosphere make it attractive to students and young professionals priced out of Istanbul and Ankara.
Eskişehir's meerschaum deposits historically made it a center for pipe-carving (the 'sea foam' stone found here is among the world's finest). The province also produces bricks, cement, chemicals, textiles, and refined sugar. This diversification—unlike Turkey's earthquake-vulnerable eastern provinces—provides economic resilience.
By 2026, Eskişehir will likely continue as Turkey's manufacturing-education hub, training the engineers who design the locomotives and appliances that TÜLOMSAŞ and Arçelik produce. The city that built Turkey's first car remains central to Turkey's industrial ambitions.