Demirköy Foundry
| Demirköy Dökümhanesi | |
 Location of Demirköy Foundry in Turkey
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| Alternate name | Fatih Foundry Fatih Dökümhanesi |
|---|---|
| Location | Demirköy, Kırklareli, Turkey |
| Region | Marmara Region |
| Coordinates | 41°49′03″N 27°48′51″E / 41.81750°N 27.81417°ECoordinates: 41°49′03″N 27°48′51″E / 41.81750°N 27.81417°E |
| Type | Foundry |
| Area | 9,395 m2 (101,130 sq ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Stone and wood |
| Abandoned | After World War I |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2003-present |
The Demirköy Foundry (Turkish: Demirköy Dökümhanesi) is a historic foundry ruin of archaeological importance located at Demirköy in Kırklareli Province, northwestern Turkey.
The archaeological site is situated 3.8 km (2.4 mi) southeast of the district seat Demirköy. An iron metalworking center was established at this location in the 15th century during the Ottoman Empire due to the rich iron ore deposits in the region. The site is deep in the Strandzha forests, about 20 km (12 mi) far from the Black Sea coast and 25 km (16 mi) to the Bulgarian-Turkish border.
It is known that the cannonballs fired during the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Mehmed the Conqueror) were manufactured here. The facility is also called today by the local people as Fatih Foundry (the "Conqueror's Foundry"). Demirköy means literally "Ironville". Iron casting continued in the foundry from the mid-15th century until the late 19th century. It appears that the foundry underwent a thoroughgoing renovation during the Mahmud II (1808–1839) period. The foundry was then subordinated to the administration of Imperial Cannon Factory (Tophane-i Amire) in Istanbul, which was established in 1839. According to the Ottoman documents, its historic name was "Samakocuk Dökümhane-i Amiresi" (literally: Samakocuk İmperial Foundry).
According to a 1923-published report of the government doctor in Kırklareli, the foundry was destroyed by the invading Russian troops during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78). In 1913, the state-owned foundry was leased to a British company for a period of 99 years, but in 1916 the lease was annulled due to the circumstances of World War I. After World War I, the foundry was abandoned; its structure, however, remained intact until the 1950s. The metal parts of the foundry were sold to scrappers by the National Estate Authority (Turkish: Milli Emlak) in 1947.
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