Büyükada
Island with a storied exile history, Ottoman-era villas, and Europe's largest wooden landmark.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Büyükada, an island off Istanbul long used for exile, follows Leon Trotsky's four years there after Stalin expelled him from the Soviet Union in 1929, writing his autobiography from a desk he built out of bricks and planks in a crumbling seaside mansion. It also climbs the hill to the island's huge wooden ruin, built as a casino, refused a permit, and turned instead into an orphanage that housed thousands of children. Listen for how Trotsky's own 1933 farewell essay closes one chapter of the island's long history of exiles.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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