Düzce

Düzce is the capital city of Düzce Province is the eighty-first Province in Turkey. The mayor is Mehmet Keleş (AKP). The population is 125,240 (2009) which is an increase from 61.878 in 1990.

Historical Konuralp is 8 km north of Düzce; first settlements there go back to 3rd century BC. Until 74 BC it was one of the most important cities belonging to the Bythinia State, which included Bilecik, Bolu, Sakarya, Kocaeli. It was conquered by Pontus and then by the Roman Empire. During the Roman period the city was influenced by Latin culture, and it changed its name to Prusias ad Hypium. Later on Christianity affected the city and after the separation of the Roman Empire in 395, it was controlled by the Eastern Roman Empire (the later Byzantine Empire).

Konuralp Bey, one of Osman Gazi's commanders, was ordered to conquer Düzce and its surroundings to the Ottoman lands. In the 14th century he captured Duzbazaar (Düzce) and Roman Prusias after a battle against the Byzantines. The first Ottoman administrators in Düzce were Konuralp Bey, Sungur Bey, Semsi Bey and Gunduz Alp. During the late 16th century villagers choose this location as a marketplace; it was called Düzce Bazaar in the centre of the plain.

During the Ottoman Empire, Düzce provided Navy timber, and it became an important centre of transportation between Istanbul and the eastern cities such as Sivas and Erzurum. At the 18th and 19th centuries the tradesmen took the control of Düzce and commerce flourished.

At the period of Sultan Abdulaziz and Abdulmecit, immigrants from Caucasus, East Black Sea, East of Anatolia and the Balkans increased the population of Düzce. The government provided them free land. It had 137 villages and 66,618 homes with the population of 36088 at the times of Abdulmecit II.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Düzce was part of the Kastamonu Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire.

After the Republic the city had a great development in industry and trade. Because it is near to the big cities, ports and natural resources, easy transportation, natural beauties and social structure makes it too attractive for investment. Düzce is one of the most industrially developed cities in Turkey. Especially it is famous for timber and sports and hunting guns to the world. The main economic sectors are forestry production, automotive parts, textile, hunting and sports guns, cement, pharmaceutical products, nuts and tobacco. There are about 100 factories working in sectors such as timber plants, milk product plants, animal food plants, flour plants, food and packing plants, etc. Not to disregard agriculture as well.

It was hit by the 1944 Düzce Earthquake, 1957 Abant Earthquake, 1967 Adapazari Earthquake, and in 1999 it was destroyed by the 17 August Izmit Earthquake. It was demolished badly by another earthquake on 12 November 1999 at 18:57. The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.2 (Richter scale), lasted for 30 seconds, killing 845 people and injuring over 5,000. To quickly rebuild the earthquake damaged areas the Council of Ministers made Duzce the 81st province of Turkey in 1999.

DUZCE PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY