Gültekin Family: Names to Live On with Bolu Library

A library will be built in the name of the Gültekin family, who lost their lives in the fire that broke out on January 21, 2025, at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center.

The Asır Grup Foundation, established by the Gültekin family, signed a protocol for the "Bilal Gültekin Bolu Public Library."

At the signing ceremony held at the Governorship, Provincial Mufti Hüseyin Demirtaş offered prayers. Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydın stated that families who lost loved ones after the tragedy in Kartalkaya decided to create lasting works that would benefit society.

Aydın noted that charitable projects have been implemented one after another since the foundation's establishment, stating that the "Enes Gültekin 112 Emergency Health Services Station" has been opened. He added that the construction of the "Zehra Sena Gültekin Family Health Center" is ongoing, and the "Pharmacist Rümeysa Gültekin Dialysis Center" is nearing completion.

Aydın also stated that the public library would be an important educational and cultural investment, explaining that the library, to be built on the site of the old courthouse, would stand out with its historical texture. He noted that it would be a valuable work serving with a "living library" concept, where children and young people could comfortably study and prepare for exams.

Lawyer Yüksel Gültekin, who lost his sons Bilal and Enes, daughter Rumeysa, daughter-in-law Zehra Sena, grandchildren Yusuf Sinaneddin, Muhammet Selim, and Bekir Sadık Gültekin, and Sümeyye Güner in the fire, stated that their grief was indescribable. He said that as a family, they decided to create lasting charitable works to keep the names of their children and grandchildren alive, and they established a foundation for this purpose.

Gültekin emphasized that the foundation's main goal is to bring lasting works to Bolu in the fields of education, health, and social services. He stated that the library's foundation is planned to be laid in October, with the aim of completing and opening it within approximately two years.

Gültekin noted that they are working on new projects to keep alive the memory of their grandchildren who perished in the fire, stating that they plan to build a nursery for children aged 4-6 in an area allocated by the Bolu Municipality. He added that charitable services would continue through the foundation in the coming years.

In addition to Mehmet Güner, who lost his children and grandchildren in the fire, Provincial Culture and Tourism Director İbrahim Emre Gürsoy, Provincial Health Director Abdullah Danışman, and Asır Grup Foundation Board Chairman Halil İnce also attended the ceremony.