Foça

Foça

Location: Turkey (Izmir region)
Village type: Bungalows
Opening date: 1967
Closing year: 2004

A little background: The agreement between Club Med and a pension fund for the establishment of a holiday village in Foça was signed in 1965. The first building permits were issued on September 16, 1966. Land belonging to the public treasury was expropriated by the pension fund. The municipality of Foça also donated land belonging to it and land belonging to the forestry administration.

Jean Weiler , whom you now know well (if you have read my pages on Agadir and Cadaques) comes to Foça and begins to prepare the corresponding plans.

To his interlocutor who asked him about Foça:

He compared it to the seaside resort they built on the Costa Brava. He said he envisioned a holiday village for Foça that would be completely compatible with the environment, have at least one olive tree, be scattered from one another at different distances, not join together to form a massive landscape, be spread out in a very balanced way in nature, and be composed of clusters of units. The elders of Foça, the peasants, the villagers, go one by one to the people, talk and meet there; they also exchanged ideas about the direction of the wind, the weather in summer-winter-spring and how people lived. Taking into account all these ecological, sociological and economic studies and taking into account the topographical situation, the architect was looking for what I could create here that was most beautiful and at the same time most permanent.

Tali Bey, a Turkish architect working on behalf of the pension fund, collaborated with the club's design office on the plans. The construction site of the village was entrusted to Tali Köprülü.
Just like Agadir, which opened a year earlier, Foça is a village built of solid materials. Each small bungalow has its own bathroom, toilet, and shower.

The lease was for a period of 15 years. It was renewed in 1982, allowing operation until 2005.
The initial lease contract itself set certain conditions: at least 75% of the village's capacity had to be reserved for guests with foreign passports. Club Med was also expected to pay rent in foreign currency.

The village opened on June 25, 1967. The first village headman was Avner. Sports offered included scuba diving, sailing, tennis, and yoga. GMs also enjoy an extensive program of excursions exploring Turkey.

Initially, the village did not have the large swimming pool located in the center of the village. This was built a few years later in 1970.

Throughout its operation, Foça remained one of Club Méditerranée's flagship villages. Today, photos and videos circulate showing a site degraded by time. Projects were developed by developers, but none have come to fruition.   

Village Chiefs:

Avner Gruszow opened the village in 1967, and the following year Didy Blitz took over as village chief.
The 2004 summer season was the last before the village closed.