Aron Anjel in Paris

Aron Anjel in Paris

I am in Paris, in the garden of the Palace of Versailles. I wanted to study architecture. We decided that I should go to France to be with my older sister Bella who was a physician. The famous and positive coincidences of my life started at this stage of my life. One day I came across Mr. Louat, a Frenchman who was my geography teacher in highschool in front of the door of Galatasaray Lisesi(highschool) and told him about my decision. "What a nice coincidence! I met the world-famous city planner Prof. Henri Prost, who was invited by Ataturk to prepare Istanbul's development plan, at the French embassy at an event honoring him a few days ago. If you want I can introduce you to him" he said. I gladly accepted his offer. The next day we met and went to his house on Lamartine street in Taksim [a modern and busy neighborhood of the city]. Prost [Henri Prost 1874-1959.A French architect and city-planner. Prost who came to Istanbul in 1936 was preparing Istanbul's development plan in 1937. His development plan and the principles he proposed were published in 1938 by the mayor's office of Istanbul under the heading "Istanbul ve Beyoglu Cihetleri Nazim Planini izah eden Rapor"(The Report Explaining the Development Plan of Istanbul and Beyoglu Quarters). The plan was applied till 1950, afterwards it was continually changed and forgotten about] asked me about my goals, listened to me and advised me to contact and choose from four Architectural faculties in Paris whose names, addresses and telephone numbers he found from the yellow pages and wrote for me on a piece of paper. I sent the list to my older sister Bella who was a professor in the Paris Medical school. A week later she informed me that she talked with her professor friends and chose the best faculty and that she was waiting for me. I took off for Paris via Marseille at the end of the summer in 1937 on the ship Lamartine.
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