Erzurum

Erzurum is a province in the Eastern Anatolia Region, in the east of Turkey, covering 25,006 square kilometres, whose capital of the same name lies at around 1,900 metres of altitude. Fortified in Roman times as Theodosiopolis, the city passed into Byzantine hands, fell to the Seljuks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 and was ruled by the Saltukids until 1202. Its heritage includes the 13th-century Çifte Minareli Medrese, the Twin Minaret madrasa, the Yakutiye madrasa and the Grand Mosque. In 1919 it hosted the Erzurum Congress, one of the starting points of the Turkish War of Independence.

Altitude and snow define its sporting profile. About 4 kilometres from the city, the Palandöken resort, in the village of Başköy, starts at 2,100 metres on a massif that peaks at 3,271 metres and has the longest ski run in Turkey; the Konaklı resort, some 18 kilometres away, staged the alpine skiing of the 2011 Winter Universiade, which Erzurum hosted. The city has K-95 and K-125 ski jumps, an ice hockey arena and a curling hall built for the Universiade, and in 2017 it organised the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival. It has also hosted international under-18 ice hockey and curling championships.

ACES Europe designated Erzurum European Capital of Winter Sports 2025. The news was delivered in person to the metropolitan mayor, Mehmet Sekmen, by ACES founding president Gian Francesco Lupattelli and secretary general Hugo Alonso. The recognition, driven by Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality, places the territory within the Turkish representation of the ACES network.