Gemici Nature Park (Şehit Asb. Mustafa Ayna Nature Park)
Gemici Nature Park is a family picnic and recreation area on Dr. Cihat Aytaç Street in the Gemici neighbourhood of Osmancık district. It was built by Osmancık Municipality in 2016 on a roughly 11-dönüm (1.1-hectare) plot, and the project was covered at the time by both the Central Black Sea Development Agency (OKA) and the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (SKB).
A Name Change
The park was later officially renamed Şehit Asb. Mustafa Ayna Nature Park, after a fallen non-commissioned officer, and appears under that name today in Osmancık Municipality’s list of social facilities. It also features in the district governorship’s photo gallery of Osmancık, alongside other district landmarks such as Osmancık Castle, the rice paddies and the Kızılırmak River.
2024 Renovation
Between July and October 2024 the park underwent a thorough renovation: teams from Osmancık Municipality’s Public Works Directorate laid new electricity and water lines, redid the landscaping and renewed the walking paths. Local press (Yayla Haber, October 2024) announced the completed work under the headline “waiting for those who want to enjoy nature and spend some peaceful time.”
Surroundings
In the district governorship’s own promotional photo gallery, Gemici Nature Park is listed alongside Osmancık Castle, the Kızılırmak River — the district’s emblem — and its broad rice (çeltik) fields. The same gallery also names a viewpoint called “Ada Tepe,” but its exact relationship to the park and its precise nature are not clear from available sources, so it is not detailed further here.
Visiting
With its family picnic spots and seating areas, the park is a convenient day-trip nature stop close to central Osmancık. For other places to see in Osmancık, see our Osmancık history article and our Osmancık visitor guide, and for the district’s other natural area, our Başpınar Karaca Highland page.