In the late 19th and early 20th century, Mudurnu was part of the Kastamonu Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire.

Mudurnu itself is a historical town with a number of well-preserved Ottoman Empire period houses.

A portion of the centre of town has been declared an Historic Preservation District ("Kentsel Sit Alanı").

[3] In 1920, during the Nationalists' push to gain control over the country, İbrahim Çolak with the Kuva-yi Milliye besieged forces loyal to the Porte for three days, May 13 to 15, before taking the town.

[4] After the chicken processing plant closed in 2002, significant numbers of people left the town for jobs elsewhere[5] and the remaining populace began to invest in tidying up and restoring the old town in order to attract tourists and weekend visitors.