Showing 1-14 of 14 results
-
Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova Museums
These twin museums are under one roof. Ars Nova is a museum of contemporary art with temporary exhibitions, the highlight of which is the Turku Biennaali, a themed jury-voted display held in summer in odd years. Aboa Vetus is an absolutely fascinating museum of live archaeology.
-
Cathedral Museum
The cathedral museum displays models showing different stages of the cathedral's construction from the 14th century, as well as medieval sculptures and various valuable religious paraphernalia.
-
Ett Hem Museum
Ett Hem Museum preserves a wealthy turn-of-the-20th-century home, with furniture of various styles, and works by famous painters Albert Edelfelt and Helene Schjerfbeck.
-
Forum Marinum
This excellent maritime museum is set back from the riverfront near the castle. The permanent exhibition is housed in an old granary and has a comprehensive look at different aspects of ships and shipping, including scale models, full-size vessels - check out the hydrocopter, WWII torpedoes and multimedia displays (including a puzzling account of a Crimean War naval engagement in which not very much happened!).
-
Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum
The name 'handicrafts museum' gives little indication of how fascinating this open-air museum really is. It is made up of the only surviving 18th-century area of this medieval town - Turku has been razed by fire 30 times - and all the buildings are still in their original locations, unlike most Finnish open-air museums where the buildings are moved from elsewhere, or re-created.
-
Museum Ships
Outside the Forum Marinum, anchored in the river, are four museum ships which you can climb aboard and poke around in, above and below deck.
-
Qwensel Apteekkimuseo
On the riverfront this, the oldest surviving wooden house in Turku, was built around 1700, and now houses the small Pharmacy Museum. You can see an old laboratorium with aromatic herbs, fine 18th-century furnishings with hints of 'Gustavian' (Swedish) style, and an exhibition of bottles and other pharmacy items.
-
Sibelius Museum
The Sibelius Museum displays some 350 musical instruments from around the world in a landmark 1960s building, and exhibits memorabilia of the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is the most extensive musical museum in Finland. You can listen to Sibelius' music on record or, better still, attend a Wednesday evening concert (every Wednesday from September to May, less often in summer).
-
Turku Art Museum
Recently re-opened, the excellent Turku Art Museum is in a striking granite building with elaborately carved pilasters, conical turrets and a polished iron hat. The majority of the art is from the last century or so; the 'Turku school' was one of Finland's most influential art movements; look out for works by Ilmari Kaijala and Emil Rautala among others.
-
Turku Biological Museum
In a beautiful building, the Turku Biological Museum is surprisingly interesting and superbly presented, if you don't mind staring at stuffed beasts.
-
Advertisement
-
Turku Castle
The mammoth Turku Castle, near the ferry terminals, is a must for everyone visiting the city and is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Founded in 1280 at the mouth of the Aurajoki, the castle has been growing ever since. Notable occupants have included Count Per Brahe, founder of many towns in Finland, who lived here in the 17th century, and Sweden's King Eric XIV, who was imprisoned in the castle's Round Tower in the late 16th century, having been declared insane.
-
Turku Cathedral
Towering over the river and town, Turku Cathedral is one of Finland's most important churches. Consecrated in 1300, much of the building has been rebuilt over the centuries after frequent fire damage.
-
Vanha Suurtori
Opposite Turku Cathedral, the Vanha Suurtori was once the main town square. It's surrounded by elegant buildings; the old town hall and trading mansions. A cobbled courtyard holds a book café; a peaceful spot on a sunny day.
-
Wäinö Aaltonen Museum
The Wäinö Aaltonen Museum displays permanent exhibitions of this famous artist's paintings and sculptures. Its temporary exhibitions are of contemporary art.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
