Turku
Encyclopedia
Turku (ˈturku; ˈoːbu) is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland
at the mouth of the Aura River
. It is located in the region of Finland Proper
. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland. Turku quickly became the most important city in Finland and retained that status for hundreds of years until Finland became part of the Russian Empire
in 1809 and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland
was transferred to Helsinki
in 1812. After that Turku continued to be the most populous city in Finland until the end of the 1840s. Today Turku remains a regional capital and is an important location for business and culture.
Because of its long history it has been the site of many important historical events and has extensively influenced Finnish history
. For the year 2011, Turku has been designated to be the European Capital of Culture
together with Tallinn
, the capital city of Estonia
. In 1996 it was declared the official Christmas City of Finland.
Due to its location, Turku is a notable commercial and passenger seaport city with over three million passengers travelling through the Port of Turku
each year to Stockholm
and Mariehamn
.
As of , Turku’s population was , which makes it the fifth largest city in Finland by population. As of 31 August 2008 there were 303,492 inhabitants living in the Turku sub-region
, which makes it the third largest urban area
in Finland after the Greater Helsinki
area and Tampere
sub-region. The city is officially bilingual as percent of its population identify as speaking Swedish as a mother-tongue.
. To this day, the city's identity stems from its status as the oldest city in Finland and the country's first capital. Originally, the word "Finland" referred only to the area around Turku (hence the title, "Finland Proper
" for the region).
Although archaeological findings in the area date back to the Stone Age
, the town of Turku was founded in late 13th century. The Cathedral of Turku
was consecrated
in 1300, and together with Turku Castle
and the Dominican
monastery
(founded in 1249), established the city as the most important location in medieval Finland.
During the Middle Ages
, Turku was the seat of the Bishop of Turku (a title later upgraded to Archbishop of Turku
), covering the then eastern half of Kingdom of Sweden (most of the present-day Finland) until the 17th century. Even if Turku had no official capital status, both the short-lived institutions of Dukes
and Governors-General of Finland usually had their Finnish residences there. In the aftermath of the War against Sigismund
, the town was the site of the Åbo bloodbath
. In 1640, the first university
in Finland, The Royal Academy of Turku
, was founded in Turku. Turku was also the meeting place for the States of Finland in 1676.
After the Finnish War
, which ended when Sweden
ceded Finland to Imperial Russia
at the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, Turku became briefly the official capital, but soon lost the status to Helsinki, as Emperor
Alexander I
felt that Turku was too far from Russia and too aligned with Sweden to serve as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland
. The change officially took place in 1812. The government offices that remained in Turku were finally moved to the new capital after the Great Fire of Turku
, which almost completely destroyed the city in 1827. After the fire, a new and safer city plan was drawn up by German
architect
Carl Ludvig Engel
, who had also designed the new capital, Helsinki. Turku remained the largest city in Finland for another twenty years.
In 1918, a new university, the Åbo Akademi – the only Swedish language
university in Finland – was founded in Turku. Two years later, the Finnish language
University of Turku
was founded alongside it. These two universities are the second and third to be founded in Finland, both by private donations.
In the 20th century Turku was called "Finland's gateway to the West" by historians such as Jarmo Virmavirta. The city enjoyed good connections with other Western Europe
an countries and cities, especially since the 1940s with Stockholm
across the Gulf of Bothnia
. In the 1960s, Turku became the first Western city to sign a twinning
agreement with Leningrad
in the Soviet Union
, leading to greater inter-cultural exchange and providing a new meaning to the city's 'gateway' function. After the fall of Communism
in Russia
, many prominent Soviets came to Turku to study Western business practices , among them Vladimir Putin
, then Leningrad's deputy mayor
.
". The word turku still means "market place" in some idioms. The Swedish name Åbo seems easy to explain, as it contains the words å ("river") and bo ("nest, dwelling") which could mean something like "the house by the river". Etymologists think this explanation is probably false, as the name is old and there are no other similar names. There is however an old legal term called "åborätt" (meaning roughly "right to live at"), which gave citizens (called "åbo") the inheritable right to live at land owned by the crown.
in the southwestern corner of Finland, Turku covers an area of 245 square kilometres (94.6 sq mi) of land, spread over both banks of the river. The eastern side, where the Cathedral of Turku is located, is popularly referred to as täl pual jokke ("this side of the river"), while the western side is referred to as tois pual jokke ("the other side of the river"). The city centre is located close to the river mouth, on both sides of the river, though development has recently been expanding westward.
There are nine bridges over the Aura river in Turku. The first bridge in the city area, nowadays known as Pennisilta, was built in 1414, and has since been demolished. The oldest of the current bridges is Auransilta, which was constructed in 1904. The newest bridge is Teatterisilta ('theatre bridge'), a pedestrian-only bridge built in 1997. One of the best-known landmarks of Turku is the Föri, a small ferry
that transports pedestrians and bicycle
s across the river without payment.
With a population of approximately 300,000 , the Turku Region
(LAU
1) is the third largest urban region in Finland, after Greater Helsinki
and the area around Tampere
. The region includes, in addition to the city itself the following municipalities: Askainen
, Kaarina
, Lemu
, Lieto
, Masku
, Merimasku
, Mynämäki
, Naantali
, Nousiainen
, Paimio
, Piikkiö
, Raisio
, Rusko
, Rymättylä
, Sauvo
, Vahto
, and Velkua
.
A more exclusive definition for the urban area is the city region of Turku
with a population around 235,000 consisting of four major municipalities Kaarina, Raisio, Naantali and Turku.
and Paattinen
, formed from former municipalities that were annexed to the city proper in the mid-20th century, constitute the largest districts.
As many of the small neighbouring municipalities from the north and south of the city were annexed during the mid-20th century, Turku is today shaped like an elongated pear
. The city centre and most of the suburban areas lie in the middle, separated from the less densely populated northern rural areas by the Turku bypass
, that forms part of European route E18
. Islands such as Ruissalo
, Hirvensalo
and Kakskerta
, forming the southern part of the city, are also sparsely populated and mostly contain summer residences, with the exception of some districts in Hirvensalo which are currently growing into upper-middle-class
suburb
s.
and sheltered by the islands of the Archipelago Sea
, Turku has a hemiboreal
climate. Like much of southern Finland, the city experiences warm summers, with temperature
s ranging up to 30 °C (86 °F), and relatively cold winters with frequent snow
fall. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 17 °C (63 °F), whereas the coldest month is February. The average year-round temperature is 5 °C (41 °F). Winter usually starts in early December, and spring in late March.
Precipitation
in Turku averages 698 mm (27 in) a year. The rainiest month of the year is August, when the city receives on average 79 mm (3.1 in) of rainfall. In May, the driest month of the year, the figure is only 35 mm (1.4 in). The average air pressure at sea level is 101.2 kilopascals (29.9 inHg), with little variance throughout the year.
Operational since 1955, the city's weather station
is located at an altitude of 47 metres (154 ft) at Turku Airport
.
and provincial
capital, Turku is an important administrative centre, hosting the seat of the Archbishop of Finland
and a Court of Appeal
. Mikko Pukkinen, the former city manager of Seinäjoki
, has been the city manager
of Turku since 2006.
The city council
and city board have long been dominated by the Social Democratic Party
(SDP) and the National Coalition Party
(Kokoomus/Samlingspartiet), with approximately equal representation. Currently, the council has 67 members, with 20 from Kokoomus and 15 from SDP. The other major parties in the council are the Green League
(11 seats), the Left Alliance
(10 seats) and the Swedish People's Party (4 seats). The current chair of the city board is Aleksi Randell
from Kokoomus.
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
in Turku:
network of bus
routes, which is comparable to bus network of similar-sized Tampere
. The bus network is managed and supervised by the City of Turku Public Transport Office , and is operated mainly by private companies. Regional buses are operated by private companies, most importantly TLO
, with very frequent services especially to the neighbouring cities of Naantali, Raisio, and Kaarina.
Rail traffic to and from Turku is handled by the Finnish national carrier, VR. The number of services has fallen and only the railways towards Tampere and Helsinki are now in use. The railway stations currently used for passenger traffic are the Turku Central railway station
in Pohjola
, and two smaller stations in Kupittaa
and the Port of Turku
.
There is no local rail traffic at the moment, as the city's popular tram
services were discontinued in 1972, and the various local railway lines to neighbouring towns and municipalities were all abolished during the late 20th century. However, there are plans for a light rail
system in the Turku region in the near future. This system would more ably serve major suburbs of the city such as Varissuo and Runosmäki, as well as the neighbouring cities.
The State of Finland has announced plans to support Espoo
with 30 % of full expenses on a new metro rail, the Regional Council of Southwest Finland is going to use this as a test case for a new light rail network in Turku.:
The Turku Bus Station and the Turku Central Railway Station
are currently located in different places. The City of Turku is planning to combine these two in a new greater station complex in the near future. This new travel center will consist of a hotel and several shopping estates. This center will connect all public transportation from commuter trains to long distance buses.
Turku Airport
is located eight kilometres to the north of the city centre, partly in the neighbouring municipality of Rusko
.
There are also daily ferry services from the Port of Turku
to Sweden and the Åland Islands
, operated by Silja Line
, Viking Line
and SeaWind Line
. These are something of a Finnish cultural tradition (see ruotsinlaiva), and people often travel long distances across Finland to Turku just to take a cruise
across the Gulf of Bothnia.
The archipelago sea
boat traffic is handled by, among others, S/S Ukkopekka. Old steamship cruise Turku-Naantali
-Turku.
Turku is the only city in Finland to have three long-distance railway stations: Turku Central
, Port of Turku
, and Kupittaa
.
89.4 % of Turku's population speak Finnish as their native language, while 5.2 % speak Swedish. The next most widely spoken languages are Russian
(1.3 %), Arabic
(0.6 %), Albanian
(0.5 %), and Kurdish
(0.4 %). 95.8 % of the population are Finnish citizens
, and the most sizeable minorities are from Russia
, Estonia
, Iraq
, and Iran
. Like all other Finnish cities, Turku does not collect information about the ethnic and religious makeup of its population.
Famous people from the city of Turku include Paavo Nurmi
, Mauno Koivisto
, Matti Salminen
, Johan Gadolin
, Herman Spöring, Miikka Kiprusoff
and the brothers Saku
and Mikko Koivu
. The Turku region has also brought forth many prominent personalities, including the marshal
, Carl Gustaf Mannerheim
.
area in Kupittaa hosts over 300 companies from the fields of biotechnology
and information technology
, as well as several institutions of higher learning that work in closely with the business sector. This cooperative element is seen as a particularly important factor with regards to the city's expected future economic development, as outlined in the Turku Strategy that is published annually by the city council. Turku, with its good transportation network and close proximity to the Archipelago Sea
, is also an important centre for tourism, frequently hosting various conventions and exhibitions.
As of 2007, the city's unemployment
rate is 9.4 %. The problem of unemployment is however troublesome in the districts of Pansio
, Lauste
, and Varissuo, where it hovers at around 16 %.
The city collects an 18 per cent income tax
(council tax
) from its inhabitants, in addition to the progressively graduated taxation practised by the Finnish state. The total amount received through council tax in 2004 was projected at €400 million, a reduction of 1.0 per cent from the previous year.
, was founded along with the Cathedral of Turku in the late 13th century. The first university
in Finland, the "The Royal Academy of Turku
" (now University of Helsinki
), was established in the city in 1640. In 1820, the first school in Finland conforming to the Bell-Lancaster method
was founded in Turku with the aim of making primary education more inclusive to the lower classes.
Turku is home to about 35,000 higher education students. There are two universities and several "ammattikorkeakoulu
" in the town.
The Finnish University of Turku
is the second largest university in Finland (18,000 students), as measured by student enrollment, and one of the oldest as well, having been founded in 1920. Åbo Akademi, founded 1918 as the second university of Finland, is Finland's only Swedish-language university. Turun kauppakorkeakoulu (Turku School of Economics
) merged with The University of Turku in 2010, Åbo handelshögskola, its Swedish counterpart, with Åbo Akademi 1980. The central hospital of Turku, Turku University Hospital
, is affiliated with the University and it is used as a teaching hospital.
Turun ammattikorkeakoulu (Turku University of Applied Sciences
) is the second largest polytechnic in Finland after Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Also Novia University of Applied Sciences
and Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
have campuses in the town.
Turku is one of only two cities in Finland to have an established international school
(the other city being Helsinki). Turku International School
, located in the eastern district of Varissuo
, has been operating since 2003. By an agreement signed between the city of Turku and the University of Turku
, Turun normaalikoulu
takes care of the teaching in the international school.
, with a readership of over 70 % of the population every day. Åbo Underrättelser
, a Swedish language newspaper published in Turku, is the oldest newspaper in Finland, having been published since 1824. The free-of-charge Turkulainen newspaper is also among the most popular newspapers, together with the local edition of Metro International
and the national evening tabloid Ilta-Sanomat
. There are also a number of local newspapers such as Kulmakunta (for the eastern suburbs of Turku, including Varissuo and Lauste), and Rannikkoseutu (for the area around the neighbouring cities of Raisio and Naantali).
The first Finnish newspaper Tidningar Utgifne Af et Sällskap i Åbo, in Swedish, was started in Turku in 1771, as well as the first Finnish-language newspaper Suomenkieliset Tieto-Sanomat which was started in 1775.
The newspaper, Turun Sanomat, also operates a regional television
station, called Turku TV. The Finnish national broadcaster, Yleisradio
, screens local news, daily from Monday to Friday, for the Southwest Finland (including the regions of Finland Proper and Satakunta
) residents. All Finnish national TV channels are viewable and national radio channels audible in the Turku area. In addition, a number of local radio
stations, e.g. Auran Aallot, Radio Sata and Radio Robin Hood are operational. Local public service
radio stations are YLE Turun Radio in Finnish language (the regional version of YLE Radio Suomi) and YLE Radio Vega Åboland in Swedish language (the regional version of YLE Radio Vega
).
Cultural venues
in Turku include several theatre
s, cinemas
, and art galleries
, and a city philharmonic orchestra
. The city's cultural centre organises a number of regular events, most notably the Medieval Market
in July each year. Turku is also the official Christmas
city of Finland, and 'Christmas Peace' in Finland is declared on every 24 December from the Brinkkala Hall balcony. The Turku Music Festival
and the rock festival
Ruisrock
(held on the island of Ruissalo
) are among the oldest of its kind in Scandinavia
. The city also hosts another rock festival, Down by the Laituri
, and one of the largest electronic music festivals in Northern Europe, UMF (Uuden Musiikin Festivaali, "New Music Festival"), in addition to a vibrant nightlife, centred around the Market Square.
There are also numerous museum
s, such as the Turku Art Museum and the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art
. The Åbo Akademi University maintains the Sibelius museum, which is the only museum in Finland specialising in the field of music. Apart from these, there are also several historical museums that display the city's medieval period, such as the Turku Castle
, which has been a functional historical museum since 1881, and the Aboa Vetus museum, built in the late 1990s over the 14th century archaeological
site. The Luostarinmäki
handicrafts museum, converted from residential buildings that survived the Great Fire of Turku
in 1827, was the first Scandinavia
n venue to receive the "Golden Apple" tourism award.
Turku is European Capital of Culture
in 2011, and the city council has approved numerous projects to boost the city's image in preparation for that status.
The Declaration of Christmas Peace has been a tradition in Finland from the Middle Ages every year, except in 1939 due to the Winter War
. The declaration takes place on the Old Great Square of Turku
, Finland's official 'Christmas City', at noon on Christmas Eve. The declaration ceremony begins with the hymn Jumala ompi linnamme (Martin Luther
's Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott) and continues with the Declaration of Christmas Peace read from a parchment
roll in Finnish and Swedish.
and ice hockey
are the most popular sports in Turku.
The city has two football teams playing at the top national level, the Veikkausliiga
: FC Inter
and TPS
, which is one of the oldest football clubs in Finland. Both teams play their home matches at Veritas Stadion
in the district of Kupittaa
.
The local club TPS
plays at ice hockey's top level in Finland, the SM-liiga
, and is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, having won 11 championships, the most recent in the 2009-10 season. The team is based in Turkuhalli, to the southwest of the city centre. The city's other major ice hockey team is TuTo
, which plays at the country's second level. A new ice hockey arena was constructed for Tuto in Kupittaa Park in 2006.
The Paavo Nurmi Marathon
is an annual sporting event in Turku, named after the world-famous runner Paavo Nurmi
, who was born and raised in the city.
Finland's most successful tennis
player, Jarkko Nieminen
, was born and lives in the neighbouring county of Masku
Turku has also been the site of sporting history, as on June 21, 1954, it was in Turku where the Australian John Landy
became the second person to run the mile under four minutes.
Turku Titans is a lacrosse club based in Turku with a relevantly successful history with three silver medals and one gold medal in the national lacrosse league in Finland. The Titans women's team has also had a successful history. The FIL U19 2012 World Lacrosse Championships are also held in the city.
with:
Turku has co-operation agreements with the following cities:
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
at the mouth of the Aura River
Aura River
The Aura River is a river in south-western Finland. Its sources are in the town of Oripää, and it flows through Pöytyä, Aura and Lieto before discharging into the Archipelago Sea in the middle of the city of Turku. The total length of the river is about , and it contains eleven rapids, the biggest...
. It is located in the region of Finland Proper
Finland Proper
Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper, Ahvenanmaa and Uusimaa.- Municipalities :...
. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland. Turku quickly became the most important city in Finland and retained that status for hundreds of years until Finland became part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1809 and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
was transferred to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
in 1812. After that Turku continued to be the most populous city in Finland until the end of the 1840s. Today Turku remains a regional capital and is an important location for business and culture.
Because of its long history it has been the site of many important historical events and has extensively influenced Finnish history
History of Finland
The land area that now makes up Finland was settled immediately after the Ice Age, beginning from around 8500 BCE. Most of the region was part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the 13th century to 1809, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire, becoming the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland. The...
. For the year 2011, Turku has been designated to be the European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
together with Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, the capital city of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. In 1996 it was declared the official Christmas City of Finland.
Due to its location, Turku is a notable commercial and passenger seaport city with over three million passengers travelling through the Port of Turku
Port of Turku
The Port of Turku is a port located in the south-west of Finland, where the mainland meets the beginning of the Turku archipelago. Sited within Finland's fifth largest city, the port principally handles traffic between Turku and the Swedish capital of Stockholm and the enclaved Åland...
each year to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Mariehamn
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
.
As of , Turku’s population was , which makes it the fifth largest city in Finland by population. As of 31 August 2008 there were 303,492 inhabitants living in the Turku sub-region
Turku sub-region
The Turku Region , The City Region of Turku and Greater Turku all refer to regions of different size surrounding Turku, the capital city of the region of Finland Proper. The Turku Region is one of the Sub-regions of Finland. It is located in the southwest of Finland and the area has around...
, which makes it the third largest urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
in Finland after the Greater Helsinki
Greater Helsinki
Greater Helsinki and the smaller Helsinki Metropolitan Area or Capital Region refer to two regions of different size surrounding Helsinki, the capital of Finland...
area and Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
sub-region. The city is officially bilingual as percent of its population identify as speaking Swedish as a mother-tongue.
History
Turku has a long history as Finland's largest city and occasionally as the administrative center of the country, but has, over the last two centuries, lost both titles to HelsinkiHelsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. To this day, the city's identity stems from its status as the oldest city in Finland and the country's first capital. Originally, the word "Finland" referred only to the area around Turku (hence the title, "Finland Proper
Finland Proper
Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper, Ahvenanmaa and Uusimaa.- Municipalities :...
" for the region).
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, the town of Turku was founded in late 13th century. The Cathedral of Turku
Cathedral of Turku
Turku Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and the country's national shrine. It is the central church of the Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Archbishop of Finland, Kari Mäkinen...
was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in 1300, and together with Turku Castle
Turku Castle
Turku Castle is a monument of Finnish history situated in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. Turku Castle is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland and one of the largest surviving medieval...
and the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
(founded in 1249), established the city as the most important location in medieval Finland.
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Turku was the seat of the Bishop of Turku (a title later upgraded to Archbishop of Turku
Archdiocese of Turku
The Archdiocese of Turku, or the Archdiocese of Åbo is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The Archbishop has many administrative tasks relating to the National church, but he does not act as a supervisor for the other bishops, having...
), covering the then eastern half of Kingdom of Sweden (most of the present-day Finland) until the 17th century. Even if Turku had no official capital status, both the short-lived institutions of Dukes
Duke of Finland
Duke of Finland was an occasional medieval title granted as a tertiogeniture to the relatives of the King of Sweden between the 13th and 16th centuries. It included a duchy along with the feudal customs, and often meant a veritably independent principality...
and Governors-General of Finland usually had their Finnish residences there. In the aftermath of the War against Sigismund
War against Sigismund
The war against Sigismund was a war between Duke Charles, later King Charles IX and Sigismund, King of Sweden and Poland. Lasting from 1598 to 1599, it is also called War of Deposition against Sigismund, since the focus of the conflicts was the attempt to depose the latter from the throne of Sweden...
, the town was the site of the Åbo bloodbath
Åbo bloodbath
The Åbo Bloodbath of 10 November 1599 was a public execution in the Finnish town of Åbo , then part of the Kingdom of Sweden, in the context of the War against Sigismund and the Club War...
. In 1640, the first university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Finland, The Royal Academy of Turku
The Royal Academy of Turku
The Royal Academy of Turku was the first university in Finland, and the only university in present-day Finland to be founded when it was still a part of Sweden. In 1809, after Finland became a Grand Duchy under the suzerainty of the Russian Tzar, it was renamed the Imperial Academy of Turku...
, was founded in Turku. Turku was also the meeting place for the States of Finland in 1676.
After the Finnish War
Finnish War
The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire...
, which ended when Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
ceded Finland to Imperial Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
at the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, Turku became briefly the official capital, but soon lost the status to Helsinki, as Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
felt that Turku was too far from Russia and too aligned with Sweden to serve as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
. The change officially took place in 1812. The government offices that remained in Turku were finally moved to the new capital after the Great Fire of Turku
Great Fire of Turku
The Great Fire of Turku was a conflagration that is still the largest urban fire in the history of Finland and the Nordic countries. The fires started burning on 4 September 1827 in Burgher Hellman’s house on Aninkaistenmäki slightly before 9 p.m...
, which almost completely destroyed the city in 1827. After the fire, a new and safer city plan was drawn up by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Carl Ludvig Engel
Carl Ludvig Engel
Carl Ludvig Engel, or Johann Carl Ludwig Engel , was a German architect known for his neoclassical style. He had a great impact on the architecture of Finland in the first part of the 19th century....
, who had also designed the new capital, Helsinki. Turku remained the largest city in Finland for another twenty years.
In 1918, a new university, the Åbo Akademi – the only Swedish language
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
university in Finland – was founded in Turku. Two years later, the Finnish language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
was founded alongside it. These two universities are the second and third to be founded in Finland, both by private donations.
In the 20th century Turku was called "Finland's gateway to the West" by historians such as Jarmo Virmavirta. The city enjoyed good connections with other Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an countries and cities, especially since the 1940s with Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
across the Gulf of Bothnia
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...
. In the 1960s, Turku became the first Western city to sign a twinning
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
agreement with Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, leading to greater inter-cultural exchange and providing a new meaning to the city's 'gateway' function. After the fall of Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, many prominent Soviets came to Turku to study Western business practices , among them Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, then Leningrad's deputy mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
.
Name
The Finnish name Turku originates from an Old East Slavic word, tǔrgǔ, meaning "market placeMarket Place
Market Place is the financial programme broadcast Monday to Friday at 10:30pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl....
". The word turku still means "market place" in some idioms. The Swedish name Åbo seems easy to explain, as it contains the words å ("river") and bo ("nest, dwelling") which could mean something like "the house by the river". Etymologists think this explanation is probably false, as the name is old and there are no other similar names. There is however an old legal term called "åborätt" (meaning roughly "right to live at"), which gave citizens (called "åbo") the inheritable right to live at land owned by the crown.
Geography
Located at the mouth of the Aura riverAura River
The Aura River is a river in south-western Finland. Its sources are in the town of Oripää, and it flows through Pöytyä, Aura and Lieto before discharging into the Archipelago Sea in the middle of the city of Turku. The total length of the river is about , and it contains eleven rapids, the biggest...
in the southwestern corner of Finland, Turku covers an area of 245 square kilometres (94.6 sq mi) of land, spread over both banks of the river. The eastern side, where the Cathedral of Turku is located, is popularly referred to as täl pual jokke ("this side of the river"), while the western side is referred to as tois pual jokke ("the other side of the river"). The city centre is located close to the river mouth, on both sides of the river, though development has recently been expanding westward.
There are nine bridges over the Aura river in Turku. The first bridge in the city area, nowadays known as Pennisilta, was built in 1414, and has since been demolished. The oldest of the current bridges is Auransilta, which was constructed in 1904. The newest bridge is Teatterisilta ('theatre bridge'), a pedestrian-only bridge built in 1997. One of the best-known landmarks of Turku is the Föri, a small ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
that transports pedestrians and bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s across the river without payment.
With a population of approximately 300,000 , the Turku Region
Turku sub-region
The Turku Region , The City Region of Turku and Greater Turku all refer to regions of different size surrounding Turku, the capital city of the region of Finland Proper. The Turku Region is one of the Sub-regions of Finland. It is located in the southwest of Finland and the area has around...
(LAU
Local administrative unit
Generally, a local administrative unit is a low level administrative division of a country, ranked below a province, region, or state. Not all countries describe their locally governed areas this way, but it can be descriptively applied anywhere to refer to counties, municipalities, etc.In the...
1) is the third largest urban region in Finland, after Greater Helsinki
Greater Helsinki
Greater Helsinki and the smaller Helsinki Metropolitan Area or Capital Region refer to two regions of different size surrounding Helsinki, the capital of Finland...
and the area around Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
. The region includes, in addition to the city itself the following municipalities: Askainen
Askainen
Askainen is a former municipality of Finland. Together with Lemu, it was consolidated with Masku on January 1, 2009.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality had a population of 938 and covered an area of 61.52 km² of which...
, Kaarina
Kaarina
Kaarina is a small city and municipality of Finland.It is located in the Finland Proper region and is a neighbouring town of Turku, which is the capital of Finland Proper, therefore Kaarina is a part of the Greater Turku region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of...
, Lemu
Lemu
Lemu is a former municipality of Finland. Together with Askainen, it was consolidated with Masku on January 1, 2009.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality had a population of 1,603 and covered an area of 47.25 km² of which...
, Lieto
Lieto
Lieto is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Masku
Masku
Masku is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality, which is located just north of Turku, has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich...
, Merimasku
Merimasku
Merimasku is a former municipality of Finland. It was, together with Rymättylä and Velkua, consolidated with the town of Naantali on January 1, 2009.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region...
, Mynämäki
Mynämäki
Mynämäki is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, Naantali
Naantali
Naantali is a city in south-western Finland, known as one of the most important tourist centres of the country. The municipality has a population of , and is located in the region of Finland Proper, west of Turku....
, Nousiainen
Nousiainen
Nousiainen is a municipality of Finland. The seat of the bishop of Finland was in Nousis in the early 13th century.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of...
, Paimio
Paimio
Paimio is a town and a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, Piikkiö
Piikkiö
Piikkiö , is a former municipality of Finland. Piikkiö was consolidated with Kaarina on January 1, 2009.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality had a population of 6,836 and covered an area of 90.35 km² of which...
, Raisio
Raisio
Raisio is a town and municipality in south-western Finland and an important junction of major roads. The town has a population of and is located in the region of Finland Proper, neighbouring the region's capital, Turku...
, Rusko
Rusko
Rusko is a municipality of Finland.It is located in Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, Rymättylä
Rymättylä
Rymättylä is a former municipality of Finland. It was, together with Merimasku and Velkua, consolidated with the town of Naantali on January 1, 2009....
, Sauvo
Sauvo
Sauvo is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality had a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Vahto
Vahto
Vahto is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Rusko on January 1, 2009.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality had a population of 1,876 and covered an area of 77.10 km² of which 0.02 km² is water...
, and Velkua
Velkua
Velkua is a former municipality of Finland. It was, together with Merimasku and Rymättylä, consolidated with the town of Naantali on January 1, 2009....
.
A more exclusive definition for the urban area is the city region of Turku
Turku sub-region
The Turku Region , The City Region of Turku and Greater Turku all refer to regions of different size surrounding Turku, the capital city of the region of Finland Proper. The Turku Region is one of the Sub-regions of Finland. It is located in the southwest of Finland and the area has around...
with a population around 235,000 consisting of four major municipalities Kaarina, Raisio, Naantali and Turku.
Subdivisions
The city is divided into 78 districts and nine wards that do not function as local government units. There are, however, some projects that are based on the district divisions, particularly in the eastern part of the city, where unemployment is rife in certain areas. The largest populated districts are Varissuo and Runosmäki. By area, however, KakskertaKakskerta
Kakskerta is an island in the Archipelago Sea, south of the city of Turku, Finland. It is a former municipality and a current district of Turku. Like other islands in the Archipelago Sea, it has a large number of summer residences...
and Paattinen
Paattinen
Paattinen is a village in south-west Finland and a district of the city of Turku. It is located to the north of the city, and is the largest of the city's districts by area. It borders the neighbouring municipalities of Vahto, Nousiainen, Mynämäki, Pöytyä, Aura and Lieto...
, formed from former municipalities that were annexed to the city proper in the mid-20th century, constitute the largest districts.
As many of the small neighbouring municipalities from the north and south of the city were annexed during the mid-20th century, Turku is today shaped like an elongated pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
. The city centre and most of the suburban areas lie in the middle, separated from the less densely populated northern rural areas by the Turku bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
, that forms part of European route E18
European route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in the United Kingdom to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is about 1,890 km in length.-United Kingdom:...
. Islands such as Ruissalo
Ruissalo
Ruissalo is an island in the Archipelago Sea and a district of the city of Turku, Finland. The island is located to the south-west of the city, between Hirvensalo and Pansio in the mainland. It is rather sparsely populated, having a population of only 126 , with an annual growth rate of 3.97%...
, Hirvensalo
Hirvensalo
Hirvensalo is an island in the Archipelago Sea, belonging to the city of Turku, Finland. It is divided into 14 districts, the largest ones being Moikoinen, Kukola and Haarla. Most of the island's economic activity is concentrated on the suburb of Moikoinen, which has a school, shops, a Lutheran...
and Kakskerta
Kakskerta
Kakskerta is an island in the Archipelago Sea, south of the city of Turku, Finland. It is a former municipality and a current district of Turku. Like other islands in the Archipelago Sea, it has a large number of summer residences...
, forming the southern part of the city, are also sparsely populated and mostly contain summer residences, with the exception of some districts in Hirvensalo which are currently growing into upper-middle-class
Upper middle class
The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s.
Climate
Situated by the Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and sheltered by the islands of the Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters...
, Turku has a hemiboreal
Hemiboreal
Hemiboreal means halfway between the temperate and subarctic zones. The term is most frequently used in the context of ecosystems.-Botany:...
climate. Like much of southern Finland, the city experiences warm summers, with temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s ranging up to 30 °C (86 °F), and relatively cold winters with frequent snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
fall. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 17 °C (63 °F), whereas the coldest month is February. The average year-round temperature is 5 °C (41 °F). Winter usually starts in early December, and spring in late March.
Precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
in Turku averages 698 mm (27 in) a year. The rainiest month of the year is August, when the city receives on average 79 mm (3.1 in) of rainfall. In May, the driest month of the year, the figure is only 35 mm (1.4 in). The average air pressure at sea level is 101.2 kilopascals (29.9 inHg), with little variance throughout the year.
Operational since 1955, the city's weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
is located at an altitude of 47 metres (154 ft) at Turku Airport
Turku Airport
Turku Airport , is located in Turku, Finland, north of Turku city centre. It serves approximately 350,000 passengers per year, being the fourth busiest airport in Finland. Turku Airport is operated by a stated-owned company Finavia exclusively. The airport has a secondary passenger terminal...
.
Government and politics
Being both a regionalRegions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
and provincial
Provinces of Finland
The state of Finland consisted of six provinces between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces...
capital, Turku is an important administrative centre, hosting the seat of the Archbishop of Finland
Archdiocese of Turku
The Archdiocese of Turku, or the Archdiocese of Åbo is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The Archbishop has many administrative tasks relating to the National church, but he does not act as a supervisor for the other bishops, having...
and a Court of Appeal
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
. Mikko Pukkinen, the former city manager of Seinäjoki
Seinäjoki
Seinäjoki is a city located in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. Seinäjoki originated around the Östermyra bruk iron and gunpowder factories founded in 1798. Seinäjoki became a municipality in 1868, market town in 1931 and town in 1960...
, has been the city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
of Turku since 2006.
The city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
and city board have long been dominated by the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
(SDP) and the National Coalition Party
National Coalition Party (Finland)
The National Coalition Party is a liberal conservative political party in Finland founded in 1918.The National Coalition Party is one of the four largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the True Finns...
(Kokoomus/Samlingspartiet), with approximately equal representation. Currently, the council has 67 members, with 20 from Kokoomus and 15 from SDP. The other major parties in the council are the Green League
Green League
The Green League is a centrist green liberal political party in Finland. It has ten seats in the Finnish Parliament and two in the European Parliament. The current chairperson is Ville Niinistö....
(11 seats), the Left Alliance
Left Alliance (Finland)
The Left Alliance is a left-wing political party in Finland. It was founded on the basis of the Finnish People's Democratic League and the Communist Party of Finland in 1990....
(10 seats) and the Swedish People's Party (4 seats). The current chair of the city board is Aleksi Randell
Aleksi Randell
Aleksi Randell is a Finnish politician. He has served as the mayor of Turku since 2010. From 2003 to 2010 he served as the chairman of the municipal board in Turku...
from Kokoomus.
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
in Turku:
- National Coalition Party 23.7%
- Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party of FinlandThe Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
19.4% - True FinnsTrue FinnsTrue Finns or The Finns is a populist and nationalist political party in Finland, founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The head of the movement is Timo Soini. In the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election, The party won 19.1% of votes, becoming the third largest party...
15.8% - Left AllianceLeft Alliance (Finland)The Left Alliance is a left-wing political party in Finland. It was founded on the basis of the Finnish People's Democratic League and the Communist Party of Finland in 1990....
12.7% - Green LeagueGreen LeagueThe Green League is a centrist green liberal political party in Finland. It has ten seats in the Finnish Parliament and two in the European Parliament. The current chairperson is Ville Niinistö....
11.4% - Swedish People's Party 5.8%
- Centre PartyCentre Party (Finland)The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
4.7% - Christian DemocratsChristian Democrats (Finland)The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic political party in Finland. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League , the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament.The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian faction of...
3.1%
Transport
For a city of its size, Turku has a moderate public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
network of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
routes, which is comparable to bus network of similar-sized Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
. The bus network is managed and supervised by the City of Turku Public Transport Office , and is operated mainly by private companies. Regional buses are operated by private companies, most importantly TLO
TLO
TLO, or Turun linja-autoilijain osakeyhtiö is a group of bus companies and the main operator of the regional public transport in the region of Turku, Finland. TLO was founded in 1954 by over fifty private bus companies...
, with very frequent services especially to the neighbouring cities of Naantali, Raisio, and Kaarina.
Rail traffic to and from Turku is handled by the Finnish national carrier, VR. The number of services has fallen and only the railways towards Tampere and Helsinki are now in use. The railway stations currently used for passenger traffic are the Turku Central railway station
Turku Central railway station
The Turku Central railway station is a railway station in the VII District of Turku, Finland. It has VR services to Helsinki and towards Joensuu...
in Pohjola
Pohjola, Turku
Pohjola is a district of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located to the north of the city centre, between Ratapihankatu and Kähäri. Turku Central railway station is located in Pohjola, and about half of the district's land area is owned by the VR railway company.The current population of...
, and two smaller stations in Kupittaa
Kupittaa
Kupittaa is a district in Turku, Finland. It is located on the eastern side of the city's centre, around the Kupittaa Park, the first landscaped park in a Finnish city. The district serves as a centre for recreation and business...
and the Port of Turku
Port of Turku
The Port of Turku is a port located in the south-west of Finland, where the mainland meets the beginning of the Turku archipelago. Sited within Finland's fifth largest city, the port principally handles traffic between Turku and the Swedish capital of Stockholm and the enclaved Åland...
.
There is no local rail traffic at the moment, as the city's popular tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
services were discontinued in 1972, and the various local railway lines to neighbouring towns and municipalities were all abolished during the late 20th century. However, there are plans for a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system in the Turku region in the near future. This system would more ably serve major suburbs of the city such as Varissuo and Runosmäki, as well as the neighbouring cities.
The State of Finland has announced plans to support Espoo
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
with 30 % of full expenses on a new metro rail, the Regional Council of Southwest Finland is going to use this as a test case for a new light rail network in Turku.:
The Turku Bus Station and the Turku Central Railway Station
Turku Central railway station
The Turku Central railway station is a railway station in the VII District of Turku, Finland. It has VR services to Helsinki and towards Joensuu...
are currently located in different places. The City of Turku is planning to combine these two in a new greater station complex in the near future. This new travel center will consist of a hotel and several shopping estates. This center will connect all public transportation from commuter trains to long distance buses.
Turku Airport
Turku Airport
Turku Airport , is located in Turku, Finland, north of Turku city centre. It serves approximately 350,000 passengers per year, being the fourth busiest airport in Finland. Turku Airport is operated by a stated-owned company Finavia exclusively. The airport has a secondary passenger terminal...
is located eight kilometres to the north of the city centre, partly in the neighbouring municipality of Rusko
Rusko
Rusko is a municipality of Finland.It is located in Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
.
There are also daily ferry services from the Port of Turku
Port of Turku
The Port of Turku is a port located in the south-west of Finland, where the mainland meets the beginning of the Turku archipelago. Sited within Finland's fifth largest city, the port principally handles traffic between Turku and the Swedish capital of Stockholm and the enclaved Åland...
to Sweden and the Åland Islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
, operated by Silja Line
Silja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
, Viking Line
Viking Line
Viking Line is a Finnish shipping company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between Finland, the Åland Islands, Sweden and Estonia. Viking Line shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange...
and SeaWind Line
SeaWind Line
SeaWind Line was a subsidiary of the Finnish passenger shipping company Silja Line, later owned by the Estonian company Tallink. In 2010, the Sea Wind brand ceased to exist and the remaining ship, MS Sea Wind, was transferred to Tallink colours. MS Sea Wind is dedicated to cargo shipping only,...
. These are something of a Finnish cultural tradition (see ruotsinlaiva), and people often travel long distances across Finland to Turku just to take a cruise
Cruising (maritime)
Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...
across the Gulf of Bothnia.
The archipelago sea
Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters...
boat traffic is handled by, among others, S/S Ukkopekka. Old steamship cruise Turku-Naantali
Naantali
Naantali is a city in south-western Finland, known as one of the most important tourist centres of the country. The municipality has a population of , and is located in the region of Finland Proper, west of Turku....
-Turku.
Turku is the only city in Finland to have three long-distance railway stations: Turku Central
Turku Central railway station
The Turku Central railway station is a railway station in the VII District of Turku, Finland. It has VR services to Helsinki and towards Joensuu...
, Port of Turku
Port of Turku
The Port of Turku is a port located in the south-west of Finland, where the mainland meets the beginning of the Turku archipelago. Sited within Finland's fifth largest city, the port principally handles traffic between Turku and the Swedish capital of Stockholm and the enclaved Åland...
, and Kupittaa
Kupittaa railway station
Kupittaa railway station is located in the Kupittaa district of Turku, Finland. The station is located about three kilometres from the Turku Central railway station in the immediate vicinity of the Turku Science Park. All trains between Helsinki and Turku stop at Kupittaa. The station is part of...
.
Demographics
At the end of 2004 the Turku region (including the economic districts of Turku and Åboland) had a population of 319,632, out of which 174,824 people lived in the city of Turku. The city's population density is 718 inhabitants per square kilometre.89.4 % of Turku's population speak Finnish as their native language, while 5.2 % speak Swedish. The next most widely spoken languages are Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
(1.3 %), Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
(0.6 %), Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
(0.5 %), and Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
(0.4 %). 95.8 % of the population are Finnish citizens
Finnish nationality law
right|170pxCitizenship of Finland can be obtained on the basis of birth, marriage of parents, adoption, or the place of birth. In addition, it may be acquired by application or by declaration to authorities. Finnish citizenship acquisition is based primarily on the legal principle of jus sanguinis...
, and the most sizeable minorities are from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Like all other Finnish cities, Turku does not collect information about the ethnic and religious makeup of its population.
Famous people from the city of Turku include Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish runner. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finns," a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola, and others for their distinction in running...
, Mauno Koivisto
Mauno Koivisto
Mauno Henrik Koivisto is a Finnish politician who served as the ninth President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served as Prime Minister 1968–1970 and 1979–1982...
, Matti Salminen
Matti Salminen
Matti Salminen is a Finnish operatic bass singer, who has sung at all of the most important opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan and Bayreuth Festival....
, Johan Gadolin
Johan Gadolin
Johan Gadolin was a Finnish chemist, physicist and mineralogist. Gadolin discovered the chemical element yttrium...
, Herman Spöring, Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was selected in the fifth round, 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga...
and the brothers Saku
Saku Koivu
Saku Antero Koivu is a Finnish professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League . He began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995–96 after three seasons with TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga...
and Mikko Koivu
Mikko Koivu
Mikko Sakari Koivu is a Finnish professional ice hockey center and captain of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League...
. The Turku region has also brought forth many prominent personalities, including the marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
, Carl Gustaf Mannerheim
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
.
Economy
The business district in the city's economy is centred around the Port of Turku and other service-oriented industries. The city is also a renowned high-tech centre – the Turku Science ParkTurku Science Park
Turku Science Park is a community of businesses and educational establishments in the city of Turku, Finland. It focuses on development of the biotechnology and IT industries in southwestern Finland through cooperation of the different factors in the field. Its membership includes approximately 300...
area in Kupittaa hosts over 300 companies from the fields of biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, as well as several institutions of higher learning that work in closely with the business sector. This cooperative element is seen as a particularly important factor with regards to the city's expected future economic development, as outlined in the Turku Strategy that is published annually by the city council. Turku, with its good transportation network and close proximity to the Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea
Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters...
, is also an important centre for tourism, frequently hosting various conventions and exhibitions.
As of 2007, the city's unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
rate is 9.4 %. The problem of unemployment is however troublesome in the districts of Pansio
Pansio
Pansio is a district and a suburb of the city of Turku, Finland. It is located in the western part of the city. It has a population of 2,809 , and an annual population growth of -3.83%....
, Lauste
Lauste
Lauste is a district and a suburb of the city of Turku, Finland. It is located in the eastern part of the city, bordering the neighbouring city of Kaarina. It is rather densely populated, having a population of 3,405...
, and Varissuo, where it hovers at around 16 %.
The city collects an 18 per cent income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
(council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
) from its inhabitants, in addition to the progressively graduated taxation practised by the Finnish state. The total amount received through council tax in 2004 was projected at €400 million, a reduction of 1.0 per cent from the previous year.
Education
Turku has a longer educational history than any other Finnish city – the first school in the city, the Cathedral SchoolKatedralskolan i Åbo
Katedralskolan i Åbo is the Swedish-language senior high school of Turku, located at the Old Great Square ....
, was founded along with the Cathedral of Turku in the late 13th century. The first university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Finland, the "The Royal Academy of Turku
The Royal Academy of Turku
The Royal Academy of Turku was the first university in Finland, and the only university in present-day Finland to be founded when it was still a part of Sweden. In 1809, after Finland became a Grand Duchy under the suzerainty of the Russian Tzar, it was renamed the Imperial Academy of Turku...
" (now University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
), was established in the city in 1640. In 1820, the first school in Finland conforming to the Bell-Lancaster method
Bell-Lancaster method
The Monitorial System was an education method that became popular on a global scale during the early 19th century. This method was also known as "mutual instruction" or the "Bell-Lancaster method" after the British educators Dr Andrew Bell and Joseph Lancaster who both independently developed it...
was founded in Turku with the aim of making primary education more inclusive to the lower classes.
Turku is home to about 35,000 higher education students. There are two universities and several "ammattikorkeakoulu
Ammattikorkeakoulu
An ammattikorkeakoulu , abbreviated amk, is a Finnish institution of higher education.- Significance :...
" in the town.
The Finnish University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
is the second largest university in Finland (18,000 students), as measured by student enrollment, and one of the oldest as well, having been founded in 1920. Åbo Akademi, founded 1918 as the second university of Finland, is Finland's only Swedish-language university. Turun kauppakorkeakoulu (Turku School of Economics
Turku School of Economics
Turku School of Economics is a faculty of the University of Turku located in Turku, Finland. It was established as an independent higher education business school in 1950, until it was acquired by the state in 1977...
) merged with The University of Turku in 2010, Åbo handelshögskola, its Swedish counterpart, with Åbo Akademi 1980. The central hospital of Turku, Turku University Hospital
TYKS
Turku University Hospital is a hospital in Turku, Finland.-General information:The hospital serves as the central hospital for southwestern Finland. It is located near the city centre of Turku and the university, and has branches in the nearby towns of Raisio and Paimio...
, is affiliated with the University and it is used as a teaching hospital.
Turun ammattikorkeakoulu (Turku University of Applied Sciences
Turku University of Applied Sciences
Turku University of Applied Sciences is a multidisciplinary higher education institution, located in the city of Turku in . The institute began operations as a temporary polytechnic in autumn 1992...
) is the second largest polytechnic in Finland after Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. Also Novia University of Applied Sciences
Novia University of Applied Sciences
The Novia University of Applied Sciences is an institution of higher professional education in Finland. It offers Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in Swedish in Vaasa, Turku, Helsinki, Espoo, Raasepori, Pietarsaari and Uusikaarlepyy.The university was formed on August 1, 2008, by the...
and Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
Diaconia University of Applied Sciences
Diaconia University of Applied Sciences is a university of applied sciences in Finland. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland....
have campuses in the town.
Turku is one of only two cities in Finland to have an established international school
International school
An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national...
(the other city being Helsinki). Turku International School
Turku International School
Turku International School is an international school in Turku, Finland, located in the eastern district of Varissuo. It was established in August 2003, and is maintained by the City of Turku. Notably it doesn't have its own faculty, but teaching is undertaken by the University's teacher training...
, located in the eastern district of Varissuo
Varissuo
Varissuo is a district and the largest suburb of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located seven kilometres to the east of the city centre, and is the easternmost major suburb of Turku, bordering on the neighbouring city of Kaarina. Varissuo has 9,000 inhabitants, about 32 per cent of whom are...
, has been operating since 2003. By an agreement signed between the city of Turku and the University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
, Turun normaalikoulu
Turun normaalikoulu
Turun normaalikoulu is a school in Varissuo, an eastern suburb of Turku, Finland. It provides education from primary school to upper secondary school . The school is authorized by the International Baccalaureate to teach in both the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme...
takes care of the teaching in the international school.
Media
The most widely read newspaper of Turku, and the area around it, is the daily regional morning newspaper Turun SanomatTurun Sanomat
Turun Sanomat is the leading regional newspaper of the region of Finland Proper. It is published in the region's capital, Turku, and is read daily by about 280 000 people, or 70% of the inhabitants, in the city and its surrounding municipalities, making it the third most widely read morning...
, with a readership of over 70 % of the population every day. Åbo Underrättelser
Åbo Underrättelser
Åbo Underrättelser is a Swedish language newspaper published in Finland, published Tuesday through Saturday. Its headquarters are located in Turku...
, a Swedish language newspaper published in Turku, is the oldest newspaper in Finland, having been published since 1824. The free-of-charge Turkulainen newspaper is also among the most popular newspapers, together with the local edition of Metro International
Metro International
Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
and the national evening tabloid Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid size evening dailys and the second largest newspaper in the country...
. There are also a number of local newspapers such as Kulmakunta (for the eastern suburbs of Turku, including Varissuo and Lauste), and Rannikkoseutu (for the area around the neighbouring cities of Raisio and Naantali).
The first Finnish newspaper Tidningar Utgifne Af et Sällskap i Åbo, in Swedish, was started in Turku in 1771, as well as the first Finnish-language newspaper Suomenkieliset Tieto-Sanomat which was started in 1775.
The newspaper, Turun Sanomat, also operates a regional television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
station, called Turku TV. The Finnish national broadcaster, Yleisradio
Yleisradio
The Finnish Broadcasting Company , abbreviated to YLE , is Finland's national broadcasting company, founded in 1926. YLE is a public-broadcasting organization which shares many of its characteristics with its British counterpart, the BBC, on which it was largely modelled...
, screens local news, daily from Monday to Friday, for the Southwest Finland (including the regions of Finland Proper and Satakunta
Satakunta (region)
Satakunta is a region of Finland, part of the former Western Finland Province. It borders the regions of Finland Proper, Pirkanmaa, Southern Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia. The main city of the region is Pori. The name of the region literally means Hundred...
) residents. All Finnish national TV channels are viewable and national radio channels audible in the Turku area. In addition, a number of local radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
stations, e.g. Auran Aallot, Radio Sata and Radio Robin Hood are operational. Local public service
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
radio stations are YLE Turun Radio in Finnish language (the regional version of YLE Radio Suomi) and YLE Radio Vega Åboland in Swedish language (the regional version of YLE Radio Vega
YLE Radio Vega
Radio Vega is a Finnish radio channel broadcasting in the Swedish language with headquarters in Helsinki. It is a wide-ranging national public service broadcaster with both speech and voice based programming operated by Yleisradio...
).
Culture
Culture of Finland
The culture of Finland combines indigenous heritage, as represented for example by the country's Uralic national language Finnish, and the sauna, with common Nordic and European culture. Because of its history and geographic location Finland has been influenced by the adjacent areas' various...
in Turku include several theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
s, cinemas
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, and art galleries
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
, and a city philharmonic orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. The city's cultural centre organises a number of regular events, most notably the Medieval Market
Medieval Market of Turku
The Medieval Market of Turku is an annual historical reenactment event organised in the historic city centre of Turku, Finland. It involves a handicrafts market in period costume at the Old Great Square, one of the city's oldest market squares, as well as a number of different open-air...
in July each year. Turku is also the official Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
city of Finland, and 'Christmas Peace' in Finland is declared on every 24 December from the Brinkkala Hall balcony. The Turku Music Festival
Turku music festival
Turku Music Festival is the oldest continuously operating music festival in Finland. The festival was founded in 1960 by the Musical Society in Turku. The city festival offers audiences' big orchestral concerts, chamber music concerts, recitals, jazz, out-door events and concerts for the whole...
and the rock festival
Rock festival
A rock festival, or a rock fest, is a large-scale rock music concert, featuring multiple acts.The first rock festivals were put on in the late 1960s and were important socio-cultural milestones. In the 1980s a minor resurgence of festivals occurred with charity as the goal.Today, they are often...
Ruisrock
Ruisrock
Ruisrock is a rock festival held annually on the island of Ruissalo in Turku, Finland.Ruisrock, founded in 1970, is the second oldest rock festival in Europe and the oldest in Finland. The festival has attracted world-famous artists throughout its lifetime except in the turn of the 2000s, due to...
(held on the island of Ruissalo
Ruissalo
Ruissalo is an island in the Archipelago Sea and a district of the city of Turku, Finland. The island is located to the south-west of the city, between Hirvensalo and Pansio in the mainland. It is rather sparsely populated, having a population of only 126 , with an annual growth rate of 3.97%...
) are among the oldest of its kind in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. The city also hosts another rock festival, Down by the Laituri
Down By The Laituri
Down By The Laituri is a rock festival organized annually in the city of Turku, Finland since 1988. In the month of July, the festival is organized next to the river Aura in Turku's city center. In Finland, DBTL is the largest and oldest festival to be organized in a city center...
, and one of the largest electronic music festivals in Northern Europe, UMF (Uuden Musiikin Festivaali, "New Music Festival"), in addition to a vibrant nightlife, centred around the Market Square.
There are also numerous museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s, such as the Turku Art Museum and the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art
Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art
Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art or WAM for short, is an art museum in central Turku, Finland dedicated especially to modern art. The museum is located on the east bank of the Aura River. The permanent exhibition is based on the art collection of City of Turku, which includes a large collection of...
. The Åbo Akademi University maintains the Sibelius museum, which is the only museum in Finland specialising in the field of music. Apart from these, there are also several historical museums that display the city's medieval period, such as the Turku Castle
Turku Castle
Turku Castle is a monument of Finnish history situated in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. Turku Castle is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland and one of the largest surviving medieval...
, which has been a functional historical museum since 1881, and the Aboa Vetus museum, built in the late 1990s over the 14th century archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
site. The Luostarinmäki
Luostarinmäki
Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum is an open air museum in Turku, Finland. The museum consists of 18 blocks of original 18th century – early 19th century buildings on their original location. The area of the museum was the only old residential area left in 1940, when the museum was opened. The...
handicrafts museum, converted from residential buildings that survived the Great Fire of Turku
Great Fire of Turku
The Great Fire of Turku was a conflagration that is still the largest urban fire in the history of Finland and the Nordic countries. The fires started burning on 4 September 1827 in Burgher Hellman’s house on Aninkaistenmäki slightly before 9 p.m...
in 1827, was the first Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n venue to receive the "Golden Apple" tourism award.
Turku is European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
in 2011, and the city council has approved numerous projects to boost the city's image in preparation for that status.
The Declaration of Christmas Peace has been a tradition in Finland from the Middle Ages every year, except in 1939 due to the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
. The declaration takes place on the Old Great Square of Turku
Old Great Square (Turku)
The Old Great Square is a medieval market square located in the city centre of Turku, Finland. It is located in the II District in very close proximity to Turku Cathedral...
, Finland's official 'Christmas City', at noon on Christmas Eve. The declaration ceremony begins with the hymn Jumala ompi linnamme (Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott) and continues with the Declaration of Christmas Peace read from a parchment
Parchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
roll in Finnish and Swedish.
Sports
FootballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
are the most popular sports in Turku.
The city has two football teams playing at the top national level, the Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
: FC Inter
FC Inter
Football Club International Turku is a football club based in Turku, Finland. It was founded in 1990, and has played in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football since 1996. Together with TPS, it is one of the two teams from Turku playing in the Veikkausliiga...
and TPS
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...
, which is one of the oldest football clubs in Finland. Both teams play their home matches at Veritas Stadion
Veritas Stadion
Veritas Stadion is a football stadium in Turku, Finland. It is situated in the district of Kupittaa, in an area dedicated to sporting venues...
in the district of Kupittaa
Kupittaa
Kupittaa is a district in Turku, Finland. It is located on the eastern side of the city's centre, around the Kupittaa Park, the first landscaped park in a Finnish city. The district serves as a centre for recreation and business...
.
The local club TPS
TPS (ice hockey)
TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...
plays at ice hockey's top level in Finland, the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
, and is one of the most successful clubs in Finland, having won 11 championships, the most recent in the 2009-10 season. The team is based in Turkuhalli, to the southwest of the city centre. The city's other major ice hockey team is TuTo
TuTo
TuTo is a Finnish ice hockey team based at the new Kupittaan jäähalli , Turku. Established in 1929. TuTo plays in Turku, Finland, and is one of two clubs in that city . Full name of the club is TuTo Hockey...
, which plays at the country's second level. A new ice hockey arena was constructed for Tuto in Kupittaa Park in 2006.
The Paavo Nurmi Marathon
Paavo Nurmi Marathon (Turku)
The Paavo Nurmi Marathon is an annual marathon road running race held during summer in Turku, Finland, the birth city of Paavo Nurmi. Although various marathons have been held in Turku since 1910, the Paavo Nurmi Marathon was established in 1992. It is arranged along with Paavo Nurmi Games, a part...
is an annual sporting event in Turku, named after the world-famous runner Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish runner. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finns," a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola, and others for their distinction in running...
, who was born and raised in the city.
Finland's most successful tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player, Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
, was born and lives in the neighbouring county of Masku
Masku
Masku is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Finland Proper region. The municipality, which is located just north of Turku, has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich...
Turku has also been the site of sporting history, as on June 21, 1954, it was in Turku where the Australian John Landy
John Landy
John Michael Landy, AC, CVO, MBE is an Australian former Olympic track athlete. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run, and he held the world records for the 1500 metre run and the mile race...
became the second person to run the mile under four minutes.
Turku Titans is a lacrosse club based in Turku with a relevantly successful history with three silver medals and one gold medal in the national lacrosse league in Finland. The Titans women's team has also had a successful history. The FIL U19 2012 World Lacrosse Championships are also held in the city.
Twin towns — sister cities
Turku is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
|
 CologneCologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the... in Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... (since 1967) Szeged ' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary.... in Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... (since 1971)  BratislavaBratislava Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava... in Slovakia Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... (at the time Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... ) (since 1976)  FlorenceFlorence Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area.... in Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... (since 1992)  TianjinTianjin ' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government... in People's Republic of China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... (since 2000) Tartu Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the... in Estonia Estonia Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... (since 2008) |
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Turku has co-operation agreements with the following cities:
-
TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
in EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
(co-operation agreement) -
KuressaareKuressaareKuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706 Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706...
in EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
(co-operation agreement)
Sources
- Turku at EuroWeather.
External links
- The city's official website at http://www.turku.fi/.
- The website of the tourist organisation Turku TouRing at http://www.turkutouring.fi/.
- Kuntaliitto (2005). Aluetietopankki. Retrieved 13 January 2006.
- Turun kaupungin viestintäkeskus (2005). Kunnalliskertomus 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2005.
- Turun kaupunki (2005). Turun kaupungin tilastollinen vuosikirja. Retrieved 11 August 2005.
- Turun kaupunginvaltuusto (2004). Talousarvio 2005. Retrieved 21 August 2005.
- Turun Sanomat (2004). Tutkimus: lehtien lukijapeitot. Retrieved 21 August 2005.
- Turku – Finland's official Christmas City
- Map of Turku
- Turku Archipelago – "The world's most beautiful archipelago"
- Local weather in Turku from the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
- Turun Sanomat – The city's most widely read newspaper
- Radio Robin Hood
- Unikankare – A culture Online magazineOnline magazineAn online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
based in Turku