Living History in Turku
Old Buildings and Handcraft Museum Promote Poking in Finland' s Past
Aug 18, 2007
The people of Turku don't know exactly when their town was born. As a result, its history is reckoned from 1229, the year in which Pope Gregory IX gave permission to move the bishopric, which had been built in Nousiainen 74 years previously, to a location on the River Aura.
The two most important medieval buildings in the town, which is about 100 miles from Helsinki, are Turku Cathedral and the Castle. The oldest parts of the cathedral, Finland's national shrine, date to the 13th century. During summer, Tuesday evening concerts featuring guest artists from Italy, Sweden Switzerland and Germany are held in this historic building.
Castles and Cottages
The Castle, a massive hulk of gray stone, is typical of Scandinavian fortresses in that it is an extremely compact, blockhouse kind of fortification, without the turrets and crenellations one associates with castles in Scotland, Germany and countries farther south. Medieval banquets are occasionally held in the castle, including the Commoners Feast on Saturday nights in July and Duke John's Feast in August.
Though only a few of the points of interest in a walking tour brochure put out by the Turku Tourist Board date back to medieval times, the route passes by the Town Hall dating from 1736 and Brinkkala House, mentioned in chronicles of the 15th century. It is from Brinkkala House that the traditional Christmas proclamation, exhorting the citizens to keep the peace over the festive season, is read each year.
Luostarinmake Handicrafts Museum
The reason you'll not see many medieval buildings built on the grand scale is that very few large buildings and only a few blocks of craftsmen's houses on the outskirts of town were left standing after the disastrous fire of 1827. These humble buildings, however, more than make up for the lack of medieval showplaces. Since 1940, this area on the southern slope of Vartiovuori Hill where artisans such as stonecutters and masons had originally lived, has been open to the public. It's called the Luostarinmaki Handicrafts Museum and contains some 30 different workshops.
In one room, two women in the dress of bygone days roll cigarettes made from tobacco grown outside the tobacco "factory" doors. In another, a seamstress sews and repairs the staff's traditional costumes. A man in peasant-style blue shirt and trousers makes a saddle. Women weave bright colored ribbons. You can buy most of the wares -- pottery gnomes, candlesticks and pitchers -- that are produced at the museum.
Plan to spend at least half a day at Luostarinmaki, so that you can have time to watch the glove maker, the furrier, the violin maker; the copper smith, the baker and the weavers at work. A brass foundry as well as book binder's, pipe maker's and lace maker's shops are among the other interesting business places. And do investigate the buildings' courtyards, where you'll see wooden ladders leading to the thatched roofs, barrels of water for putting out fires and other necessities of everyday life.
Some of the homes are furnished as they would have been in the years during which they were occupied. At Christmas time, the tables in the various houses are laid with holiday fare typical of the period. In the sailor's home, there's snaps and beer, fresh bread and butter, cheese, salad and a large bowl of barley porridge so that everyone would have plenty to eat.
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