Turku Castle (, ) is a medieval structure in the city of

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Together with

Turku Cathedral Turku Cathedral (, ) is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Turku, Arch ...

, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. It is also the largest surviving medieval building in Finland. It was founded in the late 13th century and stands on the banks of the Aura River. The castle served as a

bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

and administrative center in the historical region of

until the early 19th century. It played a role in power struggles within

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...

and stood sieges, with additional battles fought outside its walls. The castle was at its peak in the mid-16th century, during the reign of

Duke John of Finland John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...

and Catherine Jagellon. It lost its status as an administrative center in the 17th century, after Per Brahe's period as governor-general of Finland came to an end. Turku Castle is Finland's most visited museum. Visitations reach well over 100,000 people annually. Some of the rooms in the castle are used for municipal functions. The castle was the center of the historical province of Finland Proper, and the administrative center of all of Finland.

History

The construction of the fort began at around the year 1280.

Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...

stationed in the region constructed it as a military

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

and outpost. The fort's defenses were bolstered and living quarters constructed during the following two centuries. The castle served as a defensive structure and administrative center in Österland, which was the name of the region known today as Finland, until the end of the 15th century. The main part of the castle was extended considerably during the 16th century, after

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

had ascended to the Swedish throne. His son,

John III of Sweden John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...

, was the head of the administration and duke of Finland at that time. The castle was generally improved upon during this time, with an addition of a tower at the southeast corner of the castle. These were the last additions to the main structure of the castle, and all work on the castle since then has focused on repairs and reconstruction. Between 1395 to 1398, Turku Castle may have been used as a base of operations by the

Victual Brothers The Victual Brothers () were a loosely organized guild of privateers who later turned to piracy. They affected maritime history, maritime trade during the 14th century in both the North Sea, North and Baltic Sea, Baltic Seas. They were initially ...

, a band of privateers turned pirates, invited there by the chief of the castle, due to some larger international political intrigue and allegiances concerning trade in the Baltic Sea. In Paulus Juusten's episcopal chronicle, it is said that at the turn of the 15th century, pirates were causing havoc in and around the Turku archipelago. They looted the

, a historical building in the center of Turku, also on the Aura river. It is on the opposite side of the town away from the sea. The cathedral is open for guided tours and unguided visitations. The castle was at its peak in the mid-16th century, during the reign of

and Catherine Jagellon. They constructed the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

Floor and the King's and Queen's hall, along with some other new features. In 1573 to 1577, the deposed Swedish Queen

Karin Månsdotter Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first the Mistress (lover), mistress and then the queen consort of King Erik XIV of Sweden. Early life Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later pri ...

was kept prisoner there. In 1614, a great fire destroyed the wooden structures of the old parts of the castle almost completely. King

Gustav II Adolf Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

was at the castle for a visit. After the fire, the main castle structure was largely abandoned and used as storage. In the 18th century, the Renaissance bailey functioned as an administrative center, with the old main structure abandoned and in disrepair. The castle housed the provincial government after a period of turmoil called the Greater Wrath. The castle was used as a prison from the 18th to the end of the 19th century. During the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

between Sweden and Russia (1808-1809), the castle was used by the Russian Navy. It was later handed back to the Finnish regional authorities, as the Grand Duchy of Finland was granted larger autonomy by the Tzar of Russia. In 1881, the Turku Historical Museum gained control of the castle. Finland gained full independence at the end of 1917, and thus the republic of Finland gained ownership of the castle. The

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...

of the castle began before the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. As Finland was drawn into conflict in the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

(1939), and then the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

(1941 to 1944), the renovation project was halted. The renovation was continued after the wars ended. The castle was damaged during the Continuation War by Soviet incendiary bombardment. The castle was fully restored in 1987. Responsibility over the now restored castle was handed over to the City of Turku on October 12, 1993. The city is currently entrusted with all Turku Castle related events and administration, on behalf of the government of Finland. Since then, the castle has been a historical museum and it functions as part of the Turku Provincial Museum. The old part of the castle holds the

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

rooms and a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

for the local congregation. The castle courtyard hosts a restaurant and a souvenir shop. Turku castle is one of Finland's most visited historical attractions and museums. Entrance to the inner castle is not free. Tickets are sold at a lowered price to pensioners, children, and the unemployed. The tickets cost under 20€, as of summer 2024. There is a public park surrounding the castle.

Structure

The layout of the castle consists of the Medieval

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

(''päälinna'') and the Renaissance bailey (''esilinna''). The keep consists of a square fort, with two square gateway towers. The walls are at the base. In the Middle Ages the castle was surrounded by a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

, conjoining it with the River Aura. The castle was basically an island. The keep was finalized in the early 15th century. Construction of the bailey began in the late 15th century. It was finished in the 16th century. The bailey is not as fortified as the keep, but it boasts several turrets. The Renaissance construction work included heavy modifications of nearly all the rooms in the old part of the castle. Since the Renaissance, no additions have been made to the main structur, or functionality and appearance of the castle.

Castellans

Various castellans, bailiffs, military commanders, governors who held Turku Castle in the Middle Ages: * 1280s: Carolus Gustavi * 1300s (early): Nils Andersson and Harald Torsteinsson * 1315–22: Lyder van Kyren, from Holstein * 1324–26: Matts Kettilmundsson (concentrated commerce in Turku, brought a courtly and knightly culture) * 1326: Karl Näskonungsson * 1340: Dan Nilsson * 1348 (circa): Gerhard Skytte * 1358: Nils Turesson Bielke * 1359: King Magnus IV, represented by Bishop Hemming * 1360 (circa): Narve Ingevaldsen from Norway * 1375: Bo Jonsson Grip, died 1386 * 1387: Jeppe Abrahamsson Djäkn * 1395: Knut Bosson (Grip) * 1399: the Union monarchs (

Margaret I of Denmark Margaret I (; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for ...

Eric of Pomerania Erik of Pomerania ( 1381/1382 – 24 September 1459) ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was initially co-ruler with his great-aunt Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret I until her death in 1412. Erik is known as Erik III as King of ...

) * 1411: Klaus Lydekesson Djäkn * 1435: Hans Kröpelin * 1441: Karl Knutsson (the future

Charles VIII of Sweden Karl Knutsson Bonde ( 1408–1470), also known as Charles VIII and called Charles I in Norwegian contexts, was King of Sweden (1448–1457, 1464–1465 and 1467–1470) and King of Norway (1449–1450). He rose in Swedish politics beca ...

) * 1457–63: Kristofer Bengtsson Oxenstierna * 1465: Erik Axelsson Tott * 1469: Sten Sture the Elder * 1499: Magnus Frille (appointed by King Hans) * 1501: Sten Sture the Elder * 1503: Svante Nilsson * 1512: Kristofer Klasson Horn

In popular culture

The Turku Castle is the setting for the fairy tale '' The Tomten in Åbo Castle'', written by Zachris Topelius in 1849. Turku Castle was badly damaged during the time the story was written. Following the release of the fairy tale, there were calls for the restoration of the castle. The walls of the castle and the castle itself are featured in many Finnish films like the adventure film '' Sadan miekan mies'' from 1951, directed by Ilmari Unho, and a drama film '' The Girl King'' from 2015, directed by

Mika Kaurismäki Mika Juhani Kaurismäki (; born 21 September 1955) is a Finnish film director. Early life and education Mika Kaurismäki was born in Orimattila. He is the elder brother of Aki Kaurismäki. After high school, Kaurismäki worked as a painter of ...

.Kupila, s. 90

Gallery

File:Åbo Slott - Johan Knutson - Finland framställdt i teckningar - 1.jpg, The castle drawn by Johan Knutson and published in in 1845 File:Pulpit, Turunlinna.jpg File:Turku Castle 1941.jpg File:Åbo slott 1900..jpg File:Turku castle inside 3.jpg File:Turku castle inside 2.jpg File:Entering the Turku castle.jpg File:Turku Castle 1.jpg

References

* Turku Castle, Guide to the Main Castle. Turku Provincial Museum. Translated by Christopher Grapes. Jyväskylä: Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy, 1996. .

External links

Website of Turku Castle

Medieval castles in Finland

of the castle (in Finnish)
Turku Castle – photos

The Association of Castles and Museums around the Baltic Sea
{{Finnish castles Buildings and structures in Turku Castles in Finland Museums in Turku Historic house museums in Finland