Turku

Turku(/ˈtʊərkuː/TOOR-koo;Finnish:[ˈturku];Swedish:Åbo,Finland Swedish:[ˈoːbu]) is a city inFinlandand the regional capital ofSouthwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of theRiver Aura. The population of Turku is approximately 206,000, while themetropolitan areahas a population of approximately 316,000. It is the 6th most populousmunicipalityin Finland, and the third most populousurban areain the country afterHelsinkiandTampere.
Turku is Finland's oldest city.It is not known when Turku was grantedcity status. PopeGregory IXfirst mentioned the town ofAboain hisBullain 1229, and this year is now used as the founding year of the city.Turku was the most important city in the eastern part of theKingdom of Sweden(today's Finland). After theFinnish War, Finland became anautonomous Grand Duchyof theRussian Empirein 1809, and Turku became the capital of the Grand Duchy. However, Turku lost its status as capital only three years later in 1812,whenTsarAlexander I of Russiadecided to move the capital toHelsinki. It was only after the lastgreat fire in 1827that most government institutions were moved to Helsinki along with theRoyal Academy of Turku, founded in 1640, which later became theUniversity of Helsinki, thus consolidating Helsinki's position as the new capital. Turku was Finland's most populous city until the late 1840s and remains the regional capital, an important business and cultural centre, and a port.
Due to its longhistory, Turku has been the site of many important events and, as a former capital, has had a major influence onFinnish history. Together withTallinn, the capital ofEstonia, Turku was namedEuropean Capital of Culturefor 2011. In 1996, the city of Turku was declared the "Christmas City" of Finland.Turku has also been officially declared the Food Capital of Finland,as it is home to some of Finland's oldest and highest quality restaurants, as well as a historically famousfish marketheld twice a year.Turku'scanteenandcaféculture has often been compared toFrench food culture, which is why Turku is also known as the "Paris of Finland",hence the Swedish saying:"Varför Paris, vi har ju Åbo!"("Why Paris, we have Turku!").
Turku is abilingualmunicipality withFinnishandSwedishas its official languages. The population consists of79% Finnish speakers,5% Swedish speakers, and15% speakers of other languages, which is well above the national average.
Due to its location, thePort of Turkuis an important commercial and passengerseaport, with over three million passengers travelling toStockholmandMariehamneach year.
The Finnish nameTurkuoriginates from Swedish and Russian. The first information about the wordtoridates back to the 16th century and was borrowed from Sweden (cf.Swedish:torg, "market"). In Sweden, the word is not original, but borrowed from anOld East Slavicword,tǔrgǔ, which in modern Russian meansmarket place,hagglingor trading. However, the old Russian word also passed directly into the Finnish language and took the formturku. Today the word is only used inidioms, but already in the Middle Ages the word gradually came to mean the town name Turku.
The Swedish nameÅbomay be a simple combination ofå("river; creek; large stream") andbo("dwelling"). There is however an old legal term called "åborätt[sv]" (meaning roughly "right to live at"), which gave citizens (called "åbo") the inheritable right to live at land owned by the crown (åmeantatoronin old Swedish, nowpå).
InFinnish, thegenitiveofTurkuisTurun, meaning "of Turku". The Finnish names of organizations and institutes of Turku often begin with this word, as inTurun yliopistofor theUniversity of Turku.
Turku has a long history asFinland's largest city and occasionally as the administrative center of the country, but for the last two hundred years has been surpassed byHelsinki. The city's identity stems from its status as the oldest city in Finlandand the country's first capital.Originally, the word "Finland" referred only to the area around Turku (hence the title, "Finland Proper" for the region).
Settlement in the Turku area is relatively recent, as the Southwestern Finland remained below sea level for an extended period due to theIce Age. Due totectonic uplift, the Turku region transformed from an outlyingarchipelagoto a shoreline during 3000-2000 BCE. The area was densely populated during theIron Ageas it was the most important agricultural region in the region.Ancient cemeteries dating from 550 to 1150 have been discovered in the region. Some cemeteries were utilized during the initial migratory phase, while some were solely utilized during the Viking Age, and others were established in the 12th century. There are also remains of houses and villages and old forts from the late Iron Age.
According to legend, the Englishbishop Henrybaptised the first Finns into Christianity in 1150. However, the first Christian graves date from the 10th and 11th centuries, and the first archaeological evidence of a church dates from the 12th century.In the 11th century, the Turku region began to develop as a port.The oldest known road,Hämeen härkätie, connected to region and theOld Castle of LietotoTavastiain the 9th century at the latest.Early literary sources such asAl-Idrisi's world map from 1154mentions Turku.
According to the permission granted byPope Gregory IXon 23 January 1229,the episcopal seat was moved fromNousiainentoKoroinen, which is located near the current center of Turku.There is nothing to suggest that the actual city of Turku still existed at this point; however, the city was not founded on uninhabited land, but there were fields and probably also a peasant village.Since no reliable document has survived about the year of the city's founding, it has also been speculated that the city was founded in the 1280s or 1290s by the joint initiative of the king, the bishop, and theDominican Convent of Saint Olaf[sv], which itself was founded in 1249.
Turku Cathedralwasconsecratedin 1300.During theMiddle Ages, Turku was the seat of theBishop of Turku(a title later upgraded toArchbishop of Turku), covering then the eastern half of the Kingdom of Sweden (most of the present-day Finland) until the 17th century. Even if Turku had no official capital status, it was for a long time the most important city in Finland as part of the trade and shipping of theHanseatic League. In the 14th century, two-thirds of the city's burghers were German, but gradually the proportion of domestic burghers increased.In addition to the ecclesiastical authority, the onlylawspeakersin Finland operated in Turku, and from the 15th century to the 16th century, the court exercising the country's highest judicial power, theLand Court of Turku[sv], met in the city.
At the beginning of the 16th century, in connection with the disputes of theKalmar Union, the Danes destroyed the city twice, in 1509 under the leadership of AdmiralOtte Rudand in 1522 under the leadership of AdmiralSøren Norby,untilErik Fleming's troops expelled the Danes from Finland in 1523.After the beginning of peace,Gustav Vasa, who had just become king, thoroughly got to know different parts of his kingdom, the center of the king's first visit to Finland being Turku Castle, where he lived during his visit.The new king also brought with him the religiousreformation, and the first to preach the new doctrine wasPetrus Särkilahti.Särkilahti's studentMikael Agricola, who is known as the "father of Finnish literary language", continued the religious reform first as the headmaster of the cathedral school and later as the Bishop of Turku.Duke John (laterJohn III), the son of Gustav Vasa, received the title ofDuke of Finlandand ruled his territory from Turku Castle before becoming next king of Sweden after his brother,Eric XIV.
In the aftermath of theWar against Sigismund, the city was the site of theÅbo Bloodbath.After that, the 17th century began as more peaceful period for Turku, when the focus was mainly on emphasizing Turku's position as the center of a wide area by establishing numerous new administrative and school institutions. In 1640, the first university in Finland, theRoyal Academy of Turku, was founded in Turku by order ofQueen Christina.This project was also supported by CountPer Brahe, theGovernor General of Finland,andIsaacus Rothovius, the Bishop of Turku.Turku was also the meeting place for theStates of Finlandin 1676.
After theFinnish War, Sweden ceded Finland toImperial Russiaat theTreaty of Fredrikshamnin 1809. There was no resistance of any kind in Turku when the Russians marched into the city in October 1809 in connection with the Finnish War. Despite the occupation, life in Turku continued peacefully. The Court of Appeal of Turku continued its session when the Russians arrived, and later in the springJacob Tengström, theArchbishop of Turku and Finland, and the teaching staff of the Turku Academy swore an oath of loyalty to their new ruler.
Turku became briefly the official capital,but soon lost the status to Helsinki, as EmperorAlexander Ifelt that Turku was too far from Russia and too aligned with Sweden to serve as the capital of theGrand 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 theGreat Fire of Turku, which destroyed a large portion of the city in 1827.After the fire, a new and safer city plan was drawn up by German architectCarl Ludvig Engel, who had also designed the new capital, Helsinki.The new city plan, based on a regulargrid plan, was more spacious and fire-safe than before,and after the reconstruction, Turku was one of the most unified architecture in Europe.Turku remained the largest city in Finland for another twenty years.
In the middle of the 19th century, Turku was, after Helsinki, the most important craft city in Finland, but theIndustrial Revolutionwithsteamandelectric machineswas experienced in Turku only around 1900. TheFirst World Warprovided a boost to the city's industry, as the export difficulties affected thewood industry, which Turku didn't have much of, and it was easy to get much-needed raw materials from neutral Sweden.
In 1918, a new university, theÅbo Akademi– the onlySwedish-languageuniversity in Finland – was founded in Turku.Two years later, theFinnish-languageUniversity of Turkuwas 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 asJarmo Virmavirta[fi].The city enjoyed good connections with other Western European countries and cities, especially since the 1940s withStockholmacross theGulf of Bothnia. In the 1960s, Turku became the first Western city to sign atwinningagreement withLeningradin theSoviet Union, leading to greater inter-cultural exchange and providing a new meaning to the city's 'gateway' function. After thefall of communismin Russia, many prominent Soviets came to Turku to study Western business practices, among themVladimir Putin, then Leningrad's deputy mayor.
As for architecture in the city, both the body of architectural styles as well as the prevalent way of living have experienced significant changes in the 20th century. While having survived relatively intact throughout the years of war 1939–1945, the city faced increasing changes in the 1950s and 1960s due to rising demands for apartments, the eagerness to rebuild, and most of all the new development of infrastructure (especially increased automobile traffic). The wooden one- to two-story houses that were the dominant mode of building in the city were mostly demolished in the 1950s and 1960s to both enable more efficient building and to ease vehicle traffic. This resulted in the destruction of buildings that were, in later decades, seen as beautiful and worth saving. Some individual buildings remain controversial to this day when it comes to their demolition in the decades after the war. For example, the building ofHotel Phoenix[fi]that stood on corner of theMarket Squarewas torn down to make way for a large, multistory apartment building in 1959. The building was significant both for its location and history: having stood on one of the most valuable lots in the city center since 1878, the building had, for example, served as the first main building of the University of Turku. Other buildings whose demolition was seen as scandalous, either already at the time of action or proved to be so in later years, includeThe Nobel House[fi](subject of the very first photograph ever taken in Finland) and the building ofOld Hotel Börswhich was built in jugendstil in 1909 byFrithiof Strandell[fi].
Situated at the mouth of theAura Riverin the south-western corner of Finland, Turku covers an area of 245 square kilometres (95 sq mi) on both banks of the river. The eastern side, whereTurku Cathedralis located, is the older and original centre. It is popularly known astäl pual jokke("this side of the river"). The western side, whereTurku Castleis located, is the newer part. It is calledtois pual jokke("the other side of the river").In modern times, both banks of the Aura River are equally thecentre of the city.
There are ten bridges over the Aura river in Turku. The oldest of the current bridges isAuransilta[fi], which was constructed in 1904. The newest bridge isKirjastosilta[fi]('library bridge'), a pedestrian-only bridge built in 2013.TheFöri, a small ferry that transports pedestrians and bicycles across the river without payment, is a well known feature of the city.
The city is divided into 78 districts and ninewards.These do not operate as units of local government. However, some social programmes are district-based, especially in the eastern part of the city, where unemployment is high in some areas. The largest populated districts areVarissuoandRunosmäki. By area,KakskertaandPaattinenare the largest districts.
As many of the small neighbouringmunicipalitiesfrom 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 Turkubypass, that forms part ofEuropean route E18. Islands such asRuissalo,HirvensaloandKakskerta, 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 intoupper-middle-classsuburbs.
Situated by theBaltic Seaand sheltered by the islands of theArchipelago Sea, Turku has ahumid continental climate(KöppenDfb). Like much of southern Finland, the city experiences warm summers, with temperatures ranging up to 30 °C (86 °F), and relatively cold winters with frequent snowfall. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 17.5 °C (64 °F), whereas the coldest month is February. The average year-round temperature is around 6.0 °C (43 °F). Winter usually starts in early December, and spring in late March.
Precipitationin Turku averages 720 mm (28.3 in) a year. The rainiest month of the year is August, when the city receives on average 80 mm (3.1 in) of rainfall. In April, the driest month of the year, the figure is only 32 mm (1.3 in). The averageair pressureat sea level is 101.2 kilopascals (29.9 inHg), with little variance throughout the year.
Operational since 1955, the city'sweather stationis located at an altitude of 47 metres (154 feet) atTurku Airport.The weather in the city itself is affected by the proximity of the sea, so the wintertime temperatures are often milder than those measured at the airport. The moderating impact of the sea helps oak maple and ash trees, which are quite rare elsewhere in Finland, to thrive by the areas along the shoreline and in the archipelago.
The city of Turku has 206,035 inhabitants, making it the 6th most populous municipality in Finland. TheTurku metropolitan areahas a population of 315,509, and the largerTurku sub-regionhas a population of 351,414. This is making it the third largest region in Finland afterHelsinkiandTampere. Turku is home to 4% of Finland's population. 15.6 per cent of the population has a foreign background, which is almost twice as high as the national average. However, it is lower than in the major Finnish cities ofHelsinki,EspooorVantaa.
The city's population density is 794.4 inhabitants per square kilometre. The median age in the city is 42.1, lower than the national average of 43.6.
The city of Turku is officiallybilingual, with bothFinnishandSwedishas official languages. As of 2023, the majority of the population - 160,008 people or79.3% - spoke Finnish as their first language. There are 10,981Swedish speakersin Turku, or5.4% of the population.As both English and Swedish are compulsory school subjects, functional bilingualism or trilingualism acquired through language studies is not uncommon.15.3% of the population of Turku have amother tongueother than Finnish or Swedish.
More than a hundred different languages are spoken as mother tongues in Turku, and citizens from more than 130 countries live in the city. The people of Turku also represent all major religions. The most commonly spoken foreign languages are Russian (1.8%),Arabic(1.7%),Albanian(1.2%),Kurdish(1.2%) andSomali(0.9%).
As of 2023, there were 31,589 people with a migrant background living in Turku, or 15.6% of the population.There were 28,002 residents who were born abroad, or 13.9% of the population. The number of foreign citizens in Turku was 19,062.
The relative share of immigrants in Turku's population is well above the national average.Moreover, the city's new residents are increasingly of foreign origin. This will increase the proportion of foreign residents in the coming years.
Most foreign-born citizens came from the formerSoviet Union,Iraq,Estonia, Sweden, and the formerYugoslavia.
In 2023, theEvangelical Lutheran Churchwas the largest religious group with 56.3% of the population of Turku. Other religious groups accounted for 3.3% of the population. 40.4% of the population had no religious affiliation.
The Turku region boasts 22,000 enterprises, two universities and four polytechnics. The city has also business branches with local expertise in themaritime,life sciences, information technology, entertainment,biotechnology, andsustainable developmentindustries.The city's economic hub revolves around thePort of Turkuand other service-oriented sectors. The dockyard ofMeyer Turkuand the maritime business cluster reign as the leading industrial employer in the area. The city also boasts a high-tech centre in theTurku Science Parkarea, with a growing role in the information technology and biotechnology industries in recent decades.
The Turku region hosts the business service centrePotkuriand the start-up communitySparkUp. In addition, theWest Finland Film Commissionworks to promote favourable operating conditions for companies in the AV industry and for the production of films and TV series in the Turku region.Turku Future Technologiesis a development centre and research and innovation network supported by eight Finnish universities.Smart Chemistry Parkis a collaborative platform and network for the bio- and circular economy as well as the chemical industry inRaisio. Meanwhile,Blue Industry Parkis a growing cluster for maritime and manufacturing industries.
At least the following major Finnish companies have their corporate headquarters in Turku:HKScanandHesburger. Other major companies which have operations in Turku includeBayer,Fläkt Woods,Meyer Werft,Orion CorporationandWärtsilä.
Cultural venuesin Turku include several museums, theatres, cinemas,art galleries, and music. Turku offers a variety of cultural events. The most important one is the declaration ofChristmas Peaceon 24 December in theOld Great Square.The tradition is about 700 years old. Other notable events include theMedieval Market, theMusic Festival, theBook Fair, theFilm Day, theAnimated Film FestivalTAFF, theJazz Festival, thePaavo Nurmi Gamesof athletics, theRuisrockrock festival, theDown by the Laiturimusic festival and theNew Performance Turku Biennale.
Turku was theEuropean Capital of Culturein 2011,and the city council has approved numerous projects to boost the city's image in preparation for that status.
According to archaeological evidence, Turku started to get built in the late 13th Century.However, only a few of its medieval buildings have survived to the present day. The primary factor was theGreat Firein 1827, which decimated three quarters of the city.Turku Cathedral, constructed in the 13th century, is one of the oldest still-functioning buildings. It is also Finland's only medieval basilica church.Another surviving edifice from the medieval era isTurku Castle, which was established in the 1280s and underwent several expansions in the 15th century. Only the ruins remain of the bishop's church in Koroistenniemi,Koroinen, but the white cross serves as a reminder of the bishop's castle that existed centuries ago.Qwensel House, the oldest wooden house in Turku dating back to the 18th century, has been converted into a museum. No other medieval buildings have survived to the present day.
Most of Turku's museums are situated beside theAura River. TheTurku Art Museumis housed in a granite castle, with exhibits of both classical and contemporary art. Turku Cathedral and its museum, located on the banks of the Aura River, provide information about the history and artifacts of the church. Adjacent to the cathedral,Ett Hem, a 19th-century bourgeois residence, and theSibelius Museum, which displays a collection of musical instruments, can be found.Aboa Vetus & Ars Novapresents a fusion of medieval ruins and modern art. OnVartiovuori, lies theLuostarinmäkiCraftsman Museum, which represents a wooden housing locality dating back to the 18th century.
ThePharmacy Museum and Qwensel Household the distinction of being Turku's earliest wooden abode, offering a glimpse into the bourgeois life of the 18th century and a 19th-century drugstore. Thecontemporary art museum, WAM, is named after Turku's sculptor,Wäinö Aaltonen. Additionally, theBiological Museumserves as a diorama museum covering Finnish wildlife and fauna.Forum Marinumis a maritime museum of exhibits and museum vessels, including the frigateSuomen Joutsenand the last commercial steam ship in ScandinaviaMS Bore. Turku Castle is an attraction with over 700 years of history.
There are half a dozen theatres situated in Turku, with the largest being theTurku City Theatre. Located in the city centre on the banks of the River Aura, it offers a varied programme of classical and contemporary drama. Other theatres in Turku includeLinnateatteri[fi],Åbo Svenska Teater,TEHDASandTurun Nuori Teatteri, in addition to smaller establishments such as the puppet theatre,Aura of Puppets, and the summer theatres, Samppalinna and Vartiovuori.
Turku is a music hub that provides a variety of musical experiences. TheTurku Philharmonic Orchestrais the oldest ensemble in Finland, tracing its origins to the establishment of theTurun Soitannollinen Seurain 1790. The orchestra has a reputation for its classical repertoire and frequently conducts concerts throughout Finland.
Turku boasts a selection of music festivals, catering to diverse tastes and moods. The longest running rock festival in Finland,Ruisrock, is held on the island of Ruissalo.Aura Festis a new city-based festival, set to debut in the summer of 2022.DBTLis another city festival, situated along the banks of the Aura River.Turku Jazzis an annual festival in July. August sees theTurku Music Festival, dedicated to classical music.
The Finnish people associate Turku with its "old and historic" charm.Established in 1957,Turkuseura-Åbosamfundet ryis a bilingual, politically neutral historical society with 2,200 members. Its main focus is to cherish Turku's culture anddialect, and to preserve local history and traditions. The society strives to promote and enhance Turku's positive image.
Turku andTampereare two cities in Finland that exhibit a cordial rivalry through humorous banter.Humorous topics include Tampere's traditional dish,mustamakkara, Turku's Aura River, and distinct regional accents. Both cities boast excellent culinary scenes, which attract food lovers. Since 1997, students from Tampere have annually visited Turku to participate in the custom of leaping on the market square. This lively event is thought to nudge the city towards the Baltic Sea and counteractpost-glacial rebound.
Turku has two major football teams:FC Inter, playing in the top national league,Veikkausliiga, andTPSinYkkönen, one level below. Both teams are based atVeritas StadioninKupittaa.
TheHC TPSis an ice hockey team that competes in the top level,SM-liiga, and has secured 11 national championships. They play their games atGatorade CenterinArtukainen.
The city also hosts the annualPaavo Nurmi Marathon, named after the legendary Turku-born runnerPaavo Nurmi.
Turku is home to theEagles Rugby Football Club, a division champion affiliated withSuomen Rugbyliitto, which trains and competes at Impivaara Jalkapallonhalli and Kuppitaanpuisto.
Turku Titansis alacrosseclub with a rich history, having scored three silver and one gold medals in Finland's national lacrosse league.The Titans' women's team has also achieved success. Furthermore, the city hosted the FIL U19 2012World Lacrosse Championships.
Finnish tennis playerJarkko Nieminen, from the nearby county ofMasku, is among the most accomplished players in Finland.
Being both aregionalandprovincialcapital, Turku is an important administrative centre, hosting the seat of theArchbishop of Finlandand aCourt of Appeal.Minna Arvehas been the mayor of Turku since 2017.Since August 2021 her role as the mayor has been an elected office instead of a hired position.
Thecity councilof Turku has 67 seats. Following the2021 municipal election, the council seats are allocated in the following way: National Coalition Party 16 seats, Social Democrats 13, Left Alliance 11, Green League 10, True Finns 9, Centre Party 3, Swedish People's Party 3, Movement Now 1, and Christian Democrats 1.The current chair of the city board isSini Ruohonenfrom National Coalition Party.
Results of the2019 Finnish parliamentary electionin Turku:
For a city of its size, Turku has a moderate public transport network of bus routes, which is comparable to the bus network of similar-sizedTampere. The bus network is managed and supervised by theTurku City Region's Public Transport Committee(FÖLI) (Finnish:Turun kaupunkiseudun joukkoliikennelautakunta,Swedish:kollektivtrafiknämnden för Åbo stadsregion), and is operated mainly by private companies. Bus traffic to and in the neighbouring municipalities of Kaarina, Lieto, Naantali, Raisio and Rusko are also handled by FÖLI. The bus rates are the same when traveling within these municipalities.
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 theTurku Central railway stationinPohjola, and two smaller stations inKupittaaand thePort 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 alight railsystem in the Turku region in the near future. According to the current estimate the tramway's construction will start in 2026 and finish in 2031. The first route will be constructed between Turku Port−City Centre−Varissuo residential area. Route's estimated length is 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) with 17 stops.
The first outdoor inclined elevator, the Funicular, is located in Turku. The elevator offers unimpeded access to Kakolanmäki hill where is no other public transport. The Funicular has two stations and travelling time between the stations is approximately one minute. It is possible to hop on and off at both stations and travelling is free of charge. The elevator's rail is about 130 meters long and height difference between two stations about 30 meters.
The State of Finland has announced plans to supportEspoowith 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's most significant highways for traffic areHighway 1leading toHelsinki;Highway 10leading toHämeenlinna;Highway 9leading toTampere,Jyväskylä,KuopioandJoensuu;Highway 8leading toPori,VaasaandOulu; and theTurku Ring Road, which protrudes circumferentially from Turku.
Turku Airportis located 8 kilometres (5 miles) to the north of the city centre, partly in the neighbouring municipality ofRusko. The airport is served by six passenger airlines, includingairBalticandSAS Scandinavian, and one cargo airline.
There are also daily ferry services from thePort of Turkuto Sweden andÅland, operated bySilja LineandViking Line. These are something of a Finnish cultural tradition (seeruotsinlaiva), and people often travel long distances across Finland to Turku just to take acruiseacross the Gulf of Bothnia.
TheArchipelago Seaboat traffic is handled by, among others,SS Ukkopekka, an oldsteamshipthat cruises on the route Turku-Naantali-Turku.
Turku is the only city in Finland to have three long-distance railway stations:Turku Central,Port of Turku, andKupittaa.
Turku has a longer educational history than any other Finnish city – the first school in the city, theCathedral School, was founded along with Turku Cathedral in the late 13th century. The first university in Finland, theRoyal Academy of Turku(nowUniversity of Helsinki), was established in the city in 1640. In 1820, the first school in Finland conforming to theBell-Lancaster methodwas founded in Turku with the aim of making primary education more inclusive to the lower classes.
Turku is home to about 40 000 higher education students.There are two universities and several "polytechnics" in the town.
The FinnishUniversity of Turkuis the fourth largestuniversity in Finland (22,300 students in 2022), as measured by student enrollment, and one of the oldest as well, having been founded in 1920. Approximately 9% of all students are international students.Åbo Akademi, founded 1918 as the second university of Finland, is one of Finland's two Swedish-language universities.Turku School of Economicsmerged with The University of Turku in 2010, and 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.
Turku University of Applied Sciences(TUAS) is the second largestpolytechnicin Finland (12,000 students in 2022) after Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. TUAS consists of six campus buildings in Turku and one separate campus in town ofSalo. Bachelors of Business Administration, Social Services and Health Care Nursing study at Salo IoT Campus.TUAS offers Bachelor and Master studies in over 70 fields of education.
AlsoNovia University of Applied SciencesandDiaconia University of Applied Scienceshave 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 ofVarissuo, has been operating since 2003. By an agreement signed between the city of Turku and theUniversity of Turku,Turun normaalikoulutakes care of the teaching in the international school.
The most widely readnewspaperof Turku, and the area around it, is the daily regional morning newspaperTurun Sanomat, 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-chargeTurkulainennewspaper was also among the most popular newspapers, together with the local edition ofMetro Internationaland the national eveningtabloidIlta-Sanomat.Turkulainen was founded in 1958 but the newspaper has been on publishing break since 2020.There are also a number of local newspapers such asKulmakunta(for the eastern suburbs of Turku, including Varissuo and Lauste), andRannikkoseutu(for the area around the neighbouring cities of Raisio and Naantali).
The first Finnish newspaperTidningar Utgifne Af et Sällskap i Åbo, in Swedish, was started in Turku in 1771, as well as the first Finnish-language newspaperSuomenkieliset Tieto-Sanomatwhich was started in 1775.
The newspaperTurun Sanomatalso operated a regional television station, calledTurku-TV,but station stopped operating in 2012.The Finnish national broadcasterYleisradioscreens local news, daily from Monday to Friday, for the Southwest Finland (including the regions ofSouthwest FinlandandSatakunta) residents. AllFinnish national TV channelsare viewable and national radio channels audible in the Turku area. In addition, a number of local radio stations, e.g.Auran Aallot,Radio SataandRadio Robin Hoodare operational. Localpublic serviceradio stations areYle Turun Radiobroadcasting in Finnish (the regional version ofYle Radio Suomi) andYle Vega Åbolandbroadcasting in Swedish (the regional version ofYle Vega).
Turku istwinnedwith:
In March 2022, Turku suspended the agreement withSaint Petersburg, Russia (twinning since 1953) due to theRussian invasion of Ukraine.
Turku has co-operation agreements with: