Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When the savage Great Fire of 1827 swept through Turku, the lower-class quarter Luostar-
inmäki escaped the flames. Set along tiny lanes and around grassy yards, the 19th-century
wooden workshops and houses now form the outdoor handicrafts museum, a national
treasure since 1940.
All of the buildings are in their original locations and include 30 workshops (such as a
silversmith, watchmaker, bakery, pottery, shoemaker, printer and cigar shop), where artis-
ans in period costume practise their trades in summer.
Guided tours in English are available five times daily from June to August. The gift
shop sells goods produced in the museum's workshops.
Forum Marinum
MUSEUM, SHIPS
10, museum ships each €6/4; 11am-7pm May-Sep, 11am-6pm Tue-Sun Oct-Apr, museum ships
11am-7pm Jun-Aug)
Partly housed in an old granary, this excellent maritime museum offers a comprehensive
look at ships and shipping, from scale models to full-sized vessels. Anchored outside is a
small fleet of
museum ships
, which you can climb aboard. The mine-layer
Keihässalmi
and the corvette
Karjala
take you back to WWII, while the full-rigger
Suomen Joutsen
re-
calls more-carefree prewar days. The beautiful three-masted barque
Sigyn
(moored 500m
upstream) was originally launched from Göteborg in 1887 and has well-preserved cabins.
Other highlights include the museum's hydrocopter, WWII torpedoes and multimedia
displays, plus a cabin from a luxury cruise-liner (many of which were built in Turku). At
the museum's cafe-restaurant, you'll find its namesake
Daphne,
a cute little boat that was
home to author Göran Schild.
Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova
MUSEUM, GALLERY
child €8/5.50; 11am-7pm)
Art and archaeology unite here under one roof.
Aboa Vetus
(Old Turku) draws you under-
ground to Turku's medieval streets, showcasing some of the 37,000 artefacts unearthed
from the site (digs still continue). Back in the present,
Ars Nova
presents contemporary art
