Turku
Turku (Finnish: [ˈturku]; Swedish: Åbo, Finland Swedish: [ˈoːbu]) 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 River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately 210,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 320,000. It is the 6th–most populous municipality in Finland, and the third–most populous urban area in the country after Helsinki and Tampere.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
2winter
cold, snowy, dark; mean −5.3 to 9.5 °C across the range; January mean min −8.2 °C, frequent snowfall; Baltic partly freezes; the warmest month is July at 17.5 °C avg, the coldest is February
- the Christmas Peace declaration (24 December, Old Great Square) — a 700-year tradition that gives Turku the title of Finland's Christmas City
- the indoor cultural season: Turku Cathedral (national shrine), Turku Castle (medieval), the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova museum
- the river Aura freezes; the summertime living-room economy is dormant
summer
warm, long days (latitude 60°N — near-white nights); mean 11.3-17.1 °C, July mean max 21.3 °C, peaks up to 30 °C; the banks of the river Aura become 'the summertime living room'
- the banks of the river Aura become Turku's summertime living room — picnics, cafés, the river-boat restaurant S/S Turku
- Ruisrock (early July, on Ruissalo island) is one of Finland's oldest rock festivals
- the Medieval Market (late June), the Turku Music Festival (August), Down by the Laituri (city festival)
- the archipelago-boat circuit activates — Turku is the gateway to the Archipelago Sea and Åland
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Christmas Peace
- declaration of Christmas Peace from the Old Great Square — 700-year tradition
- national Christmas-city role
- TV broadcast
Medieval Market
- medieval-themed market and crafts in the old town
Ruisrock
- two-day rock festival on Ruissalo island
- international crowds
Turku Music Festival
- two-week classical/chamber music festival
Paavo Nurmi Games
- international athletics event — named for the 'Flying Finn'
On the record
source-trackedTurku is Finland's oldest city. Pope Gregory IX first mentioned the town of Aboa in his Bulla in 1229, and this year is now used as the founding year of the city.
Turku was the most important city in Finland under Swedish rule.
The most important one [cultural event in Turku] is the declaration of Christmas Peace on 24 December in the Old Great Square. The tradition is about 700 years old.
Situated by the Baltic Sea and sheltered by the islands of the Archipelago Sea, Turku has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb).
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).
The banks of the river Aura are regarded Turku's summertime living room. The shores are the setting for many urban events and are also popular for picnic and relaxing.
The vast majority of the city's sights are within a kilometre or two from Kauppatori.
Turku is especially lively during the summer season, from the latter part of May to early September, as well as around the Advent and Christmas period in December.
Luostarinmäki is the only larger part of the city that survived the great fire of Turku in 1827.
Turku and other parts of Finland Proper are home to the more western influenced Finnish cuisine, which has features especially from Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
Fish, especially herring – the regional fish of Finland Proper – has been at the heart of the region's culinary traditions for centuries.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.