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86-567: The observatory became defunct in 1836. Today the building is owned by the Åbo Akademi University Foundation and houses the foundation's offices. The Turku skyline is dominated by the Vartiovuori observatory, which is seated on the highest point of Vartiovuori hill in the II District of Turku. It is surrounded by the Vartiovuori park, one of the oldest municipal central parks in Finland . During

172-497: A tholos is enclosed by a wall, while a monopteros is just a circular colonnade with a roof (like a modern bandstand or park pavilion). It is not clear that any Greek example was actually a Greek temple , but several were Roman temples , though mostly much smaller than the Pantheon, and with very different designs. The Temple of Hercules Victor and Temple of Vesta in Rome, along with

258-851: A central stupa surrounded by a circular colonnade and an enclosing wall, built during the time of Emperor Ashoka and near which were found several Minor Rock Edicts . Ashoka also built the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya circa 250 BC, possibly also a circular structure, next to the Bodhi tree . Representations of this early temple structure are found on a 100 BCE relief from the stupa railing at Bhārhut , as well as in Sanchi . These circular-type temples were also found in later rock-hewn caves such as Tulja Caves or Guntupalli . Circularity in Buddhist architecture

344-640: A church and a mosque. The church of Santa Costanza in Rome is a circular funerary chapel of the 4th century, probably built for one or more of the daughters of Constantine the Great , originally placed next to a funerary hall that is now only a ruined wall. Some of the earliest free-standing temples in India are thought to have been of a circular type, as the Buddhist Bairat Temple in Bairat , Rajasthan , formed of

430-589: A dozen theatres situated in Turku, with the largest being the Turku 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 include Linnateatteri  [ fi ] , Åbo Svenska Teater , TEHDAS and Turun Nuori Teatteri , in addition to smaller establishments such as the puppet theatre, Aura of Puppets , and

516-484: A fusion of medieval ruins and modern art. On Vartiovuori , lies the Luostarinmäki Craftsman Museum, which represents a wooden housing locality dating back to the 18th century. The Pharmacy Museum and Qwensel House hold 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. The contemporary art museum, WAM ,

602-533: A growing role in the information technology and biotechnology industries in recent decades. The Turku region hosts the business service centre Potkuri and the start-up community SparkUp . In addition, the West Finland Film Commission works 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 Technologies

688-421: 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

774-595: A most interesting form, are found at Karcsa , Kiszombor in Hungary, at Horjany in Ukraine and several places in Armenia (Aragatz, Bagaran, Bagnayr, Botshor, Kiagmis Alti). There is an interesting connection between Central European and Caucasian rotundas of the 9th to 11th centuries AD. Several Armenian built rotunda churches have sixfold arched central apsis, i.e. at Aragatz, Bagaran , Bagnayr, Botshor, Kiagmis Alti in Armenia . At

860-561: A number of other round churches . The rotunda with columns was revived in one of the most influential buildings in Renaissance architecture , the Tempietto in a courtyard of the church of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome. This was designed by Donato Bramante around 1502 in strongly classicizing style. It is a small building whose innovation, as far as Western Europe was concerned, was to use

946-725: 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 Fest is a new city-based festival, set to debut in the summer of 2022. DBTL is another city festival, situated along the banks of the Aura River. Turku Jazz is an annual festival in July. August sees the Turku Music Festival , dedicated to classical music. Rotunda (architecture) A rotunda (from Latin rotundus )

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1032-909: A variety of cultural events. The most important one is the declaration of Christmas Peace on 24 December in the Old Great Square . The tradition is about 700 years old. Other notable events include the Medieval Market , the Music Festival , the Book Fair , the Film Day , the Animated Film Festival TAFF, the Jazz Festival , the Paavo Nurmi Games of athletics, the Ruisrock rock festival,

1118-596: Is Finland's oldest city. It is not known when Turku was granted city status . 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 the eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden (today's Finland). After the Finnish War , Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire in 1809, and Turku became

1204-486: 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 206,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 315,000. It is the 6th most populous municipality in Finland, and the third most populous urban area in the country after Helsinki and Tampere . Turku

1290-813: Is a development centre and research and innovation network supported by eight Finnish universities. Smart Chemistry Park is a collaborative platform and network for the bio- and circular economy as well as the chemical industry in Raisio . Meanwhile, Blue Industry Park is a growing cluster for maritime and manufacturing industries. At least the following major Finnish companies have their corporate headquarters in Turku: HKScan and Hesburger . Other major companies which have operations in Turku include Bayer , Fläkt Woods , Meyer Werft , Orion Corporation and Wärtsilä . Cultural venues in Turku include several museums, theatres, cinemas, art galleries , and music. Turku offers

1376-516: Is an important commercial and passenger seaport , with over three million passengers travelling to Stockholm and Mariehamn each year. The Finnish name Turku originates from Swedish and Russian. The first information about the word tori dates back to the 16th century and was borrowed from Sweden (cf. Swedish : torg , "market"). In Sweden, the word is not original, but borrowed from an Old East Slavic word, tǔrgǔ , which in modern Russian means market place , haggling or trading. However,

1462-631: Is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome . It may also refer to a round room within a building (a famous example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. ). The Pantheon in Rome is perhaps the most famous, and is the most influential rotunda. A band rotunda is a circular bandstand , usually with a dome. The terminology of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture distinguishes between two types of rotunda:

1548-423: Is divided into 78 districts and nine wards . 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 are Varissuo and Runosmäki . By area, Kakskerta and Paattinen are the largest districts. As many of the small neighbouring municipalities from

1634-517: 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 (later John III ), the son of Gustav Vasa, received the title of Duke of Finland and ruled his territory from Turku Castle before becoming next king of Sweden after his brother, Eric XIV . In the aftermath of the War against Sigismund ,

1720-518: Is known as the Dolphin Pavilion (Finnish: Delfiinipaviljonki ), were built next to it. After the navigation school moved away, the observatory remained unused for a while. In 1974 the city board designated the building as the premises for a maritime museum and an astronomical museum. The collections of the maritime museum were transferred to the Forum Marinum in 1998. The Turku Art Museum

1806-405: 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

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1892-423: Is making it the third largest region in Finland after Helsinki and Tampere . 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 of Helsinki , Espoo or Vantaa . The city's population density is 794.4 inhabitants per square kilometre. The median age in

1978-526: Is named after Turku's sculptor, Wäinö Aaltonen . Additionally, the Biological Museum serves as a diorama museum covering Finnish wildlife and fauna. Forum Marinum is a maritime museum of exhibits and museum vessels, including the frigate Suomen Joutsen and the last commercial steam ship in Scandinavia MS Bore . Turku Castle is an attraction with over 700 years of history. There are half

2064-485: Is not uncommon. 15.3% of the population of Turku have a mother tongue other 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%) and Somali (0.9%). As of 2023 , there were 31,589 people with

2150-406: Is relatively simple and plain. The original purpose as a functioning observatory can be detected in the southward facing rotunda and the round observation tower on top of the building. The most ornamental interior of the building is the second floor rotunda with a vaulted ceiling. Over the years the observatory was modified only a little. The last renovation was completed in 2008, when the building

2236-457: Is the biggest one in Central Europe, with diameter of 11 m. In many places the ancient foundations have been excavated and conserved. The village church of Sárospatak is complete with a simple circular nave and an eastern apse. The church of Alagimajor at Dunakeszi was enlarged toward the apse in the 14th century. More significant enlargement of the central rotunda is seen at Isaszeg where

2322-577: The Aura River . The Turku Art Museum is 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 the Sibelius Museum , which displays a collection of musical instruments, can be found. Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova presents

2408-632: The Down by the Laituri music festival and the New Performance Turku Biennale . Turku was the European Capital of Culture in 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

2494-525: The Finnish-language University of Turku was 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 as Jarmo Virmavirta  [ fi ] . The city enjoyed good connections with other Western European countries and cities, especially since

2580-538: The Ice Age . Due to tectonic uplift , the Turku region transformed from an outlying archipelago to a shoreline during 3000-2000 BCE. The area was densely populated during the Iron Age as 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

2666-558: The Temple of Vesta, Tivoli , are the best known and best preserved examples. The few large Greek tholoi had varied functions, not all of which are now clear. Several are at major religious sanctuaries, but seem not to have been conventional temples. At most only the foundations and a few columns remain in place. They include the Tholos of Delphi , the Philippeion at Olympia , a small memorial to

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2752-530: The maritime , life sciences , information technology, entertainment, biotechnology , and sustainable development industries. The city's economic hub revolves around the Port of Turku and other service-oriented sectors. The dockyard of Meyer Turku and the maritime business cluster reign as the leading industrial employer in the area. The city also boasts a high-tech centre in the Turku Science Park area, with

2838-468: The neoclassical observatory was finally built in 1817–1819 according to the plans made by Carl Ludvig Engel . The beginning of research at the observatory was delayed for further five years, since the telescope ordered from Germany arrived only in 1824. Friedrich Wilhelm August Argelander was appointed as the head of the new observatory. Most of the city was destroyed in the Great Fire of Turku , but

2924-457: The "Paris of Finland", hence the Swedish saying: "Varför Paris, vi har ju Åbo!" ("Why Paris, we have Turku!"). Turku is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 79% Finnish speakers, 5% Swedish speakers, and 15% speakers of other languages, which is well above the national average. Due to its location, the Port of Turku

3010-486: The 11th century, the Turku region began to develop as a port. The oldest known road, Hämeen härkätie , connected to region and the Old Castle of Lieto to Tavastia in the 9th century at the latest. Early literary sources such as Al-Idrisi's world map from 1154 mentions Turku. According to the permission granted by Pope Gregory IX on 23 January 1229, the episcopal seat was moved from Nousiainen to Koroinen , which

3096-598: The 15th century to the 16th century, the court exercising the country's highest judicial power, the Land Court of Turku  [ sv ] , met in the city. At the beginning of the 16th century, in connection with the disputes of the Kalmar Union , the Danes destroyed the city twice, in 1509 under the leadership of Admiral Otte Rud and in 1522 under the leadership of Admiral Søren Norby , until Erik Fleming 's troops expelled

3182-468: 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

3268-477: 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 the Hanseatic 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 only lawspeakers in Finland operated in Turku, and from

3354-632: The 1940s with Stockholm across the Gulf of Bothnia . In the 1960s, Turku became the first Western city to sign a twinning agreement with Leningrad in the Soviet Union , leading to greater inter-cultural exchange and providing a new meaning to the city's 'gateway' function. After the fall of communism in Russia, many prominent Soviets came to Turku to study Western business practices, among them Vladimir Putin , then Leningrad's deputy mayor. As for architecture in

3440-627: The 9th to 11th centuries CE in Central Europe . These round churches can be found in great number in Hungary , Poland , Slovakia , Croatia (particularly Dalmatia ), Austria , Bavaria , Germany , and the Czech Republic . It was thought of as a structure descending from the Roman Pantheon. However, it can be found mainly not on former Roman territories, but in Central Europe. Generally its size

3526-446: The Aura river in Turku. The oldest of the current bridges is Auransilta  [ fi ] , which was constructed in 1904. The newest bridge is Kirjastosilta  [ fi ] ('library bridge'), a pedestrian-only bridge built in 2013. The Föri , a small ferry that transports pedestrians and bicycles across the river without payment, is a well known feature of the city. The city

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3612-435: 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 religious reformation , and the first to preach the new doctrine was Petrus Särkilahti . Särkilahti's student Mikael Agricola , who

3698-664: 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 spring Jacob Tengström , the Archbishop 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 Emperor Alexander I felt that Turku

3784-607: The Finnish built cultural heritage sites of national significance. Next to the observatory is located a water tank and a service building ("the Dolphin Pavilion") built in 1903. In addition to the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum also the Summer Theater of Turku is located nearby. The park is surrounded by art nouveau buildings from the beginning of the twentieth century. The planning of Finland's first observatory

3870-461: The Vartiovuori observatory ended in 1836, since the researchers and the equipment were transferred to Helsinki. In 1836 the Navigation School of Turku (Swedish: Navigationsskolan i Åbo ) moved into the Vartiovuori observatory, in which it was housed until 1967. Only minor modifications were made to the building itself during those years, but in 1903 a water tank and service building, which

3956-544: The Vartiovuori observatory survived. The fire threatened to burn down also the observatory, but Argelander and the observatory's janitor managed to save the building from destruction. After the fire the Royal Academy was transferred to Helsinki , the new capital of the grand duchy. This meant that also Argelander was compelled to move to Helsinki. A new observatory built in Helsinki was completed in 1834. Astronomical research at

4042-417: The Vartiovuori observatory, the Vartiovuori hill and the nearby Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum as one of the built cultural heritage sites of national significance. The Vartiovuori observatory was designed by the architect Carl Ludvig Engel, who allegedly had no clear idea of what an observatory was when he designed the building. He drew the round second floor of the observatory full of windows, through which

4128-512: 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 English bishop Henry baptised 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

4214-540: The administrative center of the country, but for the last two hundred years has been surpassed by Helsinki . The city's identity stems from its status as the oldest city in Finland and 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

4300-420: 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 205,949 inhabitants, making it the 6th most populous municipality in Finland. The Turku metropolitan area has a population of 315,227, and the larger Turku sub-region has a population of 351,200. This

4386-550: The building of Hotel Phoenix  [ fi ] that stood on corner of the Market Square was 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

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4472-432: The building of the observatory in the beginning of the nineteenth century, the hill was a barren and rocky outcrop, since it had been quarried for stone for centuries and the trees had been cut for firewood. The park was constructed in stages beginning from the 1840s. The Finnish Heritage Agency has designated the Vartiovuori observatory together with the Vartiovuori hill and the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum as one of

4558-488: The building probably played some role in these. The oldest, the Tholos of Athens, was a large and plain rotunda used as a dining hall, and perhaps more, by the city's ruling council. Later, very large, Roman rotundas include the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, built in the 130s as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian , and in the Middle Ages turned into a castle, and the 4th-century Rotunda in Thessaloniki , probably also intended as an imperial mausoleum, but later used as

4644-439: The capital of the Grand Duchy. However, Turku lost its status as capital only three years later in 1812, when Tsar Alexander I of Russia decided to move the capital to Helsinki . It was only after the last great fire in 1827 that most government institutions were moved to Helsinki along with the Royal Academy of Turku , founded in 1640, which later became the University of Helsinki , thus consolidating Helsinki's position as

4730-517: The city is 42.1, lower than the national average of 43.6. Population by mother tongue (2023) The city of Turku is officially bilingual , with both Finnish and Swedish as official languages. As of 2023 , the majority of the population - 160,008 people or 79.3% - spoke Finnish as their first language. There are 10,981 Swedish speakers in Turku, or 5.4% of the population. As English and Swedish are compulsory school subjects, functional bilingualism or trilingualism acquired through language studies

4816-400: 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 famous fish market held twice a year. Turku's canteen and café culture has often been compared to French food culture , which is why Turku is also known as

4902-412: The city was the site of the Åbo 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, the Royal Academy of Turku , was founded in Turku by order of Queen Christina . This project

4988-529: The city, are also sparsely populated and mostly contain summer residences, with the exception of some districts in Hirvensalo which are currently growing into upper-middle-class suburbs. 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

5074-488: 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

5160-518: The coming years. Most foreign-born citizens came from the former Soviet Union , Iraq , Estonia , Sweden, and the former Yugoslavia . In 2023, the Evangelical Lutheran Church was 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

5246-402: 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,

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5332-464: The driest month of the year, the figure is only 32 mm (1.3 in). The average air pressure at sea level is 101.2 kilopascals (29.9 inHg), with little variance throughout the year. Operational since 1955, the city's weather station is located at an altitude of 47 metres (154 feet) at Turku 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

5418-408: The extension extended toward the East and West; the rotunda foundations can also be seen in the central portion of the nave of the Gothic church. In many cases the rotunda was used as the apse of the village's new and larger church (Bagod-Szentpál, Hidegség , Vágkeresztur, Ipolykiskeszi, Herencsény , Szalonna ). Such semi-circle apses are preserved all over the Carpathian Basin. Rotundas of six apses,

5504-406: The family of Philip of Macedon , and a large building at the Sanctuary of Asclepius, Epidaurus . The largest Greek tholos, of uncertain function, was built in the Samothrace temple complex in the 260s BC. It is often called the Arsinoeum, as a dedication tablet for the Ptolomeic Queen Arsinoe II of Egypt has survived. The sanctuary was a great Hellenistic centre of Greco-Roman mysteries and

5590-400: The inheritable right to live at land owned by the crown ( å meant at or on in old Swedish, now på ). In Finnish , the genitive of Turku is Turun , meaning "of Turku". The Finnish names of organizations and institutes of Turku often begin with this word, as in Turun yliopisto for the University of Turku . Turku has a long history as Finland 's largest city and occasionally as

5676-411: The joint initiative of the king, the bishop, and the Dominican Convent of Saint Olaf  [ sv ] , which itself was founded in 1249. Turku Cathedral was consecrated in 1300. During the Middle Ages , Turku was the seat of the Bishop of Turku (a title later upgraded to Archbishop of Turku ), covering then the eastern half of the Kingdom of Sweden (most of the present-day Finland) until

5762-456: The new capital, Helsinki. The new city plan, based on a regular grid 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 the Industrial Revolution with steam and electric machines

5848-438: 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 long history , Turku has been the site of many important events and, as a former capital, has had a major influence on Finnish history . Together with Tallinn , the capital of Estonia , Turku has been named European Capital of Culture for 2011. In 1996,

5934-399: 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 Turku bypass , that forms part of European route E18 . Islands such as Ruissalo , Hirvensalo and Kakskerta , forming the southern part of

6020-486: The old Russian word also passed directly into the Finnish language and took the form turku . Today the word is only used in idioms , but already in the Middle Ages the word gradually came to mean the town name Turku. The Swedish name Åbo may be a simple combination of å ("river; creek; large stream") and bo ("dwelling"). There is however an old legal term called " åborätt  [ sv ] " (meaning roughly "right to live at"), which gave citizens (called "åbo")

6106-403: The present day. The primary factor was the Great Fire in 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 is Turku Castle , which was established in the 1280s and underwent several expansions in

6192-826: The research and radiocarbon dating of plaster, Rotunda of st. George in Nitrianska Blatnica was built sometimes around the year 830, what makes it one of the oldest still standing buildings in the area of Central Europe. Similar rotunda was standing in hillfort Kostolec in Ducové (only foundations remained). The role and form of rotundas developed from gradual enlargements of ancient small village churches. Many of them still stand today, e.g. in Nagytótlak, Kallósd and Kissikátor in Hungary or in Bíňa and Šivetice in Slovakia . Rotunda in Šivetice

6278-461: The researchers were supposed to observe the sky. A large telescope was not included in the original drawings at all. The building served as an observatory for a relatively short period, since after the Great Fire of Turku the university and the observatory were transferred to Helsinki. The observatory is an example of neoclassical architecture, as are most of the buildings designed by Engel. The facade

6364-417: The river. The eastern side, where Turku Cathedral is located, is the older and original centre. It is popularly known as täl pual jokke ("this side of the river"). The western side, where Turku Castle is located, is the newer part. It is called tois pual jokke ("the other side of the river"). In modern times, both banks of the Aura River are equally the centre of the city . There are ten bridges over

6450-474: The summer theatres, Samppalinna and Vartiovuori. Turku is a music hub that provides a variety of musical experiences. The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra is the oldest ensemble in Finland, tracing its origins to the establishment of the Turun Soitannollinen Seura in 1790. The orchestra has a reputation for its classical repertoire and frequently conducts concerts throughout Finland. Turku boasts

6536-552: The tholos form as the base for a dome above; this may have reflected a Byzantine structure in Jerusalem over the tomb of Christ. The Roman Temple of Vesta (which has no dome) was probably also an influence. This pairing of tholos, now called a drum or tholobate , and dome became extremely popular raised high above main structures which were often based on the Roman temple . A great number of parochial churches were built in this form in

6622-447: 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. Precipitation in 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,

6708-632: Was 6–9 meters inner diameter and the apse was directed toward the east. Sometimes three or four apses were attached to the central circle and this type has relatives even in the Caucasus . Several types of rotundas are found in the Carpathian Basin , within the former boundaries of Kingdom of Hungary . Building of rotundas in Carpathian basin started already in 9th century in Great Moravia . According to

6794-627: Was also supported by Count Per Brahe , the Governor General of Finland , and Isaacus Rothovius , the Bishop of Turku. Turku was also the meeting place for the States of Finland in 1676. After the Finnish War , Sweden ceded Finland to Imperial Russia at the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809. There was no resistance of any kind in Turku when the Russians marched into the city in October 1809 in connection with

6880-407: Was experienced in Turku only around 1900. The First World War provided a boost to the city's industry, as the export difficulties affected the wood 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, the Åbo Akademi – the only Swedish-language university in Finland – was founded in Turku. Two years later,

6966-586: Was generally to allow a path for pradakshina or devotional circling of a round and solid stupa . It has been suggested that these circular structures with colonnades may have originated with the Greek circular tholos temple, as in the Tholos of Delphi , but circular wooden huts in India are a more likely source of inspiration. The Pisa Baptistery is the outstanding late medieval rotunda, taking from 1152 to 1363 to build, and including Romanesque , Gothic and classicizing or Proto-Renaissance elements. There are

7052-556: Was prepared for the use of the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. One of the objectives of the renovation was to preserve the historical value of the building: for example, the old heaters (Finnish: kamiinat ) were left in their place in every room. 60°26′55″N 22°16′36″E  /  60.44861°N 22.27667°E  / 60.44861; 22.27667 Turku Turku ( / ˈ t ʊər k uː / TOOR -koo ; Finnish: [ˈturku] ; Swedish : Åbo , Finland Swedish: [ˈoːbu] )

7138-544: Was seen as scandalous, either already at the time of action or proved to be so in later years, include The Nobel House  [ fi ] (subject of the very first photograph ever taken in Finland) and the building of Old Hotel Börs which was built in jugendstil in 1909 by Frithiof Strandell  [ fi ] . Situated at the mouth of the Aura River in the south-western corner of Finland, Turku covers an area of 245 square kilometres (95 sq mi) on both banks of

7224-488: Was started in the beginning of the nineteenth century. The recently established Grand Duchy of Finland (Finnish: Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta ) had only one university at the time, the Royal Academy of Turku (Finnish: Turun akatemia ). The university had considered to establish the observatory atop the Vartiovuori hill near the city centre, for which the first plans were made by the architect Charles Bassi . However,

7310-517: Was temporarily housed in the observatory from 1999 to 2004, when the art museum building was being renovated. The Åbo Akademi University Foundation (Swedish: Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi ) bought the Vartiovuori observatory from the city of Turku in 2007. The conditions for the purchase included that the observatory should be regularly open for the public. The interiors of the building were then renovated as offices and exhibition spaces. The Finnish Heritage Agency (Finnish: Museovirasto ) designated

7396-494: Was too far from Russia and too aligned with Sweden to serve as the capital of the Grand 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 the Great 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 architect Carl Ludvig Engel , who had also designed

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