Port of Turku

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Port of Turku on a map of Turku.
The Port of Turku on a map of Turku.

The Port of Turku is the oldest port in Finland, and it is mentioned in the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi's 1154 book Kitab Rudjar. The port spans a wide area on the southern coastline of the city of Turku, from the mouth of the River Aura to the district of Pansio. It is one of the most important ports in the country, with over four million tonnes of cargo and over four million passengers per year passing through. It is also the only port in Finland with train ferry services, and its location at the southwestern corner of Finland means that it is most efficiently situated to serve the Baltic Sea.

Daily passenger ferry traffic is operated from Turku to Åland and Stockholm, and weekly ferry destinations include Travemünde, Hamburg, Lübeck, Antwerp, Harwich and Paldiski. There are also less frequent connections to popular holiday destinations such as St Malo and several cities in Spain. The most important operators of ferry services are Silja Line, Viking Line and SeaWind Line.

Port of Turku (Finnish Turun satama; Swedish Åbo hamn) is also the name of a district of Turku, with boundaries roughly corresponding with those of the port's area. As of 2004, the district has a population of 44.

Turku Harbour is the half-official English name of a railway station in the port, used in the English timetables and "next stop" announcements on VR trains. The station has services to and from Helsinki and towards Pieksämäki (mostly terminating or starting in Tampere). All services to and from the Turku Harbour also call at Turku Central railway station. The station Turku Harbour is used mainly by people wishing to board a ship at the port. The port also handles train ferries.

[edit] External link


Turku coat of arms
 
Districts of Turku City Centre
I District | II District | III District | IV District (Martti) | V District (Itäranta) | VI District | VII District | VIII District (Port Arthur) | IX District (Länsiranta) | Iso-Heikkilä | Korppolaismäki | Kupittaa | Kurjenmäki | Kähäri | Mäntymäki | Pihlajaniemi | Pitkämäki | Pohjola | Port of Turku | Raunistula | Vähäheikkilä
Previous station   Finnish Railways   Next station
  Helsinki-Turku   Terminus
Terminus   Turku-Tampere  
toward Tampere
In other languages