Turku Castle

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The medieval keep of Turku Castle in winter

Exterior of Castle Bailey, viewed from south

The Turku Castle, (Finnish: Turun linna, Swedish: Åbo slott) dating from the 1280s, is a monument of Finnish history.

Turku castle is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland, and one of the largest surviving medieval castles in Scandinavia. The layout of the castle consists of the Medieval keep (päälinna) and Renaissance bailey (esilinna). The keep consists of a square fort with two square gateway towers; the thickness of the walls at the base is some 5 m. In the Middle Ages the castle was surrounded by a moat conjoining on the River Aura, the castle effectively lying on an island. The keep was completed in the early 1400s. The construction of the bailey was begun in the late 15th century and finished in the 16th. The bailey is not as heavily fortified as the keep, but it has several turrets. The Renaissance construction work included heavy modification of nearly all the rooms in the older medieval part of the castle. Since the Renaissance no additions have been made to the castle.

Over the next few centuries, the modest military fortification grew into a massive greystone castle, whose solid walls have witnessed many milestones in Nordic history. The castle has been subject to numerous sieges and several battles have been waged aside its walls. Of all Finnish castles, Turku castle has the most warlike history besides Vyborg castle and Olavinlinna.

The Castle's heyday was in the mid-16th century during the reign of Duke John of Finland and Katarina Jagellonica. That was when the Renaissance Floor and King's and Queen's hall were built, along with other features.

The castle was the center of the historical province of Finland Proper, and the administrative center of all of Finland. Its strong walls and dungeons also served as the state prison for centuries; even today, a prison is colloquially refererred to as linna (castle) in Finnish.

The castle was damaged by Soviet aircraft in the beginning days of the Continuation War 1941. Restoration of the castle to its former Renaissance glory had begun before the war and went on gradually after it, over the decades. The renovation was complete in 1987 and the castle was handed over on October 12 1993 to the City of Turku which is entrusted with its operation for the Finnish state, its owner.

The castle is Finland's most visited museum, with attendance reaching 200,000 in some years. In addition, many of the larger rooms are used for municipal functions.

1 Medieval castellans
2 Trivia
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Medieval castellans

Various castellans, bailiffs, military commanders, governors who held Turku castle in Middle Ages:

1280s Carolus Gustavi
early 1300s Nils Andersson and Harald Torsteinsson
1315-22 Lyder van Kyren, from Holstein
1324-26 Matts Kettilmundsson (concentrated commerce in Turku, brought a courtly and knightly culture
1326 Karl Näskonungsson
1340 Dan Nilsson
c 1348 Gerhard Skytte
1358 Nils Turesson Bielke
1359 King Magnus IV, represented by bishop Hemming
c 1360 Narve Ingevaldsen from Norway
1375 Bo Jonsson Grip, died 1386
1387 Jeppe Abrahamsson Djäkn
1395 Knut Bosson (Grip)
1399 the Union monarchs (Margarethe & Erik)
1411 Klaus Lydekesson Djäkn
1435 Hans Kröpelin
1441 Karl Knutsson (the future Charles VIII of Sweden)
1442 the king
1457-63: Kristofer Bengtsson Oxenstierna
1465 Erik Axelsson Tott
1469 Sten Sture the Elder
1499 Magnus Frille (appointed by king Hans)
1501 Sten Sture the Elder
1503 Svante Nilsson
1512 Kristofer Klasson Horn

[edit] Trivia

The Castle is the symbol of Finland's most popular brand of mustard, called Turun sinappi (Turku mustard). The mustard was subject to a minor controversy because the company producing it was sold to Swedish ownership and production moved to Sweden. Nowadays the mustard made in Turku is called Auran sinappi (Aura River mustard).
Turku Castle provides scenery for numerous Medieval reenactment events every year.
The Northern shore of river Aura, where the castle lies, is called tois pual jokke (de ovver side o' da riva) in Turku dialect. The Southern shore (the Cathedral of Turku side is called täl pual jokke (dis side o' da riva). In the Middle Ages the flow of the river Aura was on the north side of the castle; today it flows on the southern side.
Turku castle was used as state prison into mid-19th century, until superseded by Kakola prison in 1853. Some of its more famous prisoners have been Eric XIV and Jaakko Ilkka.
The chapel of Turku Castle is a popular place for weddings in Turku, second only to the Cathedral of Turku.

[edit] References

Turku Castle, Guide to the Main Castle. Turku Provincial Museum. Translated by Christopher Grapes. Jyväskylä: Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy, 1996. ISBN 951-595-022-8.