Turku (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈturku] ( listen); Swedish Swedish ( svenska ) is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish (see especially "Classification"). Along: Åbo [ˈoːbu] ( listen)) is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland Finland (pronounced /ˈfɪnlənd/ ), officially the Republic of Finland Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland (help·info), is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River.[6][7] It is located in the region of Finland Proper Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland now designated in Western Finland province. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper and Uusimaa. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland. Turku quickly became the most important city in Finland and retained that status for hundreds of years until Finland became part of the Russian Empire The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union. It was the second largest contiguous empire in world history, surpassed only by the Mongol Empire, and the third largest empire behind the British Empire and the Mongol in 1809 and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland that existed in its territory 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire was transferred to Helsinki Helsinki ( listen ; Swedish: Helsingfors, listen (help·info)) is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 584,420 (31 March 2010), making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin. Helsinki in 1812. After that Turku continued to be the most populous city in Finland until the end of the 1840s. Today Turku remains a regional capital and is an important location for business and culture.

Because of its long history it has been the site of many important historical events and has extensively influenced Finnish history The land area that now makes up Finland was settled immediately after the Ice Age, beginning from around 8500 BCE. Most of the region was part of Kingdom of Sweden from the 13th century to 1809, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire becoming the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland. The catastrophic Finnish famine of 1866–1868 was followed by. During the year 2011 Turku has been designated to be the European Capital of Culture The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. A number of European cities have used the City of Culture year to transform their cultural base and, in doing so, the way in which they are viewed together with Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of 159.2 km2 with a population of 410,050. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, the capital city of Estonia Estonia /ɛsˈtoʊniə/ (Estonian: Eesti), officially the Republic of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti Vabariik), is a country in the Baltic Region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia (343 km), and to the east by the Russian Federation (338.6 km). The territory of. In 1996 it was declared the official Christmas City of Finland.[8]

Due to its location, Turku is a notable commercial and passenger seaport A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land. Port locations are selected to optimize access to land and navigable water, for commercial demand, and for shelter from wind and waves. Ports with deeper water are rarer, but can handle larger, more economical city with over three million passengers travelling through Port of Turku each year to Stockholm Stockholm (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈstɔkːɔlm] ) is the capital and the largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag (parliament), and the official residence of the Swedish monarch as well as the prime minister. Since 1980, the monarch has resided at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm and uses and Mariehamn Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.[6]

As of March 31 March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 275 days remaining until the end of the year, 2010 2010 is a common year that started on a Friday and is the current year. In the Gregorian calendar, it is the 2010th year of the Common Era or the Anno Domini designation, the 10th year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century, and the 1st of the 2010s decade Turku’s population was 176,401, which makes it the fifth largest city in Finland by population.[2] As of 31 August 2008 there were 303,492 inhabitants living in the Turku sub-region, which makes it the third largest urban area An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets in Finland after the Greater Helsinki Greater Helsinki and the smaller Helsinki Metropolitan Area or (Finnish) Capital Region (Pääkaupunkiseutu, Huvudstadsregionen) refer to two regions of different size surrounding Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Greater Helsinki is sometimes incorrectly called (the) Helsinki Region due to an incorrect direct translation of the Finnish and area and Tampere Tampere (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈtɑmpere] ; Swedish: Tammerfors [tamərˈfɔrs] or [tamərˈfɔʂ]) is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of 211,691, growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere sub-region. The city is officially bilingual Multilingualism is the use of two or more languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. The generic term for a multilingual person is polyglot as 5.2 percent of its population identify as speaking Swedish as a mother-tongue A first language is the language a human being learns from birth. The term is also used for the language that the speaker speaks best. In either case, a person's first language is a basis for sociolinguistic identity.[3]

Contents

History

Turku has a long history as Finland's largest city and occasionally as the administrative center of the country, but has, over the last two centuries, lost both titles to Helsinki Helsinki ( listen ; Swedish: Helsingfors, listen (help·info)) is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 584,420 (31 March 2010), making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin. Helsinki. To this day, the city's identity stems from its status as the oldest city in Finland[9] and the country's first capital. Originally, the word "Finland" referred only to the area around Turku (hence the title, "Finland Proper Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland now designated in Western Finland province. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper and Uusimaa" for the region).

Cathedral of Turku, 1814.

Although archaeological findings in the area date back to the Stone Age The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period during which humans widely used stone for toolmaking. Stone tools were made from a variety of different sorts of stone. For example, flint and chert were shaped for use as cutting tools and weapons, while basalt and sandstone were used for ground stone tools, such as quern-stones. Wood, bone, shell,, the town of Turku was founded in late 13th century.[10] The Cathedral of Turku was consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups in 1300, and together with Turku Castle and the Dominican The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III (1216-27) on 22 December 1216 in France. Membership in the Order includes friars, congregations of active sisters, and lay persons affiliated with the monastery Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer (e.g. an oratory) as well as the domestic quarters and workplace(s) of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone (hermits) (founded in 1249), established the city as the most important location in medieval The Middle Ages is a period of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The period followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, and preceded the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period in a three-period division of history: Classical, Medieval, and Modern. The term "Middle Ages" (medium aevum) was coined in Finland.[citation needed]

During the Middle Ages The Middle Ages is a period of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The period followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, and preceded the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period in a three-period division of history: Classical, Medieval, and Modern. The term "Middle Ages" (medium aevum) was coined in, Turku was the seat of the Bishop of Turku (a title later upgraded to Archbishop of Turku), covering the then eastern half of Kingdom of Sweden (most of the present-day Finland) until the 17th century. Even if Turku had no official capital status, both the short-lived institutions of Dukes and Governors-General of Finland usually had their Finnish residences there. In 1640, the first university A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is a corporation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education. The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, roughly meaning "community of in Finland, The Royal Academy of Turku, was founded in Turku. Turku was also the meeting place for the States of Finland in 1676.

After the Finnish War The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and Russia from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire. Other notable effects were the Swedish parliament's adoption of a new constitution and the establishment of the House of, which ended when Sweden Sweden (pronounced /ˈswiːdən/ SWEE-dən, Swedish: Sverige [ˈsvær.jə]), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and water borders with Denmark, Germany and ceded Finland to Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union. It was the second largest contiguous empire in world history, surpassed only by the Mongol Empire, and the third largest empire behind the British Empire and the Mongol at the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, Turku became briefly the official capital, but soon lost the status to Helsinki, as Emperor An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort) or a woman who rules in her own right (empress regnant). Emperors and empresses are generally recognized to be above Alexander I Alexander I of Russia (23 December [O.S. 12 December] 1777 – 1 December [O.S. 19 November] 1825), also known as Alexander the Blessed (Russian: Александр Благословенный, Aleksandr Blagoslovennyi) served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was felt that Turku was too far from Russia and too aligned with Sweden to serve as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland that existed in its territory 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire.[citation needed] 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 almost completely destroyed the city in 1827.[citation needed] After the fire, a new and safer city plan was drawn up by German A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, has been known and documented before AD 100. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until 1806. During the 16th century, northern Germany became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. As a modern nation-state, architect An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings, and is licensed to practice architecture. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings, Carl Ludvig Engel, who had also designed the new capital, Helsinki. Turku remained the largest city in Finland for another twenty years.

In 1918, a new university, the Åbo Akademi – the only Swedish language Swedish ( svenska ) is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish (see especially "Classification"). Along university in Finland – was founded in Turku. Two years later, the Finnish language Finnish ( suomi , or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% as of 2006[update]) and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The Kven 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. The city enjoyed good connections with other Western European Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe. Another definition was created during the Cold War countries and cities, especially since the 1940s with Stockholm Stockholm (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈstɔkːɔlm] ) is the capital and the largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag (parliament), and the official residence of the Swedish monarch as well as the prime minister. Since 1980, the monarch has resided at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm and uses across the Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea. In the 1960s, Turku became the first Western city to sign a twinning Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties agreement with Leningrad Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербург , tr. Sankt-Peterburg, pronounced [sankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk]) is a city and a federal subject (a federal city) of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd (Russian: Петроград, IPA [pʲɪtrɐˈgrat], 19 in the Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (help·info), tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, IPA [sɐˈjʊs sɐˈvʲeʦkʲɪx səʦɪ, leading to greater inter-cultural exchange and providing a new meaning to the city's 'gateway' function. After the fall of Communism Communism is a social structure in which classes are abolished and property is commonly controlled, as well as a political philosophy and social movement that advocates and aims to create such a society in Russia Russia (pronounced /ˈrʌʃə/ ; Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya, pronounced [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya, pronounced [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈraʦəjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal, many prominent Soviets came to Turku to study Western business practices[citation needed], among them Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Путин [vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ˈputʲɪn] ; born 7 October 1952) was the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of, then Leningrad's deputy mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest ranking officer in a municipal government of local town or large urban city.[11]

Name

The Finnish name Turku originates from an Old East Slavic Old East Slavic was a language used in 10th-15th centuries by East Slavs in the Kievan Rus' and states which evolved after the collapse of the Kyivan Rus. Dialects of it were spoken, though not exclusively, roughly in the area today occupied by the European part of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and several eastern voivodships of Poland word, tǔrgǔ, meaning "market place". The word turku in plural form still means "market place" in some contexts.[12] The Swedish name Åbo seems easy to explain, as it contains the words å ("river") and bo ("nest, dwelling") which could mean something like "the house by the river". Etymologists think this explanation is probably false, as the name is old and there are no other similar names. One possible explanation for Åbo is that it comes from the Finnish personal name Aapo over Russian Avram (Abraham), which is possibly also the source for Aura in Aura River that flows through Turku.[13]

Geography

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Aura River seen further from central Turku.

Located at the mouth of the Aura river in the southwestern corner of Finland, Turku covers an area of 245 km² (94 sq mi) of land, spread over both banks of the river. The eastern side, where the Cathedral of Turku is located, is popularly referred to as täl pual jokke ("this side of the river"), while the western side is referred to as tois pual jokke ("the other side of the river"). The city centre is located close to the river mouth, on both sides of the river, though development has recently been expanding westward.[citation needed]

There are nine bridges over the Aura river in Turku. The first bridge in the city area, nowadays known as Pennisilta, was built in 1414, and has since been demolished.[citation needed] The oldest of the current bridges is Auransilta, which was constructed in 1904. The newest bridge is Teatterisilta ('theatre bridge'), a pedestrian-only bridge built in 1997. One of the best-known landmarks of Turku is the Föri, a small ferry that transports pedestrians and bicycles across the river without payment.

With a population of approximately 300,000[citation needed], the Turku Region (LAU 1) is the third largest urban region in Finland, after Greater Helsinki and the area around Tampere. The region includes, in addition to the city itself the following municipalities: Askainen, Kaarina, Lemu, Lieto, Masku, Merimasku, Mynämäki, Naantali, Nousiainen, Paimio, Piikkiö, Raisio, Rusko, Rymättylä, Sauvo, Vahto, and Velkua.

A more exclusive definition for the urban area is the city region of Turku with a population around 235,000 consisting of four major municipalities Kaarina, Raisio, Naantali and Turku.

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Turku IV District or Martti is one of the smallest but most densily populated districts of Turku.

The city is divided into 78 districts and nine wards that do not function as local government units. There are, however, some projects that are based on the district divisions, particularly in the eastern part of the city, where unemployment is rife in certain areas. The largest populated districts are Varissuo and Runosmäki. By area, however, Kakskerta and Paattinen, formed from former municipalities that were annexed to the city proper in the mid-20th century, constitute the largest districts.

As many of the small neighbouring municipalities from 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 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.

Climate

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Area of Turku cathedral in autumn.

Situated by the Baltic Sea and sheltered by the islands of the Archipelago Sea, Turku has a hemiboreal climate. 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 °C (63 °F), whereas the coldest month is February. The average year-round temperature is 5 °C (41 °F). Winter usually starts in early December, and spring in late March.

Precipitation in Turku averages 698 mm (27 inches) a year. The rainiest month of the year is August, when the city receives on average 79 mm (3.1 inches) of rainfall. In May, the driest month of the year, the figure is only 35 mm (1.4 inches). The average air pressure at sea level is 1012 millibars, 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.[14]

Climate averages in Turku:

Climate data for Turku
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 8 (46) 11 (52) 16 (61) 25 (77) 30 (86) 32 (90) 36 (97) 32 (90) 28 (82) 19 (66) 11 (52) 10 (50) 36 (97)
Average high °C (°F) -2 (28) -2 (28) 2 (36) 8 (46) 15 (59) 20 (68) 22 (72) 20 (68) 14 (57) 9 (48) 3 (37) 0 (32) 9 (48)
Average low °C (°F) -8 (18) -9 (16) -5 (23) -1 (30) 5 (41) 10 (50) 12 (54) 11 (52) 7 (45) 3 (37) -2 (28) -6 (21) 1 (34)
Precipitation mm (inches) 55 (2.17) 40 (1.57) 43 (1.69) 37 (1.46) 35 (1.38) 52 (2.05) 76 (2.99) 79 (3.11) 68 (2.68) 74 (2.91) 74 (2.91) 66 (2.6) 698 (27.48)
Source: :[15] 2009-02-22

Government and politics

The Court of Appeal and Academy House of Turku.

Being both a regional and provincial capital, Turku is an important administrative centre, hosting the seat of the Archbishop of Finland and a Court of Appeal. Mikko Pukkinen, the former city manager of Seinäjoki, has been the city manager of Turku since 2006.

The city council and city board have long been dominated by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus/Samlingspartiet), with approximately equal representation. Currently, the council has 67 members, with 20 from Kokoomus and 15 from SDP. The other major parties in the council are the Green League (11 seats), the Left Alliance (10 seats) and the Swedish People's Party (4 seats). The current chair of the city board is Aleksi Randell from Kokoomus.

Transport

See also: Turku tram Locomotives at Turku Central railway station. Viking Line's MS Isabella on her way at Turku Archipelago.

For a city of its size, Turku has a moderate public transport network of bus routes, which is comparable to bus network of similar-sized Tampere. The bus network is managed and supervised by the City of Turku Public Transport Office (Finnish: Turun joukkoliikennetoimisto, Swedish: Åbo kollektivtrafikkontor), and is operated mainly by private companies.[citation needed] Regional buses are operated by private companies, most importantly TLO, with very frequent services especially to the neighbouring cities of Naantali, Raisio, and Kaarina.

Rail traffic to and from Turku is handled by the Finnish national carrier, VR. The number of services has fallen and only the railways towards Tampere and Helsinki are now in use. The railway stations currently used for passenger traffic are the Turku Central railway station in Pohjola, and two smaller stations in Kupittaa and the Port of Turku.

There is no local rail traffic at the moment, as the city's popular tram services were discontinued in 1972, and the various local railway lines to neighbouring towns and municipalities were all abolished during the late 20th century.[citation needed] However, there are plans for a light rail system in the Turku region in the near future. This system would more ably serve major suburbs of the city such as Varissuo and Runosmäki, as well as the neighbouring cities.[16]

The State of Finland has announced plans to support Espoo with 30 % of full expenses on a new metro rail, the Regional Council of Southwest Finland is going to use this as a test case for a new light rail network in Turku.:[17]

The Turku Bus Station and the Turku Central Railway Station are currently located in different places. The City of Turku is planning to combine these two in a new greater station complex in the near future. This new travel center will consist of a hotel and several shopping estates. This center will connect all public transportation from commuter trains to long distance buses.

Turku Airport is located eight kilometres to the north of the city centre, partly in the neighbouring municipality of Rusko.

There are also daily ferry services from the Port of Turku to Sweden and the Åland Islands, operated by Silja Line, Viking Line and SeaWind Line. These are something of a Finnish cultural tradition (see ruotsinlaiva), and people often travel long distances across Finland to Turku just to take a cruise across the Gulf of Bothnia.

The archipelago sea boat traffic is handled by, among others, S/S Ukkopekka. Old steamship cruise Turku-Naantali-Turku.

Turku is the only city in Finland to have three long-distance railway stations: Turku Central, Port of Turku, and Kupittaa.

Demographics

People celebrating Vappu in central Turku.

At the end of 2004 the Turku region (including the economic districts of Turku and Åboland) had a population of 319,632, out of which 174,824 people lived in the city of Turku. The city's population density is 718 inhabitants per square kilometre.[18]

89.4 % of Turku's population speak Finnish as their native language, while 5.2 % speak Swedish. The next most widely spoken languages are Russian (1.3 %), Arabic (0.6 %), Albanian (0.5 %), and Kurdish (0.4 %). 95.8 % of the population are Finnish citizens, and the most sizeable minorities are from Russia, Estonia, Iraq, and Iran. Like all other Finnish cities, Turku does not collect information about the ethnic and religious makeup of its population.[19]

Famous people from the city of Turku include Paavo Nurmi, Mauno Koivisto, Herman Spöring, Miikka Kiprusoff and the brothers Saku and Mikko Koivu. The Turku region has also brought forth many prominent personalities, including the marshal, Carl Gustaf Mannerheim.

Economy

MS Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest passenger ship was built in Turku.

Business district in The city's economy is centred around the Port of Turku and other service-oriented industries. The city is also a renowned high-tech centre – the Turku Science Park area in Kupittaa hosts over 300 companies from the fields of biotechnology and information technology, as well as several institutions of higher learning that work in closely with the business sector. This cooperative element is seen as a particularly important factor with regards to the city's expected future economic development, as outlined in the Turku Strategy that is published annually by the city council. Turku, with its good transportation network and close proximity to the Archipelago Sea, is also an important centre for tourism, frequently hosting various conventions and exhibitions.[citation needed]

As of 2007, the city's unemployment rate is 9.4 %.[20] The problem of unemployment is however troublesome in the districts of Pansio, Lauste, and Varissuo, where it hovers at around 16 %.[21]

The city collects an 18 per cent income tax (council tax) from its inhabitants, in addition to the progressively graduated taxation practised by the Finnish state.[citation needed] The total amount received through council tax in 2004 was projected at €400 million, a reduction of 1.0 per cent from the previous year.[citation needed]

Education

The main building of the University of Turku.

Turku has a longer educational history than any other Finnish city – the first school in the city, the Cathedral School, was founded along with the Cathedral of Turku in the late 13th century. The first university in Finland, the "The Royal Academy of Turku" (now University of Helsinki), was established in the city in 1640. In 1820, the first school in Finland conforming to the Bell-Lancaster method was founded in Turku with the aim of making primary education more inclusive to the lower classes.

Turku is home to about 35,000 higher education students.[22] The University of Turku is the second largest university in Finland (18,000 students), as measured by student enrollment, and one of the oldest as well, having been founded in 1920. Turku is also home to several other establishments of higher education, namely Åbo Akademi founded 1918, Finland's only Swedish-language university, Turun kauppakorkeakoulu (Turku School of Economics), and Turun ammattikorkeakoulu (Turku University of Applied Sciences) which is second largest polytechnic in Finland after Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

The central hospital of Turku, Turku University Hospital, is affiliated with the University and it is used as a teaching hospital.

Turku is one of only two cities in Finland to have an established international school (the other city being Helsinki). Turku International School, located in the eastern district of Varissuo, has been operating since 2003. By an agreement signed between the city of Turku and the University of Turku, Turun normaalikoulu takes care of the teaching in the international school.[23]

Media

Main library of Turku

The most widely read newspaper of Turku, and the area around it, is the daily regional morning newspaper Turun Sanomat, with a readership of over 70 % of the population every day. Åbo Underrättelser, a Swedish language newspaper published in Turku, is the oldest newspaper in Finland, having been published since 1824. The free-of-charge Turkulainen newspaper is also among the most popular newspapers, together with the local edition of Metro International and the national evening tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.[24] There are also a number of local newspapers such as Kulmakunta (for the eastern suburbs of Turku, including Varissuo and Lauste), and Rannikkoseutu (for the area around the neighbouring cities of Raisio and Naantali).

The first Finnish newspaper Tidningar Utgifne Af et Sällskap i Åbo was started in Turku in 1771, as well as the first Finnish-language newspaper Suomenkieliset Tieto-Sanomat which was started in 1775.

The newspaper, Turun Sanomat, also operates a regional television station, called Turku TV. The Finnish national broadcaster, Yleisradio, screens local news, daily from Monday to Friday, for the Southwest Finland (including the regions of Finland Proper and Satakunta) residents. All Finnish national TV channels are viewable and national radio channels audible in the Turku area. In addition, a number of local radio stations, e.g. Auran Aallot and Radio Sata are operational. Local public service radio stations are YLE Turun Radio in Finnish language (the regional version of YLE Radio Suomi) and YLE Radio Vega Åboland in Swedish language (the regional version of YLE Radio Vega).

Culture

The Cathedral of Turku, one of the most notable historical buildings in Finland.

Cultural venues in Turku include several theatres, cinemas, and art galleries, and a city philharmonic orchestra. The city's cultural centre organises a number of regular events, most notably the Medieval Market in July each year. Turku is also the official Christmas city of Finland, and 'Christmas Peace' in Finland is declared on every 24 December from the Brinkkala Hall balcony. The Turku Music Festival and the rock festival Ruisrock (held on the island of Ruissalo) are among the oldest of its kind in Scandinavia. The city also hosts another rock festival, Down by the Laituri, and one of the largest electronic music festivals in Northern Europe, UMF[25] (Uuden Musiikin Festivaali, "New Music Festival"), in addition to a vibrant nightlife, centred around the Market Square.

There are also numerous museums, such as the Turku Art Museum and the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art. The Åbo Akademi University maintains the Sibelius museum, which is the only museum in Finland specialising in the field of music. Apart from these, there are also several historical museums that display the city's medieval period, such as the Turku Castle, which has been a functional historical museum since 1881, and the Aboa Vetus museum, built in the late 1990s over the 14th century archaeological site. The Luostarinmäki handicrafts museum, converted from residential buildings that survived the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, was the first Scandinavian venue to receive the "Golden Apple" tourism award.

Turku is going to be 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.

The Declaration of Christmas Peace has been a tradition in Finland from the Middle Ages every year, except in 1939 due to the Winter War. The declaration takes place on the Old Great Square of Turku, Finland's official 'Christmas City', at noon on Christmas Eve. The declaration ceremony begins with the hymn Jumala ompi linnamme (Martin Luther's Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott) and continues with the Declaration of Christmas Peace read from a parchment roll in Finnish and Swedish.

Sports

Paavo Nurmi Marathon is run every summer.

Football and ice hockey are the most popular sports in Turku.[citation needed]

The city has two football teams in the Veikkausliiga: FC Inter and TPS. Both teams play their home matches at Veritas Stadion in the district of Kupittaa.

The local club TPS plays in the ice hockeys top level in Finland, the SM-liiga and is one of the most successful clubs in Finland with eleven championships, the latest of which from the 2009-10 season. The team is based in Turkuhalli, to the southwest of the city centre. The city's other major ice hockey team is TuTo, which play at the country's second level. A new ice hockey arena was constructed for Tuto in the Kupittaa park in 2006.

The Paavo Nurmi Marathon is an annual sporting event in Turku, named after the world-famous runner Paavo Nurmi who was born and raised in the city.

Finland's most successful tennis player, Jarkko Nieminen, was born and lives in the neighbouring county of Masku

Turku has also been the site of sporting history, as on June 21, 1954 it was in Turku where the Australian John Landy became the second person to run the mile under four minutes.[citation needed]

Turku Titans is a lacrosse club based in Turku with a relevantly successful history with 3 silver medals and 1 gold medal from the national lacrosse league in Finland. The Titans women's team has also had a successful history.[26] The FIL U19 2012 World Lacrosse Championships are also held in the city.[27]

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Turku is twinned with:

Turku has co-operation agreements with the following cities:

Gallery

The medieval keep of Turku Castle as seen from the harbour side.

Turku Museum of Art is a classical example of Romantic nationalism in architecture.

Pharmacy museum.

The Court of Appeal.

Luostarinmäki handicraft museum.

Michael's Church

Martin's Church

Western side of Aura river in central Turku.

Turku orthodox church stands next to the main Market Square.

Brinkhall Manor in Kakskerta island.

Church of Kakskerta.

Old Mill in Samppalinna.

See also

References

Sources

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2010" (in Finnish and Swedish) (PDF). Land Survey of Finland. http://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/Pintaalat_kunnittain_1.1.2010.pdf. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Population by municipality as of 31 March 2010" (in Finnish and Swedish). Population Information System. Population Register Center of Finland. http://www.vrk.fi/vrk/files.nsf/files/ACFC13B2F489698CC22577030039BD73/$file/20100331.htm. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. http://pxweb2.stat.fi/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=060_vaerak_tau_107_fi&ti=V%E4est%F6+kielen+mukaan+sek%E4+ulkomaan+kansalaisten+m%E4%E4r%E4+ja+maa%2Dpinta%2Dala+alueittain++1980+%2D+2008&path=../Database/StatFin/vrm/vaerak/&lang=3&multilang=fi. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. http://pxweb2.stat.fi/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=050_vaerak_tau_104_fi&ti=V%E4est%F6+i%E4n+%281%2Dv%2E%29+ja+sukupuolen+mukaan+alueittain+1980+%2D+2008&path=../Database/StatFin/vrm/vaerak/&lang=3&multilang=fi. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  5. ^ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2010". Tax Administration of Finland. 24 November 2009. http://www.vero.fi/download.asp?id=5853;25512. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Statistical yearbook of Turku" (in Finnish). 2008-07-17. http://www.turku.fi/Public/default.aspx?nodeid=3981&culture=en-US&contentlan=2.
  7. ^ 'Aluetietopankki' at the Kuntaliitto website
  8. ^ "Christmas City » Turku, the Finnish Christmas City". www.turku.fi. http://www.turku.fi/public/default.aspx?nodeid=9289&culture=en-US&contentlan=2. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  9. ^ "Destinations in Finland - Official Travel and Tourism Guide". Visitfinland.com. http://www.visitfinland.com/W5/index.nsf/(pages)/Destinations. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  10. ^ Aki Pihlman (2006-09-13). "Varhainen Turku rakennettiin pellolle" (in Finnish). http://www.utu.fi/media/ajankohtaista/argumentit/AkiPihlman.html. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  11. ^ Virmavirta
  12. ^ http://www.katajala.net/keskiaika/suomi/kaupungit.html
  13. ^ http://svenska.yle.fi/svenskfinland/artikel.php?id=4&subject=1000km
  14. ^ 'Turku' at EuroWeather
  15. ^ "World Weather Information Service - Turku". Worldweather.org. 2006-10-05. http://www.worldweather.org/061/c00169.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  16. ^ Laaksonen, Mikko. "Raitiovaunulla Naantaliin, Kaarinaan, Runosmäkeen, Varissuolle?" (in Finnish). raitio.org. Finnish Tramways Society. http://www.raitio.org/historia/pika/pika.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  17. ^ "Turun Sanomat". Turunsanomat.fi. 2006-09-27. http://www.turunsanomat.fi/kotimaa/?ts=1,3:1002:0:0,4:2:0:1:2006-09-27,104:2:407945,1:0:0:0:0:0. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  18. ^ "www.turku.fi » turku.fi » Turku.info » Publications and Reports". turku.fi. 2008-06-25. http://www.turku.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=97662&nodeid=4907&culture=en-US&contentlan=2. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  19. ^ see Turun kaupungin tilastollinen vuosikirja, 2005/2006
  20. ^ http://www.turku.fi/Public/download.aspx?ID=59428&GUID={2171A3CC-D0CC-4ACF-A894-86B962BE8B58}
  21. ^ http://www.turku.fi/Public/download.aspx?ID=59731&GUID={246B196C-9A7D-4975-8431-50D14A1405D8
  22. ^ "www.turku.fi » turku.fi » Turku.info » Turku in Brief". turku.fi. http://www.turku.fi/Public/default.aspx?nodeid=4904&culture=en-US&contentlan=2. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  23. ^ "Turku International School". University of Turku. 15 January 2006. http://www.tnk.utu.fi/index.php?id=1389&news_id=125&archive=.
  24. ^ see Tutkimus: Lehtien lukijapeitot
  25. ^ http://www.uudenmusiikinfestivaali.org/
  26. ^ "Turku Titans history". Turku Titans. http://www.turkutitans.fi/club.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  27. ^ "2012 World Lacrosse". FIL U19 2012 World Lacrosse Championships. http://www.2012worldlacrosse.com/. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  28. ^ "Gdańsk Official Website: 'Miasta partnerskie'" (in Polish & English). © 2009 Urząd Miejski w Gdańsku. http://www.gdansk.pl/samorzad,62,733.html. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
  29. ^ "Bratislava City - Twin Towns". © 2003-2008 Bratislava-City.sk. http://www.bratislava-city.sk/bratislava-twin-towns. Retrieved 2008-10-26.

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with other Tall Ships race competitors this leg is not a race and there will be opportunities to choose our own route stop occasionally go ashore and explore the area The voyage will finish with another festival in Turku More information about the Turku festival here More details about the cruise

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Inter Turku win Finnish Cup
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Inter Turku win Finnish Cup

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Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:00:36 GM

Inter . Turku. won an enthralling Finnish Cup final at Toeoeloe Football Stadium today, beating their erstwhile bogey team Tampere United 2-1. TamU had gone ahead through Jonne Hjelm in the 11th minute, after the 21 year old striker picked up ...

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