Turku

Turku ({{IPA2|ˈturku}}, Swedish: {{Audio|sv-Åbo.ogg|Åbo}}), founded in the 13th century, is the oldest and fifth largest city in Finland, with a population of 174,824 (as of 2004). Located at the mouth of the Aura river in the southwest of the country, it is the capital city of both the region of Finland Proper and the province of Western Finland, as well as being the centre of the country's third largest urban area, with around 300,000 inhabitants. Turku has one of the largest Finland-Swedish population in the country. The Finnish word for the inhabitants of Turku is turkulaiset (singular: turkulainen). Due to its location, the Port of Turku is considered one of the most important seaports in Finland.

History

Turku has a long history as the country's largest city and administrative centre, but has, during the last two centuries, relegated those titles to Helsinki. The city also bears a strong identity as the oldest city in Finland, and as its former capital. Originally, the word 'Finland' referred only to the area around Turku (hence the title, 'Finland Proper' for the region).

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Although archaelogical findings, dating back to the Stone Age, have been dscovered, Turku did not become a significant location until the late 13th century. Its name originated from an old Russian word, t?rg?, meaning 'market place'. The Cathedral of Turku was consecrated in 1300, and together with Turku Castle and the Dominican monastery (founded in 1229), the city became the most important location in medieval Finland.

Related Topics:
Stone Age - Old Russian - Cathedral of Turku - Consecrated - 1300 - Turku Castle - Dominican - Monastery - 1229 - Medieval

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During the Middle Ages, Turku was the seat of the Bishop of Turku (a title later upgraded to 'Archbishop of Turku'), and the only city in Finland to trade with the Hanseatic League. The population of the city was around six thousand, and in the 1620s, it became the residence of the Governor-General of Finland, thus affirming its status as the capital of Finland. In 1640, the first university in Finland, the Academy of Åbo, was founded in Turku.

Related Topics:
Middle Ages - Bishop of Turku - Hanseatic League - 1620s - Governor-General of Finland - 1640 - University - Academy of Åbo

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After the Finnish War, which ended when Sweden ceded Finland to Imperial Russia at the Treaty of Hamina in 1809, the capital was changed from Turku to Helsinki, as Emperor Alexander I felt that Turku was too far from Russia to serve as the capital of the Grand Duchy. 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. After the fire, a new and safer city plan was drawn up by German architect Carl Engel, who had also designed the new capital, Helsinki. Turku remained the largest city in Finland for another twenty years.

Related Topics:
Finnish War - Sweden - Imperial Russia - Treaty of Hamina - 1809 - Emperor - Alexander I - Grand Duchy - 1812 - 1827 - German - Architect - Carl Engel

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In 1918, a new university, the Åbo Akademi — the only Swedish-language university in Finland — was founded in Turku. Two years later, the Finnish-language University of Turku was founded alongside it. These two universities are the second and third to be founded in Finland.

Related Topics:
1918 - Åbo Akademi - Swedish-language - Finnish-language - University of Turku

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Turku has been viewed during the 20th century as 'Finland's gateway to the West' as a result of its good connections with other Western European countries and cities. Since the 1940s, there have been particularly strong ties with Stockholm (located 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 whom was Vladimir Putin, then Leningrad's deputy mayor {{inote|Virmavirta|Virmavirta}}.

Related Topics:
20th century - Western European - 1940s - Stockholm - Gulf of Bothnia - 1960s - Twinning - Leningrad - Soviet Union - Communism - Russia - Vladimir Putin - Mayor

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In the 1960s and 1970s, Turku displayed unprecedented rates of growth, resulting in the construction of many new densely-inhabited suburbs such as Varissuo and Runosmäki, and the annexation of many neighbouring municipalities (eg. Maaria and Paattinen).

Related Topics:
1970s - Suburbs - Varissuo - Runosmäki - Maaria - Paattinen

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