APRIL 30 - Start the day with a huge (included) breakfast at our place, Tuure B&B. Then down to the riverside walk, carry on for about 30 minutes downriver to where the ferries dock. Here is located Turku Castle, one of the oldest buildings in the city, and the largest surviving medieval structure in the country. It was constructed starting in 1289 but went through many phases of growth and change in use. It was originally located on an island with a good base of solid rock, in a position to defend the mouth of the Aura River. Over its first few hundred years of existence, the island it was built on grew larger (mostly due to dropping sea level), and sections were added on as space permitted. It initially served to house the first knightly court in the region.
As explained previously, prior to 1809 Finland was within the dominion of Sweden. Hence, the ruler of Turku and prime inhabitant of the castle was a Swedish lord, who was fully in charge of domestic policy in his particular section of Finland. The most well-known of these was Duke John III (r. 1556-63), who would later become king of Sweden (1569-92). He also held the title Prince of Finland, and lived here with his wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland, and consort, Karin Hansdotter, a servant girl he initially brought with him from Sweden.
The castle has a huge, comprehensive museum, that basically fills the entire building. It takes the viewer through the entire history, complete with stairways and passages. There are many hours of historical perusal here, fortunately all the staircases and dungeon corridors kept Odette entertained.
Basically, the arc of the castle’s use went from being a defensive military post to a court for the Swedish lords. Its military use was rendered obsolete by the 1700’s due to improvement of armament. By the time the Russians showed up, it was in a state of disrepair. Some reconstruction was done starting in 1881 out of historical interest, much of which was erased by bombings during WWII. It is a real credit to the people of Turku that is has been preserved as well as it has today.
FUN FACT: During medieval times, the knight was the pinnacle of military force, used by kings and lords to maintain their dominance or expand their possessions. The knight, however, required a great deal of very heavy armor, along with a horse (that also might have armor). The physical environment of Finland impaired the classic knight model, due to the frequency of boggy, low lying areas and lakes. Hence, equipment adjustments had to be made so that the soldiers would not get stuck slogging through the mud.
From here, we hike out to the main road and catch the #8 bus west to Ruissalo Island. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge. In summer this is a really popular place to camp and hang out on the beach.
