The Turku Castle has stood guard over the Aura River for more than 700 years. Its huge granite stone walls hold the history of Finland and Sweden, and this is where we started our Turku Tour during our days at NBE Finland.
It was a dark and cold late afternoon when we arrived at Turku Castle for a tour named Torture, death, and Ghosts at the Turku Castle. Really, they have a tour with a name like this at the castle, and it is worth the scares you expect to have.
This is possible because Turku Castle, built in the 1280s, has seen eras of decline and grandeur. It has served as a fortification, administrative center, and stately palace. It also housed a prison filled with legends of impossible escapes.
A little over a hundred years ago, the castle was turned into a museum; since then, it has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Finland.
A little bit of the history behind the Turku Castle
Together with the Turku Cathedral, the Turku Castle is one of Turku’s oldest buildings and is still in use. It is also the largest surviving medieval building in Finland. The castle’s history started around 1280 when the Swedish conquerors of Finland decided to build a military fortress to protect the area.
The castle was strengthened in the next 200 years, and living quarters were added. After that, it became the administrative center of Eastland, the way Finland was called back when it was a Swedish province.
And no bears were inside the castle, but you can see one now.
During the 16th century, the castle saw lots of construction work since Gustav Vasa ascended to the Swedish throne, and his son Johan III was in charge of the Finnish administration. Most of what you see when you walk around the castle was built during this time. After his time there, nothing was ever extended on the castle, only repaired. What you see now is what it used to look like in medieval times.
Even though this is a big castle, it was used as a defensive force of the realm only once. This was back in 1318 when Russian invaders from Novgorod destroyed Turku. But we are not saying that the Turku Castle lived in peace for 700 years.
It frequently played a role in internal struggles for power within Sweden-Finland and the Kalmar Union. But nothing really big happened there besides numerous sieges.
We will not say anything about the Torture, death, and ghosts tour we did because it would spoil the fun and scares. Don’t forget to look down, and don’t freak out with loud noises. Everything will be okay in the end.
But if you want something safer and, maybe, for kids, you should look for the Little Knight’s Tour, where you can dress in costume and be transported to medieval times.
At the Fatabur Museum Shop, you can buy souvenirs and accessories that will keep your medieval memories alive for a long time.
Turku Castle is Finland’s most visited museum, with almost 200.000 visitors annually. It is pretty easy to find in Turku, but if you have any problem getting there, you can use the map below.
Turku Castle: Torture, Death and Ghosts Tour
Linnankatu 80, 20100
Turku, Finland
I was invited to visit Turku Castle by Visit Turku during our days at NBE Finland.
