Hello again
When you've followed Aurajoki as far as we did today, you'll be near the place where the river flows into the sea. You can't walk on the riverbank further than Bore, so from here it's only natural to continue walking to Linnanpuisto.
Look at this old tree. I wonder how old it is.
And here's the reason for the park's name. Turun Linna (Turku Castle) towers over the area. Here's the main entrance to the castle.
Turku Castle is one of the most notable historical buildings in Finland and it's also the oldest surviving medieval building in Finland. The castle was founded in the late 13th century and it's located near the mouth of Aurajoki and the Port of Turku. Originally the castle was built on an island, but the ground has ascended during the centuries so much that the island is fully connected to the mainland.
The castle has been through a lot during it's long history. It's been built, burnt, rebuilt and extended many times. The latest major damage was caused by an incendiary bomb that hit the Medieval keep on 1941, when Soviet Union was air raiding Turku during the Continuation War. After that the castle has been renovated and restored to its 16th century glory. Now the castle is one of the most popular museums in Finland. It's also a popular place for weddings.
The castle can be divided into two parts: the Renaissance bailey and the Medieval keep. Here we are on the outer courtyard, the white part of the castle is the bailey.
Here's an old well. Maybe there's still water in it?
Here you can see the eastern tower of the Medieval keep and the smaller entrance tower in the front of it.
A view from the entrance tower to the courtyard. Look how thick the walls are.
Entrance to the castle and to the inner courtyard.
That's where you go, if you want to take a tour in the castle. We didn't go there this time, not much to see beyond that door without buying a ticket. Maybe we'll go there one day, who knows.
Here's the coat of arms of House Sture. Sten Sture the Elder was a castellan here on the 15th century.
Here we are on the inner courtyard. You can see the western tower of the Medieval keep, too.
Here we're going back towards the entrance.
Back in the park again. Here's the only round tower of Turku Castle.
Here it's easy to see the two different parts of the castle.
It's forbidden to climb on the walls, but we did it anyway.
And here's the western tower again. This is the part of the castle that you see most often in postcards and other pictures. It's also known as a symbol of Turku.
Greetings,
Qah
