Meet Turku – the oldest city in Finland which has been officially existing on the map since the 13th century; has played the role of Finland’s capital until the Russian invasion in the 19th century, when these duties were taken over by Helsinki; and has always been and still remains a significant link between Finland and the Western Europe.1 I got to visit this living and breathing history book during the most peaceful time of the year when the river Aurajoki (or Aura in English), which splits Turku in half, was asleep under a thick layer of ice, while the surrounding forests and hills were covered in white snow blankets.
Although almost two thirds of the city were turned into ashes after the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, some of the historic structures remained intact or at least survived partially. Like the Turku Castle, which has experienced destruction, burning and bombing at different times during its lifetime.
As a result of these past disasters that have torn the city apart many times, today the central part of Turku mainly consists of developments which have been built during the last two centuries. Due to the great demand for new housing and the need to quickly improve the traffic infrastructure in the middle of the 20th century, the streets are mainly dominated by rather common and standardised functionalist and modernist buildings that have taken the place of the previous wooden houses. These residential and commercial blocks are often so indistinguishable that you can very quickly get lost among them if you are not paying attention to the street name signs. The promenade along the River Aura has gradually turned into a phenomenal chronological timeline which physically demonstrates the development of Turku’s built environment throughout the centuries. Here examples of National Romanticism, Classicism, Functionalism, Modernism, and Post-Modernism are placed side by side, creating a very diverse cityscape.
I would be lying if I pretended I had no clue about the link that exists between Turku and Alvar Aalto. Between 1927 and 1933 Aalto lived and worked in Turku before moving to Helsinki since it provided more work opportunities.2 As the testimony to his time in Turku, three Aalto’s buildings can be found in the city: Standard Apartment Building (1927-28), Southwest Finland Agricultural Co-operative Building (1927-28), Turun Sanomat newspaper office (1928-29).
These buildings are examples of Aalto’s early style – the very rational, straightforward functionalist who seems to have kept a certain distance between himself and his designs. Today all of these houses are still in use and appear to have blended in with their neighbours so well that it would be easy to miss them if it were not for certain details and signs.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Turku was that among those monotone and repetitive blocks here and there a sudden breathtaking or intriguing surprise would appear out of nowhere. The impressive National Romantic style building (1904) designed by Gustaf Nyström is one of such examples. This astounding structure, which is also a home to Turku Art Museum, in the darkness probably looks like something just stepped out of a Gothic horror film. Located on the top of a hill, it overlooks the street that disappears in front below, making the building appear even more grand and respectable.
However, it is not just the historical aspect of Turku that is interesting. As much as the city emphasises and cares for its history, it has also got a forward-looking and innovative side to it, which already has attracted a lot of attention. One of the noteworthy projects is the famous (I say famous because it kept reappearing in so many of my researches for various university projects throughout the entire course) Pudelma pavilion in the park next to the Turku City Hall.
Designed in 2011 by students and professionals from the University of Columbia, Oulu University and Aalto University, the pavilion was dedicated to Turku’s nomination as the ”European Capital of Culture 2011” and the events hosted as a part of the cultural programme.3 This experimental structure combines traditional timber construction techniques and modern computer-based design methods. It is not just an eye-pleasing object, dropped in the middle of a courtyard – the atmosphere inside it is also quite unique, especially with the snow filling in the voids and creating a feeling that you have just entered a weird igloo hybrid. The fact that this (I presume initially – ‘temporary’) pavilion is still standing 5 years after its construction shows how open-minded the city is and also how much it appreciates non-traditional design.
The other major project is the new building of Turku Main Library, completed in 2007 by JKMM Architects. The building has received numerous awards, all of which are well-deserved. The project must have been a difficult challenge not just because of its central location and dense urban surroundings, but also because the structure had to be linked to the old library building, which had been completed in 1903.
The new library makes a rather modest first impression, compared to some of the other recently finished libraries in the same region as well as in more distant places. But it fits. It fits so well that if the building was placed right next to Aalto’s Southwest Finland Agricultural Co-operative Building, which is only a few blocks away, you would think that half a century later the same architect has been reborn and designed the second building next to his first work. By that I am not trying to say that the new library is a copy of some of its older neighbours, but it definitely feels like a natural continuation of its surrounding environment. And there is absolutely no need for the new library to scream for the attention – people seem to be visiting it very frequently and willingly. Because once you will have experienced the warm and inviting atmosphere of the reading rooms inside this building, you will find your legs bringing you back there already the next day.
And that is a brief overview of Turku. There is certainly a lot to cover when you are trying to capture the essence of an entire city, but I hope this will do. I imagine Turku is one of those places you have to visit at least once in every season to fully understand how everything comes together and functions as a whole. The city’s growth seems to gradually continue and not just above the ground. The Medieval Turku is also rising back from the underground (literally) as the archaeological excavations take place underneath the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova – the museum of history and contemporary art. You can always trust in people and places that are proud of their ancestry and maintain a strong connection with their history because you know that they are real, that they are in touch with themselves and the place from which they originate. And if you have a strong connection to the past, you also have a better chance of creating a meaningful future. That, I believe, is also the case of Turku.
1.”History of Turku,” Nordtek, accessed February 7, 2016, http://web.abo.fi/konferens/nordtek2011/history.html
2. Lahti, Louna. Aalto. Köln: Taschen, 2004.
3. ”Pudelma in the Turku City Hall park,” Turku 2011, accessed February 7, 2016, http://www.turku2011.fi/en/news/pudelma-turku-city-hall-park_en
thenorthernwandererblog.wordpress.com 