A refreshing oasis in the middle of the city, on a warm summer day Samppalinna is really popular with the locals. An olympic-size swimming and diving boards where swimmers can jump from the tower. Children have their own pool and there is sunbathing among the stadium’s sunny banks; a park area included: picnics possible, basic play yard. The changing areas are indoors, good sauna and shower facilities. The lockers can be locked with a 50-cent coin.
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Turun kaupunginteatteri
The main theatre building on the banks of river Aura has gone through a thorough renovation. Turku City Theatre offers performances on four different stages. It offers serious drama, musicals and children's theatre, including visiting productions.
Biologinen museo/Biologiska museet
A diorama-museum that resides in a beautiful wooden Art Nouveau building. Thirteen nature scenes present the fauna and flora of Finland, from the archipelago all the way to the fells of Lapland. In all, 30 common Finnish mammals and 136 bird species are on display. The museum is great for all those interested in nature and cultural history. It was established in 1907 and most of the dioramas date back all the way to that period. Since spring 2024 they are complemented by digital content, such as animal sounds, and things that can be touched; also the yard has been included, with e.g. an insect hotel (take a quick tour around the house). There are also varying small-scale exhibitions and other types of annual events held at the museum. The museum is a popular visiting destination for school groups and it is also a suitable visiting destination for younger children. A small museum shop sells postcards, posters and other assorted items related to the museum.
Traditional and very popular markets are held every April and October on the riverfront right in the Turku city centre. Archipelago Market in April and Herring Market in October bring fish delicacies as well as handicrafts to the riverside. Both markets bring professional fishermen from the Archipelago Sea to the heart of the city to sell their products, some still straight from their boats. Also e.g. sea-buckthorn juice, honey and bread are sold, in addition to meals and standard market fare.
Finland´s oldest and most legendary city festival, DBTL was sparked into life in the late 1980s by the rock-club of the Student Union of the Turku University. Its popularity spread like a blaze and nowadays it attracts around 70,000 visitors. Mostly pop and rock.
Samppalinnan kesäteatteri
Samppalinna summer theatre, with its first premières in 1960, is Finland’s largest summer musical theatre. It specialises in musicals.
Apteekkimuseo
The Qwensel House is the oldest bourgeois housing from the autarchic times that has survived in its entirety in Turku. The house was built approximately in the year 1700 to an area that was reserved for the nobility in the city plan put up by Count Per Brahe the Younger. A pharmacy from the 19th century has been furnished in the shop wing of the building. The pharmacy has a material room and a herb room, two laboratories and an office. The office has the oldest surviving pharmacy interior in Finland. The exhibition wing of the building has an extensive collection of pharmacy utensils on display. There is also a pharmaceutical research laboratory and pharmacy history exhibition in the wing. In addition to the main exhibitions, there are also varying smaller exhibitions and events held at the museum every year. The former stable, outhouse and barn are at the northern end of the baker wing of the building. The Pipping family used to have an orchard by the Linnankatu Street. The cafeteria, in the Pharmacy Museum's inner courtyard, is a charming spot of old milieu in the heart of the city. During the summer there are chickens and roosters in the yard and you can really feel you have travelled back in time. The café serves home-made pastries prepared according to recipes from the 18th century. Also their teas are worth checking. The two chambers, are in the wing that was housed by the building's owners in the 18th century. The chambers have been furnished in 18th-century fashion. The same wing used to have a kitchen, a chamber, maid's chamber, a shed, a carriage shed and a granary according to fire insurance documents from 1791.