A large-scale jubilee decision package is presented to the Turku City Board, which will meet on 27 March 2017. The City Board is requested to present the package to be decided at the jubilee session of City Council on 18 April 2017.
The extensive operational complete package of the city’s independence jubilee year is divided into seven operational lines: activating the city’s basic operations; jubilee decisions; investment projects; community initiatives; reformation jubilee year; large events; and official cooperation and international operations.
The independence and reformation jubilee years will bring significant national and international events and guests to Turku. In several sectors, the themes and contents of the reformation jubilee year are connected to the independence jubilee. The events will strengthen the city’s positive image and affect the regional economy positively.
The independence jubilee year can be seen and will be promoted in all sectors. All sectors have drafted separate plans, defining their actions for the implementation of the independence jubilee year. The most significant ideas have been collected as a basis for the preparations of the city’s jubilee decision. These projects have been compiled into one proposition for the City Council.
- The jubilee decision will support the development of the city’s centre, and enhance its appeal around the year. The overall package also serves the preparations for Turku’s own jubilee year in 2029’, says Aleksi Randell, Mayor of Turku.
- Large cities have a significant role in the independence jubilee year. As Finland’s oldest city, Turku will participate actively in the celebrations throughout the year, and the reformation jubilee year events will increase Turku’s significance nationally, Randell continues.
Turku’s jubilee decision contains four parts:
1. Opening a historical museum in Turku
2. Founding the Turku 2029 foundation
3. A project to improve the appeal of the Aura riverside throughout the year
4. Founding a nature reserve in Luolavuori
1. Opening a historical museum in Turku
The jubilee decision on opening a historical museum in Turku is a gift from the 800-year-old Turku to the 100-year-old Finland. The aim is to open an experience centre-like historical museum, which presents the history of Turku and Finland. The centre will also offer facilities for varying cultural historical and natural scientific exhibitions of high quality. In terms of its presentation technology and as a place to visit, the museum is comparable to science centres.
Turku proposes that negotiations be launched with the state on opening a historical museum in Turku to celebrate the 100 years of Finnish independence. The preparations of the project plans for the museum are launched immediately, and the necessary funds for starting the planning of the project are reserved in the 2018 budget.
The name of the museum is to be decided at a later time. When ready, the museum will be an attractive target of cultural tourism, which strengthens the Turku brand. The aim for the total number of visitors of the museum in the first years is 200,000 visitors per year, after which the number is estimated to establish itself to between 160,000–180,000 annual visits.
2. Founding the Turku 2029 foundation
The primary intention of the Turku 2029 foundation is to support the implementation of the city’s strategy, which aims to improve the city’s competitiveness and attractiveness by 2029, Turku’s 800th anniversary. The intention is not to place personnel or operations within the foundation; the task of the foundation is to decide on the distribution of the return on capital.
The proposition presented to the City Council is to allocate 29 million euros as the capital base of the foundation, which it can use for carrying out its function. 14.5 million is to be paid from the capital of the damages fund, and 14.5 million from the grant funds of the City Board.
In principle, the foundation would allocate its return on capital to actions, projects, and investments which improve the appeal and competitiveness of the city in 2017–2029. In 2029, the foundation would invest its total capital or a part of it in the investments decided by the City Council.
3. A project to improve the appeal of the Aura riverside throughout the year
During past decades, the development of the Aura riverside as the most significant appeal factor of the city has been target-oriented. The increased role of city lighting has been particularly significant for the around-the-year appeal of the city. The development of the already lit areas of the riverside is to be extended to the entire riverside, along with its immediate surroundings, from the Tuomaansilta bridge to the Turku Castle, as well as the historical old part of the city. In addition to lighting and increasing the liveliness through sounds and images, the shore walls and structures are repaired and increased, and green area construction is increased.
The planning is added to the development project of the appeal of the city’s commercial centre around the year, which is carried out as part of the top project of developing the centre of the city. The main parts of the areas belong with the Turku national urban park, which was founded in 2013.
4. Founding a nature reserve in Luolavuori
The Luontolahjani satavuotiaalle (‘My nature gift to the centenarian’) campaign has been launched to celebrate Finland’s 100th jubilee year. The campaign encourages land owners to establish a nature conserve on their land. The campaign is carried out only once, during 2017. The aim of the campaign is to create at least 100 hectares of new permanent nature conserves, which will remain in the ownership of the land owners.
In Turku, a nature conserve is proposed in an exceptionally urban environment: in the fascinatingly craggy and unique pine-grown area of Luolavuori.
The area includes the shore area of the Littorina Sea from 7,000–8,000 years ago, and it holds three historical relics described by the National Board of Antiquities. Two of these relics are grave mounds built from rocks from the Early Metal Age. The third relic is the old city boundary stone, which is mentioned for the first recorded time in 1530. The letter A and the year 1794 have been engraved in the rock. The cave in the northern end of the area is a natural monument; one of the most striking caves in Finland, with an impressive length of 45 metres.