A city of museums 

Turku has always been ready to embrace innovations and new connections

Let's start by looking at how many museums there are in Turku. 

This sounds like such a simple task, but it really is a tricky one. If you go to the city's website, you’ll find a list of 11 museums that are either city or foundations owned. These are the larger professional museums, like Turku Castle, Luostarinmäki, Turku Art Museum, Turku City Art Museum WAM, Aboa Vetus Ars Nova and Maritime Museum Forum Marinum. These museums have educational programs, cafés and museum shops and attract a lot of visitors annually.

That list is however lacking, as you can't find charming home museum Ett Hem, the quirky little hospital museum and some other smaller museums in it. If you add all those up, then you have 16 museums. Aaaand then there are those one-room-exhibitions or history rooms, that are called museums (which from a museum professional’s point of view maybe are not), like Kakola Hill museum, located in a former prison telling the stories of incarceration in the old building. Then, there’s the more ambitious Finland’s Scouting Museum, or nine times Olympic gold medallist Paavo Nurmi's home, or...

Turku has all these museums, some small and some large, some professionally maintained and some run by volunteers. What our fair town is missing, is a museum dedicated to its history. Odd, you might think, and we are inclined to agree with you. This will however change for the better, as Turku is planning to open a new Museum of History and the Future by the end of this decade.

History, the future, and a new museum

Turku is the oldest city in Finland and one of the oldest in the Nordic countries. For centuries, Turku was the second largest city in Sweden. It is first mentioned in a document dating to 1229, and this is generally referred to as the foundation year. We are heading towards our 800th anniversary in 2029! This will also be the year when the new museum building will be completed.

The decision to set up a new museum was made in 2017. To its core the new museum will be the city's history museum, with a focus on looking towards possible futures through the city's history, and on examining history through the future. Finland is a leading country in future studies, and future skills have been increasingly seen as an important tool for understanding our existence. The idea of future skills as part of the museum's content, operations and educational programs has a wide appeal. It's part of what will make this museum unique.

The museum will be the vanguard for urban development in Linnanniemi

The new museum will be built in Linnanniemi, by the riverside near Turku Castle. The location has a long and multifaceted history; in its centre stands the Castle, a defensive and administrative stronghold from medieval times onwards, surrounded by harbour and industry activities and their colourful stories. Most of the current Linnanniemi is landfill area. The Castle was constructed on an island that over time connected to the mainland.

Nowadays Linnanniemi is a brown field area used for harbour activities. The land lease agreement with The Port of Turku will end in 2027 and the land will be returned to the city as harbour activities will be relocated. The Museum of History and the Future will be the first new building in the area, and the museum will be the vanguard for urban development in Linnanniemi. An architectural competition for the museum is planned to take place next autumn and the aim is to break ground in 2027.

The new museum will be located on the tip of the Turku mainland. Photo: Heikki Räisänen / Turku City Museum.

Towards a new museum 

Equally as, or even more important than the new building, are the museum's concept and content, and work with these have been an open process. Co-creation is an integral part of planning and setting up the new museum. Citizens and museum staff as well as external experts and stakeholders have all been included in the engagement process and brainstorming of content. A lot has happened from 2014 onwards, starting with surveys and interviews, being active on social media, organizing open popup workshops and workshops for stakeholders, implementing participatory projects in suburban neighbourhoods, and displaying popup content. As part of the planning process a new co-operation agreement with the local universities have been signed.

Input from all participants have made an impact on how we think about the museum and its implementation as well as its goals and content. At the same time general awareness of local history and cultural heritage has risen. Participants in all actions have been enthusiastic to talk and learn more about the local cultural heritage as well as to engage in thinking about possible futures for our shared heritage.

The new museum will be a landmark on Linnanniemi, and a hub for the both locals and tourists. Image: After Party & SHY.

A museum for Turku, about Turku

Turku is the cultural and economic centre of its region, and it is the third largest urban region in Finland. The tourist is attracted to the Turku region because of its clean and diverse nature, a breathtakingly beautiful archipelago, the city's long history and a diverse culture scene. The city's rich history is present in events inspired by the past, such as the immensely popular medieval market.

The challenges that Turku is facing are shared globally. Museums can through their expertise join in the work towards solving these challenges. The Museum of History and the Future will be an ecological, resource wise building, and it will act as a platform for stakeholders with aligning paths towards a sustainable future. The need for new types of partnerships and out-of-the-box business models has been recognized, and discussions around these issues continue.

The museum's operational model will be based on partnerships, and it will act as a platform for creative industries and for future studies. Citizen science, participatory practices and reinforcing future skills will be at the heart of our audience engagement. Collecting and documenting intangible cultural heritage in form of memories, recollections, and stories about everyday life will be pivotal. We believe that a museum must function and be present outside its walls. Digital services and content are important ways to achieve these goals.

On our journey towards 2029 we are keen to learn from our city's residents, from our partners and from other cities. We want to maintain flexibility in our thinking: We are open to rethink our plans and change them. As a city Turku has always been ready to embrace innovations and new connections. We continue that tradition.

Turku deserves a new museum – a museum that's all about the city's history and its future.

About the author

Joanna
Kurth
Project manager
Museum of History and the Future, City of Turku