A new exhibition full of action and surprise

The Princess’s Journey will whisk you into the world of Princess Catherine Jagiellon. It is an action-filled adventure that plays out like a fairy tale. Through stories and activities, children get to the learn about the many events in Catherine Jagiellon’s life and her upbringing as a princess. The Princess’s Journey reveals how princesses too are real people with their own joys and sorrows. The exhibition will invite you to take part, to experience, and to reflect on the life of a princess and how it compares to yours and the world nowadays. The Princess’s Journey is an exhibition for families and children aged 6–10.   

C is for Catherine  

Catherine Jagiellon (1526–1583) was born into the powerful Jagiellon dynasty and grew up at the king’s court in Krakow, Poland. The Swedish Prince John, Duke of Finland, was chosen to be her husband. They were married in Vilnius in 1562. Thus, Catherine’s journey took her around the Baltic Sea, all the way to Turku, and from there onwards to Stockholm, where she and her husband were eventually crowned King and Queen of Sweden.    

Catherine brought an enormous dowry to Turku Castle. The only object remaining, that we know belonged to Catherine, is a pendant inscribed with the letter C, that she received as a gift from her father. This pendant was very dear to Catherine – so much so that she was buried wearing it. It is now in the collections of Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden, and will be on display in the exhibition until 23 April 2023.  

Co-creating an exhibition  

Participating in the planning of the exhibition were preschoolers from Tallimäenkenttä day-care and 2nd and 4th grade pupils from Topelius school. The museum wanted to hear from children about their ideas of the most fun ways to bring Cahterine's stories to life.   

The exhibition concept was designed in cooperation with the award-winning Dutch content design agency Studio Louter, while Taina Väisänen from Takt Oy was responsible for the spacial design work. The exhibition’s illustrations were created by illustrator Nadja Sarell, and the graphical look was designed by Dog Design Oy.