The section of Piispankatu next to the Svante Dahlström parkette will be transformed into a cosy winter square from 28 November 2022 until 28 February 2023. The winter square will be a place for residents, townspeople and tourists to relax and spend time. The purpose of the experiment is to encourage the city’s residents to enjoy outdoor activities and move around, even in winter.

“For a few winter seasons, the city’s residents have already been delighted by the red balls hanging from the trees in the Svante Dahlström parkette. Now that Piispankatu will be closed to car traffic on the other side of the park during the winter square experiment , it is easy and safe to stop under the red balls and enjoy the atmosphere,” project coordinator Katariina Salokannel says.

Pots and familiar furniture from the Kristiinankatu summer street will be moved to the winter square. They will be planted with winter-resistant plants, such as heather and conifers. The square is also intended for small-scale activities and events appropriate to the nature of the area, so that they do not cause disturbance to the local residents.

“We welcome wishes and ideas from the residents of the area about the events to be organised. And of course they can also organise the activities they want in the square themselves,” says project manager Tuija Alihaanperä.

We welcome wishes and ideas from the residents of the area about the events to be organised.

Visiting the winter square can be combined with seeing other events in the Old Town. Popular Christmas carol events will be organised in Turku Cathedral every week in December starting on 1 December when Sami Christmas carols will be sung there. The Sibelius Museum is the venue for several concerts in early December, with exhibitions about Pehr Kalm and guitars until the end of the year. Galleries in the Old Town area house interesting exhibitions. While visiting the Christmas Market at the Old Great Square, you should cross Uudenmaankatu and head to the peace of the winter square for a while.

Feedback will be collected through the Kerrokantasi service

The implementation and effects of the winter square experiment will be evaluated after the experiment is over. During the experiment, the city’s inhabitants can share their views about the winter square in the Kerrokantasi service. The survey will be opened on 29 November. In addition, a separate survey will be sent to the residents of the area after the experiment is over.

The winter square will be implemented through collaboration between the Scale-up project and the Development of the City Centre spearhead project. The city of Turku will participate in the international Scale-up project in 2021–2025, implemented together with the urban areas of Madrid and Antwerp. The project will support the development of user-centric  mobility solutions. In the project, the City of Turku will implement ten measures related to sustainable mobility, one of which is winter as a mobility season.

One of the goals of developing the Old Town in the Development of the City Centre spearhead project  is to increase the attractiveness of the area and develop its public urban spaces to be more open and functional. In addition, one of the measures to be promoted is the initiation of investigations to turn Piispankatu into a low-speed residential street or cycling street. The winter square experiment supports the completion of the investigation.