The history of Ruissalo

Property of the Crown

Ruissalo is thought to have been taken over by Turku Castle in the 1300s at the latest. It remained in the ownership of the Crown as pasture land until the mid-15th century. The fields were cleared for cultivation and around the same time Ruissalo became a royal manor for the needs of Turku Castle.

Protecting the oak trees and hunting

Duke John became the Lord of Turku Castle and also the ruler of the royal manor in 1556. Ruissalo was turned into a hunting park for the Duke of Finland. The Duke took care of the island's oak forests, which were particularly well looked after because the raw material was to be reserved for shipbuilding.

Red deer were brought to the island in 1562 to be hunted by the Duke. The deer did not stay on the island for long. The last record of a deer on the island dates back to 1599. Apparently, the deer ended up in the mouths of sailors who had fought in the siege of Turku Castle with Duke Charles' troops.

Time of the governors

In the 17th century, after the Duke's reign, Ruissalo manor and its farms were transferred. First they became the property of the governors-general of Turku Castle and later of the governors. The manor was owned by Count Per Brahe the Younger from 1637 to 1651 and the governor, Count Lorentz Creutz the Younger, from 1682 to 1698.  However, they did not live in Ruissalo, and the manor was run by tenant farmers. Ruissalo remained the governors' official residence until 1844.

In the 18th century, G. Lillienberg (1749-1757), J. Wallen (1757-1769) and E. G. von Willebrand (1792-1808) were the most important landowners who developed agriculture.  During Lillienberg's reign, the Ruissalo manor garden was re-established and the riverside meadows, which had dried up and became arable, were cleared. The number of grazing cattle increased, and the cattle were moved from the meadows to the woods. The clearing of oak groves for fields came to a halt. Governor Willebrand also developed agriculture and planted more fruit trees in the manor garden. However, in the 1790s he also felled 710 oak trees with good, straight trunks in Ruissalo and kept the profits for himself.

Expanded crops required more labour. From 18th century onwards, more farms were established, and by the end of the 1830s, there were already 15. The farms had their own fields in the vicinity of the residential buildings.

Summer house plots and recreation for all people

In the new town plan drawn up after the fire in Turku in 1827, the city's bourgeoisie had lost most of their pastures around the city. The bourgeoisie therefore petitioned the Senate for the use of Ruissalo for grazing, but also for summer recreation. In 1845, the state handed Ruissalo over to the city of Turku. The following year, Ruissalo was parcelled out and the plots were rented out as summer house plots to the bourgeoisie. However, one of the plots was reserved for public use as a recreation area for all people.

Recreational use and natural values have been preserved to this day

The history of Ruissalo is one of agriculture, recreation and natural values. These same values have been preserved to this day. The land in Ruissalo is cultivated and cattle are kept during the summer months, particularly for scenic reasons, in order to preserve the island's special character.

The City of Turku and the state disagreed on the ownership of the island, and the island was transferred to the City of Turku in 2005, when the state and the city reached an agreement on the ownership of the island. The agreement required Turku to protect the unique nature and cultural and historical values of the island. This means that the island must not be used for large-scale construction or other activities that would compromise its current character. Ruissalo will be preserved as a recreational lake and nature paradise for future generations.