The Medieval Market of Turku ( fi, Turun keskiaikaiset markkinat, sv, Åbo medeltidsmarknad) is an annual

historical reenactment event Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historic uniforms or costumes and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or ...

organised in the historic city centre of

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. Admission to the event is free. In addition to

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

performances, it includes an open-air

handicrafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

market with vendors and even visitors garbed in

period costume A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and sw ...

. The main market is at the Old Great SquareMedieval Market at Turku
. (one of the city's oldest market squares), but there are other performances and exhibitions at

Turku Castle Turku Castle ( fi, Turun linna, sv, Åbo slott) is a medieval building in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use and the largest surviving medieval building in Finland. ...

Turku Cathedral Turku Cathedral ( fi, Turun tuomiokirkko, sv, Åbo domkyrka) is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat ...

and at the

Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova is a museum in central Turku, Finland. The museum is housed in a building known as the Rettig palace, originally built in 1928. Aboa Vetus displays portions of the city dating back to medieval times, while Ars Nova is a mu ...

Museum.Medieval Turku info
/ref> Together these different performances and exhibitions form the Medieval Turku event, which is organized in unison by Turun Suurtorin keskiaika ry, the

Museum Centre of Turku A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

, the

museum,

Rohan Stables Rohan may refer to: Places * Rohan, Morbihan, a French commune in Brittany * Château des Rohan (Mutzig), France * Żebbuġ, Malta, also known as Città Rohan ** De Rohan Arch, a commemorative arch in Żebbuġ * Palais Rohan, Bordeaux, France * ...

and Turku and Kaarina Parish Union. These areas are closed to traffic during the event.Market Place
/ref>

History

The event, held in late June, has been organized since 1996, and is constantly growing in popularity. In 2005, it drew in approximately 100,000 visitors, and employed over 100 voluntary and professional actors and actresses. The Town Market of the

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

merchant, "Laurentius" was organized by the

Museum till 2013. Since then, the museum has focused on presenting medieval times through guided tours, lectures and archeological digs.Medieval Turku 26.–29.6.2014
/ref> More recently, the visitor amounts of the market have climbed to 180,000, and they now compete with the most popular summertime events in Finland, such as

Ruisrock Ruisrock is a rock festival held annually on the island of Ruissalo in Turku, Finland. Ruisrock, founded in 1970, is the second oldest rock festival in Europe (after Pinkpop) and the oldest in Finland. The festival has attracted international ar ...

(93,000 visitors) or

Pori Jazz Pori Jazz is a large international jazz festival, held annually during the month of July in the coastal city of Pori (a population of 82,809 in January 2010), Finland. It is one of the oldest and best known jazz festivals in Europe, having bee ...

(150,000 visitors).Turkulainen news article
This market went virtual in 2020.

Gallery

File:Turku Medieval Markets, twisting rope, detail.jpg,

Rope twisting A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly ...

2005 File:Turku Medieval Market, a knight.jpg, Voluntary actor as a soldier 2005 File:Turku Medieval market, bourgeois.jpg, Voluntary actors as members of the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

2005 File:Turku Medieval Market, handicrafts.jpg, Handicrafts 2005 File:Turku medieval festival.jpg, Turku Medieval Market 2006 File:Turku Medieval Market in 2012.jpg, Market visitors 2012 File:Animal skulls at Turku Medieval market 2015.jpg, Animal skulls 2015 File:Acrobatic show at Turku Medieval market 2015.jpg, Acrobatic show 2015 File:Medieval band at Turku Medieval market 2015.jpg, Medieval band 2015 File:Sahti brewing at Turku Medieval market 2015.jpg,

Sahti Sahti is a Finnish type of farmhouse ale made from malted and unmalted grains including barley and rye. Traditionally the beer is flavored with juniper in addition to, or instead of, hops;

brewing 2015

Notes

External links

Medieval Market
Official site.
Medieval Turku
Official blog. Culture in Turku Finnish handicrafts Medieval-themed fairs Medieval reenactment events Tourist attractions in Turku {{finland-stub

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links