Turku 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. The region was originally called Suomi (Finland), which later became the name for the whole country. As of 31 March 2021, the population of Turku was 194,244 making it the sixth largest city in Finland after Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa and Oulu. There were 281,108 inhabitants living in the Turku Central Locality, ranking it as the third largest urban area in Finland after the Capital Region area and Tampere Central Locality. The city is officially bilingual as 5.2 percent of its population identify Swedish as a mother tongue.
Turku Student Village is the largest single student housing complex in Finland. It houses nearly 3,500 residents in 95 three-storied tenements. The Student Village is located in the district of Nummi near the city centre of Turku. It is in the immediate proximity of the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University and the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration.
Varissuo is a district and the largest suburb of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located seven kilometres to the east of the city centre, and is the easternmost major suburb of Turku, bordering on the neighbouring city of Kaarina. Varissuo has 9,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom are foreign immigrants. It is thus the second largest district of Turku, after Runosmäki. The name consists of the words varis, meaning 'crow' and suo, meaning 'marsh'.
Turku International School is an international school in Turku, Finland, located in the eastern district of Varissuo. It was established in August 2003, and is maintained by the City of Turku. Notably it doesn't have its own faculty, but teaching is undertaken by the University's teacher training school. The official language of the school is English. Around half the 200 students are of foreign nationality.
Kupittaa is a district in Turku, Finland. It is located on the eastern side of the city's centre, around the Kupittaa Park, the first landscaped park in a Finnish city. The district serves as a centre for recreation and business. Turku has recently planned a residential area for 750 residents on the premises of a former HKScan sausage factory.
The VI District is the northernmost of the central districts of Turku, Finland. It is located on the west side of the river Aura, to the east of Aurakatu. It forms part of the city's central business district, hosting a large proportion of the city's business life, particularly around the central Market Square (Kauppatori). The city's main bus station and the head library are also located in this district. The Finnish national road 1 begins in the VI District.
Hirvensalo is an island in the Archipelago Sea, belonging to the city of Turku, Finland. It is divided into 14 districts, the largest ones being Moikoinen, Kukola and Haarla. Most of the island's economic activity is concentrated in the suburb of Moikoinen, which has a school, shops, a Lutheran church, and a post office. The island's total population is approximately 9,000.
The VIII District, also known as Port Arthur, is one of the central districts of Turku, Finland. It is located on the west side of the river Aura, between Puistokatu and the IX District (Länsiranta). The district consists mostly of wooden houses, separated by narrow streets paved with cobblestones. It is widely considered one of the most beautiful residential districts in the whole of Finland, and has received an award to that effect in 2001. Port Arthur is one of the most expensive districts in Turku to live in.
Turku Central Station is a railway station in the VII District of Turku, Finland. It has VR services to Helsinki and towards Joensuu. The station serves approximately a million passengers annually.
Pohjola is a district of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located to the north of the city centre, between Ratapihankatu and Kähäri. Turku Central railway station is located in Pohjola, and about half of the district's land area is owned by the VR railway company.
Vähäheikkilä is a district of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located to the south of the city centre, between Martti and Puistomäki. Despite the district's name it has nothing to do with Iso-Heikkilä, which is located on the other side of the city centre.
City Centre is a ward of Turku, Finland, also known as Ward 1. The ward's boundaries correspond approximately to those of the city's central business district, and it borders all the other wards of Turku except for Maaria-Paattinen.
Itäharju is a district in the Itäharju-Varissuo ward of the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located to the east of the city centre, and consists mostly of industrial area, brownfields and low-density residential area. Since the beginning of the 2000s the trend of renovating old industrial buildings to offices has sprawled over from the neighboring Kupittaa to Itäharju as well.
The Market Square is a city square in the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located in the city's VI District, and is generally considered the city's central square. It hosts a lively market on weekdays, and there are several cafés and restaurants on the square.
Turku Synagogue in the city of Turku is one of the two synagogues in Finland. Located in the VII District, the synagogue is used by the Jewish community of Turku. The synagogue building, designed by architects August Krook and J.E. Hindersson, was completed in 1912.
Turku City Hall is a Neo-Renaissance building located on the bank of the Aura River in Turku, Finland. The City Council of Turku convenes at Turku City Hall. The Mayor used to work in an Art Nouveau building near to the City Hall, the Turku City Office until 2011.
Puutori is a market square in the city centre of Turku, Finland. It measures at approximately 100 by 40 metres. It is bordered by Aninkaistenkatu/Aningaisgatan, Maariankatu/Mariegatan, Brahenkatu/Brahegatan and Sibeliuksenkatu/Sibeliusgatan. Today, it has no regular market square activity but Puutorin puolesta ry organises different events there each year. Located at one end of the square are Ystävyydenpuisto and Wäinö Aaltonen's statue Kun ystävyyssuhteet solmitaan, which was designed in 1955 in honour of the friendship between Turku and Göteborg. There are also small cafés and shops surrounding Puutori, as well as a pet store.
The Old Great Square is a medieval market square located in the city centre of Turku, Finland. It is located in the II District in very close proximity to Turku Cathedral. The area was the administrative and commercial centre of Turku since the founding of the city in the 13th century up until the Great Fire of Turku.
Turku University of Applied Sciences is a multidisciplinary higher education institution, located in the city of Turku and Salo in the Southwest Finland. The institute began operations as a temporary polytechnic in autumn 1992. Before 2006-01-10, the institution carried the English name of Turku Polytechnic.
Yliopistonkatu is a 1,5-kilometer-long street located in the city center of Turku, Finland, running parallel to the Aura River, starting at Kutomonkatu and ending at Koulukatu. Since 2001, the part of Yliopistonkatu between Aurakatu and Humalistonkatu, which is about four hundred meters long, has been a pedestrian street. The area of the current pedestrian street has been Turku's Christmas street since 1948. The Turku Market Square is also located along Yliopistonkatu.
