Luostarinmäki Open-Air Museum — Attraction in Turku sub-region

The open air museum which showed life in Turku from the early 1800’s, having survived the great fire of Turku. Although I listened to sections of the audio guide, and read some of the information available at the different houses. It is quite a lengthy trip to visit each of the houses and go through all the information available. However, I must say that the audio guide and information boards did a really good job setting the scene of the vibrant life at the village, telling stories of people who lived there: a seamstress, cobbler, copper smith, photographer, a maid and a musician – to name a few. It also showed one of the very lucky occupants who had electricity in their house that powered their lighting. There are actors at the houses dressed in traditional clothing who you can learn more from.

One thing I found very peculiar at the Turku houses, including the rich occupants, is the size of the beds. They were absolutely tiny! At the time of my visit I assumed the beds were extendable, but they were not! After doing some research I discovered that one would need to curl into the fetal position or sleep in a semi-upright position to fit on the bed. This was typical of the era, for current health, safety and convenience reasons. The houses were also small, so having a small bed that could be used as a “daybed” that could be used as a sofa during the day, and a place to sleep during the night was advantageous. People where also smaller and shorter a few centuries ago.

I also enjoyed learning about the use of sod roofs which is a traditional building technical used in Scandanavia. Having grass on the roof helps with insulation keeping houses warm in winter, and cool in summer; waterproofing on top of layers of birch bark; and compressing log walls to make them more airtight. It is a relatively inexpensive and readily available...

Gorgeous example of living history!

This is an incredible museum, but not at all a typical museum: it's an entire neighborhood or wooden houses.

It's fascinating seeing so much, especially how tiny many of the spaces were but how many people crammed into them.

Some tips and helpful hints before you go:

It's not really handicap-accessible. The houses are historic and have many uneven staircases and low doorways, etc. It's also on quite a steep hill.

There's a section for children but given the inaccessible nature you'll want to leave your stroller at home.

It's probably a bit larger than you expect. If you want to see everything, plan on 4 hours or longer.

If you take public transportation, and aren't ready for a lot of stairs, I recommend the bus stop right in front of the museum, NOT the one Google often recommends which involves walking up the entire hill by way of many stairs, and then puts you out at the side of the museum, necessitating more walking.

The museum is staffed by people doing the historic professions or demonstrating something, wearing period clothing.

Signs, instructions, etc are all in Finnish, Swedish, and English, and employees can help and...

I really enjoyed my visit to Luostarinmäki.

The buildings are full of olden times charm, and the stories of the people who lived there were fascinating. Especially the story of little Erik was heartwrenching. I also loved the "brochures" printed on plywood. Genious and surely more environmentally savvy than plastic or paper!

I loved seeing the old craftsmanship workshops – it’s like walking into the past, but with the added benefit of modern shoes.

The staff were friendly and polite, and I appreciated the period-dressed actors. It would be amazing if there were more of them, like one for each house, but let’s be real – that might bump up the ticket price.

The village sounds were somewhat creepy. You could hear the sounds of village life in perfectly empty houses, like you were amidst ghosts.

One quick heads-up: if you’re taller than 170 cm (or about 5’7), mind your head! The doorways and beams are low, which is part of the historic authenticity. Just don’t let history knock you out!

We managed to find free parking quite near, just a block away. Paid parking closer.

The restrooms were...