Royal Academy of Turku

The Old Academy Building (Finnish: Akatemiatalo, Swedish: Akademihuset) is a neoclassical building, originally consecrated in 1817 for the Royal Academy of Turku in Turku, Finland. It is located in Cathedral Square next to Turku Cathedral. The building was designed by Swedish architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell. Laying down the foundation stone of the Old Academy Building in 1802 was a milestone where Swedish king Gustav IV Adolf and Queen Fredrika Dorotea were present. The Old Academy Building suffered damage due to the Great Fire of Turku in 1827. After the devastation caused by the fire, the Imperial Academy of Turku, the university at that time, moved to Helsinki. However, the building was restored under Carl Ludvig Engel's plans in 1830 and was signed over to the Court of Appeals of Turku, Turku cathedral chapter and the County Administrative Board. Today, the spaces are used for the Court of Appeal, with the exception of the Ceremonial Hall, which is managed by the University of Turku where its Faculty of Humanities graduation ceremony take place. The hall is used for the two universities in Turku: the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University. It seats 350 and is also commonly used for events such as concerts; the acoustics of the hall are superb for choirs and chamber music.

Colonel Samuel Cockburn (c. 1574 – December 1621) was a Scottish soldier in the service of Sweden who in 1614 was serving as generalfältvaktmästare of the Swedish field army. He was born around 1574 in Scotland. He entered Swedish service in 1598 where he participated in the Swedish civil war between Sigismund Vasa and his uncle Duke Karl, later Karl IX.

Turku Cathedral (Finnish: Turun tuomiokirkko, Swedish: 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 of the Lutheran Archbishop of Finland, Tapio Luoma. It is also regarded as one of the major records of Finnish architectural history. Considered to be the most important religious building in Finland, the cathedral has borne witness to many important events in the nation's history and has become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. The cathedral is situated in the heart of Turku next to the Old Great Square, by the river Aura. Its presence extends beyond the local precinct by having the sound of its bells chiming at noon broadcast on national radio. It is also central to Finland's annual Christmas celebrations. The cathedral was originally built out of wood in the late 13th century, and was dedicated as the main cathedral of Finland in 1300, the seat of the Catholic bishop of Turku. It was considerably expanded in the 14th and 15th centuries, mainly using stone as the construction material. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, and was rebuilt to a great extent afterwards.

The Per Brahe statue (Finnish: Pietari Brahen patsas, Swedish: Per Brahes staty) is a monument of Per Brahe the Younger, the Governor-General of Finland and first chancellor of the Academy of Turku, located in Brahenpuisto in Turku, Finland. It was designed by Walter Runeberg and revealed in 1888.The statue is made of bronze and stands 2.95 metres high. The base is made of red granite, standing 4 metres high. The base has the Swedish text Iagh war med landett och landett med mig wääl tillfreds ("I was satisfied with my country and my country satisfied with me"). Runeberg had made one statue before for the base built for Brahenpuisto, but the base was too small, so this earlier statue was sold to Raahe, where it was placed in the Pekkatori square in the city centre. Runeberg sculpted the one seen in Turku later the same year.Other statues of Brahe are located in Raahe (slightly larger copy of the work by Walter Runeberg also from 1888), Lieksa (1953), and Kajaani (1954) in Finland; in Gränna (1916), Sweden.

Åbo Akademi University (Swedish: Åbo Akademi [ˈǒːbʊ akadɛˈmiː], Finland Swedish: [ˈoːbu ɑkɑdeˈmiː]) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activities in Vaasa. Åbo Akademi should not be confused with the Royal Academy of Åbo, which was founded in 1640, but moved to Helsinki after the Turku fire of 1827 and is today known as the University of Helsinki. Åbo Akademi was founded by private donations in 1918 as the third university in Finland, both to let Turku again become a university town and because it was felt that the Swedish language was threatened at the University of Helsinki. The Finnish University of Turku was founded in 1920, also by private donations and for similar reasons. Åbo Akademi was a private institution until 1981, when it was turned into a public institution. As the only uni-lingually Swedish multi-faculty university in the world outside Sweden and consequently the only one in Finland, Åbo Akademi University is responsible for higher education for a large proportion of the Swedish-speaking population. This role has many implications for education and research as well as for the social environment. As there are few students in most subjects, cooperation between faculties and with other universities is very important. A minority of students are Finnish speakers who have passed a university entrance Swedish language test. While Turku itself is a bilingual city, the university provides a strong Swedish environment. Most of the students, regardless of their original language, will be functionally bilingual when finishing their studies.

The Sibelius Museum (Finnish: Sibelius-museo, Swedish: Sibeliusmuseum) is a museum of music, named after the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The museum is located close to Turku Cathedral in the historical city centre of Turku on the southwest coast of Finland. It is the only museum devoted to music in Finland. The museum houses a wide collection of historical music instruments from around the world. The archives of the museum include documents (sheet music, manuscripts, recordings, photographs, concert programmes, etc.) The museum was first founded during the 1920s as a seminar for the Department of Musicology at Åbo Akademi University, and has later developed into its own department. The Museum is currently organised and funded by the Åbo Akademi Foundation. The current building was built and opened in 1968 and it was designed by architect Woldemar Baeckman.

The Donner Institute for Research in Religious and Cultural History (or The Donner Institute, Swedish: Donnerska Institutet) is a private institute in Finland maintained by the Åbo Akademi University. The Institute was founded in 1959 with an extensive donation by Uno and Olly Donner. It hosts the largest special library on Comparative Religion in the Nordic countries, supports research in the area of the Institute through grants, and organizes conferences and seminars.

The Old Great Square (Finnish: Vanha Suurtori, Swedish: Gamla Stortorget) 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. Today, there are buildings alongside the Old Great Square, but only on the southern side because the blocks on the northern side changed to Porthaninpuisto after the fire. There are four historical buildings which the City of Turku restored for cultural use: the Brinkkala Mansion, Old Town Hall, Hjelt Mansion and Juselius Mansion. The buildings were mainly constructed after the fire and represent neoclassicism.

The Medieval Market of Turku (Finnish: Turun keskiaikaiset markkinat, Swedish: Åbo medeltidsmarknad) is an annual historical reenactment event organised in the historic city centre of Turku, Finland. Admission to the event is free. In addition to living history performances, it includes an open-air handicrafts market with vendors and even visitors garbed in period costume. The main market is at the Old Great Square (one of the city's oldest market squares), but there are other performances and exhibitions at Turku Castle, Turku Cathedral and at the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova Museum. 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, the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova museum, Rohan Stables and Turku and Kaarina Parish Union. These areas are closed to traffic during the event.

The I District is the easternmost of the central districts of Turku, Finland. It is located on the east side of the river Aura, between Uudenmaankatu and the Helsinki motorway (Finnish national road 1). The main street Hämeenkatu divides the district in Sirkkala and Universities area, and continues as the national road 10 towards Hämeenlinna. The district hosts all three universities of the city, the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi, and the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration. The city's central hospital TYKS is also located in the district, as well as the Cathedral of Turku and the residence of the Archbishop of Finland. The district is rather densely populated, having a population of 6,177 (as of 2004) and an annual population growth rate of -0.63%. 5.47% of the district's population are under 15 years old, while 18.67% are over 65. The district's linguistic makeup is 85.54% Finnish, 10.94% Swedish, and 3.51% other.

Vartiovuori Observatory (Finnish: Vartiovuoren tähtitorni, Swedish: Åbo Akademis observatorium) is a former observatory in Turku, Finland. The observatory, designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, was originally built for the Royal Academy of Turku. The neoclassical building was completed in 1819. The observatory is situated atop the Vartiovuori hill, and it is clearly visible from different sides of the city centre. The observatory became defunct in 1836. Today the building is owned by the Åbo Akademi University Foundation and houses the foundation's offices.

The II District is one of the central districts of Turku, Finland. It is located on the east side of the river Aura, between Uudenmaankatu and Kaskenkatu. The district is located on the historical centre of the city, and contains numerous cultural and historical venues, such as the Luostarinmäki handicrafts museum, the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova twin museums, and the Old Great Square, the city's oldest marketplace. It also hosts events such as the Medieval Market of Turku. A large portion of the district's land area is also taken up by the Vartiovuori park. The district has a population of 2,878 (as of 2007) and an annual population growth rate of -1.06%. 5.89% of the district's population are under 15 years old, while 24.12% are over 65. The district's linguistic makeup is 82.63% Finnish, 15.66% Swedish, and 1.71% other. The II District has the largest proportion of Finland-Swedes out of all the districts of Turku, and as a result it hosts two Swedish-language schools.