Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum, Turku, Finland

Luostarinmäki is the only unified part of the Turku city that survived the conflagration of 1827. The area consists of 18 blocks of original 18th century – early 19th century buildings on their original location. Today Luostarinmäki is an outdoor museum that offers over 30 workshops from different fields of craftmanship display the City's handicrafts history and craftsmen's dwellings.

During the summer season, the museum's workshops have craftsmen working there every day. The museum's shops, postal office and cafeteria serve customers round the year.

User Reviews

Hamid Tebyanian (2 years ago)
If u wanaa see the real turku u have to visit this.... Highly recommended

HotPinkBerry (3 years ago)
I absolutely loved this place! The hand crafters thought me a lot of new things and were very kind. Thought when I took the tour the guide was horrible. He seemed blunt and had no answers to my questions. You don't need to be passionate about your job as long as you are good at it, and he wasn't even good. I could have gone to Google and enjoy my tour more than from listening to him.

Grace Crislip (3 years ago)
What an amazing museum! Very fun to explore life in 1800s Finland. The only thing was that some of the museum was locked away. I hope in the years to come, they will be opened. Over a wonderful museum and in the top 3 of my favourite aces in Turku.

Bianca W (3 years ago)
This is a beautiful old village that has been restored and is well looked after. If you're curious about how people used to live in Finland, this is the place for you! The old wooden buildings showcase craftsmanship through the ages, as well as the lifestyle of Finns hundreds of years ago. You can freely roam through the village and explore galleries and a variety of craftsmen's dwellings. The staff dotted throughout the village are also super helpful in explaining the lifestyle and the functionality of many of the tools and amenities. I loved roaming around and exploring the place, though I do wish they'd have an audio guide.

Alice Picari (3 years ago)
Very beautiful walk in the past. I love each house and reconstruction. The explication about how this museum born was a pleasure to listen. I highly suggest to visit it

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German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

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