Welcome to the oldest surviving wooden houses in the city of Turku! This beautiful open air museum, which has been operating since 1940, is home to traditional wooden houses over 200 years old. If you ever wanted to be transported in time, this is the place to do it. Plus, it’s never crowded and they have coffee!
Luostarinmäki is not your traditional museum with exhibits behind the glass and boring display plagues with lots of information. It’s a place where history, art and crafts come to life and you can immerse yourself in the life of locals in the 18th & 19th century. It smells and looks like you just took a trip with a time machine.
A small map will guide you through the different courtyards and streets, telling you about each trade and house history. Each house is home to a dedicated exhibits to one craft, exhibited in their natural setting in the traditionally styled rooms.
The museum workshops are fully functional and each summer, craftsmen come here to illustrate their trade and come to work in them. As you walk through the courtyards, you will notice gardens in full blooms, planted potatoes, sunflowers and even tobacco growing here!
Each window has flowers in full blooms and you might meet some common folks in traditional outfits strolling to their workshop. There is a traditional shop selling locally made gifts (most from the workshops here), candy and even a post office with historic postcards. The old printing house in the museum makes some of these postcards on the old-fashioned print machine, and you can even order your own invitations here!
If you fancy a little break, stroll into one of the courtyards next to the post office for a coffee or a quick drink served outdoors.
One of the courtyards is home to a little playground for kids and adults alike. You can try how they used to wash their clothes back in the 18th century, play kids’ games, jump a rope or give a try to walking on wooden stilts. If you fancy a little dress up party, one of the houses offers you an option to try the traditional outfits and take photos (see photos in the post).
If you’re planning to visit in summer, check their website for schedule of events and live performances so you get to experience the museum at it’s best.
If you want to see history come alive, come to Luostarinmaki!
Official Website – Turku.fi
Opening hours, prices & how to get here – find out here
