Time: c. 9 AM–5 pm
Meeting point: Turku and Helsinki railwaystations
Vapriikki, Ancient DNA: A Key to the Past -exhibition explores how ancient DNA has transformed our understanding of people and their lives in the past.
DNA can be recovered from archaeological human, animal and plant remains, and visitors can follow the research process from laboratory to interpretations.
Focusing particularly on Finland, the exhibition shows how successive migrations and cultural contacts during the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages contributed to the diverse genetic ancestry of present-day Finns. At the same time, visitors get to meet people who lived in the past and learn about the science behind their stories.
The exhibition also addresses the uncertainties of DNA research. Although DNA is a valuable source of information, studying the past also requires a variety of other methods, and interpretations must always take into account the archaeological and historical context. In the exhibition, genetics is combined with archaeology, linguistics and textile research to create a more comprehensive picture of past lives. Highlights include grave finds and reconstructions, facial reconstructions, Bronze and Iron Age clothing, and newly created ancient costumes from the Tampere region based on archaeological textile discoveries.
The train trip from Helsinki or Turku to Tampere takes approximately two hours. Arrival in Tampere at around 11 AM and departure for Turku at 3 PM.
You may enjoy lunch at your own expense at the museum restaurant before the guided tour of the aDNA exhibition.
Time: 9.45 AM–5 PM
Meeting point: Old Market Square
A visit to Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova Museum
Aboa Vetus Ars Nova is a combination of two museums: the Museum of Archaeology and Contemporary Art.
Aboa Vetus is the only archaeological museum in Finland, presenting the remains of medieval houses and streets excavated on site. The Ars Nova exhibitions, presented inside the palace, focus on contemporary art and the museum’s art collection.
The exhibition Altare et Urbs – Treasures and Donors of Turku Cathedral presents a selection of ecclesiastical objects donated to Turku Cathedral by the city’s nobility and burghers. It offers a glimpse into a time when the church was an inseparable part of everyday life. Donations were made to support the church, to strengthen one’s position in the afterlife, and to make one’s name known. Donors also contributed financially, for example after devastating city fires, and by purchasing expensive burial plots for their families inside the cathedral.
The most famous item on display is perhaps the Ejby Chalice, which was looted from Turku Cathedral by the Danes in 1509 and returned as a gift 400 years later. The exhibition also features a medieval wooden sculpture of Saint Anne, which miraculously survived the Great Fire of Turku that caused major destruction to the cathedral.
Altare et Urbs – Treasures and Donors of Turku Cathedral has been produced in collaboration with the Turku Cathedral Museum, the Turku and Kaarina Parish Union, and the Turku Cathedral Parish, and will be on display until October 2027.
The visit is hosted by
A visit to Turku Lazaret Museum
Turku Lazaret, founded 270 years ago, was the first public hospital in Finland, and it still functions under the current title of Turku University Hospital.
The hospital’s very own museum, the Turku Lazaret Museum, located in the original gatekeeper’s lodging, serves to record and preserve the history of healthcare and medical education in the Turku region and Finland at large. The Lazaret Museum and its small satellite units at several regional hospitals collaborate with other healthcare museums in Turku as well as Turku University’s Medical Faculty to educate healthcare professionals, students of various related fields, and the general public through permanent and temporary exhibitions and public events.
The museum is governed by a board of professionals in cultural history, museology, healthcare and medicine, with MD, PhD, BA, specialist consultant Ulla Ahlmen-Laiho serving as chair, and our guide during this visit.
The visit is hosted by