Forum Marinum

About the museum

Forum Marinum is a maritime museum and maritime quarter on the bank of the River Aura in Turku. It developed out of earlier maritime-history museum activity in Turku: the Åbo Akademi maritime history museum was founded in 1936, and the Turun merimuseo (Turku Maritime Museum) and the astronomical collections in 1977. The Forum Marinum Foundation, which runs the museum, was established in 1998; operations began at the start of 1999, and a new maritime centre opened the same summer.

Over the years the museum has taken on several roles: it was named the keeper of the history of the Finnish Navy in 2002, the national specialist museum of seafaring in 2004, the museum of the entire Navy in 2015, and national responsible museum in 2020. The core of the collections is the Turku maritime collections and the historical ships. The museum has more than a hundred boats, most of which were built in south-western Finland.

There are two exhibition buildings. The red-brick Kruununmakasiini (Crown Storehouse) was completed in the 1890s as a state grain store and was converted into exhibition spaces in the early 2000s; it houses the permanent main exhibition Töissä merellä (At Work at Sea). The white Linnanpuomi, from the 1930s, is a former salt warehouse of the Suomen Osuuskauppa (Finnish Co-operative Wholesale), which was renovated for exhibition use in 1985–86. Along the river are the museum ships, which include the frigate Suomen Joutsen, the barque Sigyn, the gunboat Karjala, the minelayer Keihässalmi and the passenger ship Bore.

Highlights

• Töissä merellä (At Work at Sea) main exhibition in the Kruununmakasiini
• Museum ships Suomen Joutsen, Sigyn, Karjala, Keihässalmi and Bore
• Finnish shipbuilding exhibition in the Linnanpuomi
• Boat collection of more than a hundred boats
• Children’s maritime museum
• Restaurant and café Göran

Permanent exhibitions

• Töissä merellä – The main exhibition of the Kruununmakasiini tells of work at sea and continues outdoors into the boat shelter, which holds Navy vessels and historic rescue boats.
• Suomalainen laivanrakennus – The Linnanpuomi exhibition presents the history and present of shipbuilding; the building also houses a collection of old wooden pleasure boats.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Forum Marinum -säätiö

Director

Ulla Teräs

Visitors per year

approx. 56,000

Admission & discounts

The exhibition ticket gives access to the two exhibition buildings and the museum ship Bore. The Museokortti is accepted. In the summer season the joint ticket for the museum ships is bought at the ticket desk. Free admission also for ICOM members, journalists, teachers preparing lessons, members of Museion, and war veterans, mine clearers, lottas and war invalids. Payment methods: bank and credit cards, cash, MobilePay and Museokortti, as well as Edenred, ePassi and the Turun tyky-ranneke (Turku wellbeing wristband).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Both exhibition buildings are step-free: they have ramps, wide doors and corridors. The Kruununmakasiini has a lift and a step-free toilet; the Linnanpuomi has a ramp between the floors and toilet rooms dimensioned for wheelchairs. The ticket desks have induction loops; please mention this when booking a guided tour. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome. Wheelchair users cannot move around the museum ships, and because of the steep stairs and narrow passageways it is not recommended to board the ships without an assistant. Accessible spaces are near both buildings, one on the Meritullinkatu side for the Kruununmakasiini.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities

The Lasten merimuseo (Children’s Maritime Museum) is an exhibition of its own, and school and day-care groups have their own programmes. The step-free toilet in the Kruununmakasiini and the toilets in the Linnanpuomi have a changing table and a potty; the Göran restaurant has high chairs and a warm children’s main course.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Restaurant and café Göran in the Kruununmakasiini, and the museum shop with its online shop. Each building has eight free lockable storage lockers near the ticket desk and an unsupervised cloakroom; small bags may be taken into the exhibition, larger ones are left in the cloakroom.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Meeting and party spaces, and guided tours that can be booked in connection with the museum ships.

Plan your visit