Turun taidemuseo
National Romantic art museum on Puolalanmäki, whose collections range from the golden age of Finnish art to the present day.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The history of the Turun taidemuseo (Turku Art Museum) begins with the Turun Taideyhdistys (Turku Art Society), founded in 1891. The society’s first exhibition opened on 11 May 1891 in the festive hall of the city hall, and the painter Victor Westerholm, director of the drawing school, served as the first curator. The first acquisitions were made in the early 1890s and included Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s Akka ja kissa (1895). In 1895 the brothers Ernst and Magnus Dahlström donated funds for a shared building for the library and the museum.
Puolalanmäki was chosen as the site of the museum, and the architectural competition held in 1900 was won by Professor Gustaf Nyström. Construction began in spring 1902, and the granite National Romantic museum opened in spring 1904. It was the second building in Finland designed as an art museum. Among Westerholm’s acquisitions are six modernist paintings by Helene Schjerfbeck, and the collection also acquired works by Gallen-Kallela, Erik Johan Löfgren and other Finnish artists, including women artists.
During the war years key paintings were evacuated to safety. The building underwent a major renovation in 1958–1965, and in 1981 the museum became a provincial art museum (maakuntataidemuseo). In 1999–2004 the museum temporarily operated in the Vartiovuori Observatory, while a parking cave was built under Puolalanmäki. In 2005 the museum returned to the hill: a lift and a glass staircase were added to the building, and the museum shop and café were expanded. The collection comprises about 7,600 works, and its strengths are the golden age of Finnish art around 1900, artists’ self-portraits, Finnish surrealism and pop art.
Highlights
- Granite National Romantic building designed by Gustaf Nyström, from 1904
- Collection of about 7,600 works
- Paintings from the golden age of Finnish art
- Works by Helene Schjerfbeck
- Finnish surrealism and pop art
- Café Victor
- Founded
- 1904
- Director
- Kari Immonen
- Visitors per year
- approx. 86,000 (2025)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €15 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8students, pensioners and unemployed people |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Under-16s enter free of charge. |
| Seniors | €8 |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · A personal assistant enters free of charge with a disability card. |
| Students & apprentices | €8 |
| Groups (11+ people) | €8 per personGroups of more than 10 people, price per person. |
Free admission: The first Friday of every month, 16:00–19:00
The Museokortti (Finnish Museum Card) is accepted. Guided tours are included in the admission ticket. Payment methods: ePassi, Virike voucher and Edenred Pay; culture vouchers can be used to buy tickets and the Museokortti.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The step-free entrance is on the right-hand side of the building as seen from Aurakatu; a ramp leads to the door, and the ticket desk opens the door when you press B on the door intercom. Immediately inside the outer door there is a platform lift, and the other floors can be reached by lift near the cloakroom. Wheelchairs, rollators, walking sticks and pushchairs can be borrowed. The step-free toilet and the baby-changing room are in the basement. The exhibition rooms have resting places and portable folding chairs. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome. The courtyard parking is reserved for the museum, except for one accessible space to the right of the steps at the main entrance.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
|---|
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
Pushchairs can be borrowed from the museum, and the basement has a baby-changing room.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The Turku bus station and the main railway station are 5–10 minutes’ walk away. Local buses stop a few minutes’ walk from the museum, near the Kauppatori.
By car
Paid parking
Street parking near the museum is limited and paid. P-Louhi is an underground car park under Puolalanmäki at Läntinen Pitkäkatu 12 b; there is no direct connection from there to the museum, and the route runs via Kauppatori, Puolalankatu or Kauppiaskatu.
- Accessible parking
From the railway station the shortest route goes via the steep steps of Läntinen Pitkäkatu, which are not maintained in winter; an easier route follows Läntinen Pitkäkatu, Kauppiaskatu and Torninkatu. Electric bicycles and scooters cannot be stored or charged inside.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Café Victor and the museum shop. Cloakroom on the entrance floor behind the staircase, with personal lockable cabinets and coat hangers for the duration of the visit only. In winter visitors can borrow indoor slippers; studded shoes may not be worn indoors.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours are included in the admission ticket, last about an hour and accommodate up to 25 people without advance registration. In Finnish on Sundays at 13:00 and 14:00 and on the first Wednesday of the month at 17:30; in Swedish on the first Sunday of the month at 15:00; and in English on the second Sunday of the month at 15:00. |
