Turkansaari, Oulu, Finland - SpottingHistory

The Turkansaari Open-Air Museum consists over 40 museum buildings. The buildings include for example a church built in 1694 and the old country manor house of Ylikärppä, completed in 1894. In Turkansaari, you can see the old trades that the region’s economy used to revolve around, including tar-making, salmon fishing, lumbering and log floating.

Turkansaari church was built as the chapel in 1694. At that time Turkka Island was a bustling marketplace for Oulu River. The island, however, lost its position as a marketplace and the market ran out of grip in the 1700s. Been abandoned for a long time the church was demolished and sold to be used as the fishermen warehouse in 1814.

Local inhabitant Östen Elfving bought the church in the early 1920s. The church was moved back to its original position in Turkka Island in 1922. Because the original interior was not preserved, Turkansaari church was restored using parts from the other equivalent small churches built in the 17th century. The front door is from the Enontekiö Markkina church. The pulpit is a model copied from the old church of Sodankylä.

User Reviews

Tuomas Anttila (2 years ago)
A nice historical milieu in the middle of the Oulu River on an island. The museum is a good, nice place to spend a summer/autumn day in Oulu. A beautiful church. Information about the history of tar burning and transportation.

Sami Piirainen (2 years ago)
A piece of history, wonderful scenery, (live music on August 27, 2023) and fun activities for children. When the weather is right, it's a great place to spend time. P.S. Bring your own halos to the campfire!

Erkki Pöyskö (2 years ago)
One of the most important sites in the history of Oulu.

Helmi (2 years ago)
A cozy local museum at a beautiful place by the river. The café is a must here!

Tarja (2 years ago)
Quite a bit for children, the search for mice was wasted when none were found even though all the targets were circled

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Photo from Flickr, copyright radoslaw.maciejewski

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