Tour of the Medieval Castle

On this tour, you will explore the medieval part of the Main Castle. The guide takes you through the entire medieval route, one room at a time. To learn more about a particular room, select the icon labelled with that room’s name.

After reading the information about each room, return to this Tour of the Medieval Castle home screen and continue to the next room.

To proceed along the route, follow the signs in the rooms and read any directional instructions provided in this guide between the room-specific icons.

Please note: The numbers displayed on the walls of the rooms along the route differ from the numbering used in this guide.

Start the tour at the Entrance Hall of the Main Castle by walking up the stairs to the gallery level above the hall. At the top of the stairs, turn left and proceed to the first room on the route, The Porter’s Lodge.

Today, there is a door in the place of the small window in the Porter’s Lodge that leads to a small room on the top floor of the staircase tower. Next, you will visit this room, known as Jordan's Chamber.

The tour continues through the Porter’s Lodge and the Small Staircase Tower to the Sture Church. The four-sided Renaissance staircase built in 1549–1550, which you will take next, is one of the oldest in Northern Europe.

From the Sture Church, take the narrow stairs down to the Gaolers’ Room.

From the Guest Room, the route continues through the staircase to the Old Guard Room.

You can resume the tour of the keep by returning to the staircase and going up the stairs. At the upper end of the staircase, turn right into the Nun’s Chapel.

To continue your tour of the medieval part of the castle, return from the Nun's Chapel to the staircase and walk through the doorway into the vaulted King's State Room.

From the anteroom behind the King’s State Room, a door leads to the King's Chamber, where the monarch of the kingdom lived when he was in Turku. The chamber is connected to two library rooms. These rooms are not open to the public, so you are kindly asked to continue your tour by going up the stairs to the Youths’ Quarters.

As you leave the Youths’ Quarters, you can see brick stairs. In the Middle Ages, these stairs led to a walkway that ran along the crest of the castle wall; however, the corridor was bricked up when the Renaissance floor above was built in the 16th century. Your tour continues through the narrow Wardrobe Room to the Ladies' Parlour.

Continue the tour by taking the stairs down. At the bottom of the stairs, turn right into the Stone Chamber.

You have now toured the medieval part of the castle. If you would like to take the Renaissance tour, go to the Great Staircase Tower and continue your tour of the main castle by taking the stairs up.

If you would like to learn more about the rooms on the Renaissance floor and their history, return to the main menu of this digital guide and select Tour of the Renaissance Castle as your next route.

If you would like to return to the castle’s Entrance Hall, go to the Great Staircase Tower and take the stairs down.