The Stone Chamber

What is known today as the Stone Chamber used to be the bailiff’s chamber in the Middle Ages. The bailiff was the King’s official, whose job was to carry out tax collection and take care of the interests of the Crown; on occasion, the bailiff also helped the castellan. Along the wall of the Stone Chamber was a fireplace, and a corridor next to it led to a cesspit that was built into the curtain wall. There used to be a passageway in the corner of the room that led to a corridor, through which the bailiff had direct access to the wooden walkway that circles the inner courtyard.

Eight metres below the Stone Chamber was a room referred to as a ‘bottle dungeon’ (oubliette). It may have been used either as a storage room or as a prison cell. In the Middle Ages, the only way to get to the room was through a hole in the floor of the Stone Chamber. Only in the early 1500s was a passageway into the bottle dungeon opened from the cellar next to it.

Today, the Stone Chamber is used as a room where you can explore the castle’s history of defence. When you think of castles, images of sieges may come to mind. In reality, everyday life in the castle was peaceful, and as far as is known, Turku Castle has only been under siege ten times.