Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Stock up on picnic supplies with a side of history.
Horton Bay General Store
Take some of Michigan’s produce home with you.
American Spoon
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
Though they’re protected inside the park, wolves can be killed when they cross its borders.
Wolves Have a Bad Reputation. One Yellowstone Naturalist Is Trying to Fix It.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Finland Turku Turku Cathedral

Turku Cathedral

A cathedral resurrected from the ashes of one of Europe's greatest urban fires.

Turku, Finland

Added By
Earthquakemachine
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Misty day   Earthquakemachine / Atlas Obscura User
Turku Cathedral pre-1919   Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland
Cathedral on a misty day   Earthquakemachine / Atlas Obscura User
Image of central Turku (including the cathedral) in 1827 after the Great fire   Artist: Gustaf Wilhelm Finnberg (1784–1833)
Cathedral by the Aura river   Earthquakemachine / Atlas Obscura User
Cathedral Interior   michelle / Atlas Obscura User
  mordekia / Atlas Obscura User
Cathedral Exterior   michelle / Atlas Obscura User
  mordekia / Atlas Obscura User
Cathedral Organ   michelle / Atlas Obscura User
Turku Cathedral   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
  daynix / Atlas Obscura User
  daynix / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1827 a firestorm raged through the Finnish city of Turku, annihilating everything in its path.

Sweeping through the northern quarter, the southern quarter, and then hopping the Aura River towards the Cathedral Quarter just before midnight, the Great Fire of Turku made short work of the Nordic city, the largest in Finland at the time. When daylight finally arrived, 75% of the formerly bustling metropolis had been reduced to smoldering ruins.

With only small portions of the western and southern areas still standing, it was miraculous that only 27 people perished, however the reason the casualties were so low was also one of the contributing factors to the level of destruction accomplished by the fire. Along with unusually dry weather and high winds, the reason the inferno was able to sweep so efficiently through the city was that the majority of the residents of Turku were in Tampere visiting a popular market—there was no one there to extinguish the flames.

While the survival rate was high, the historical and architectural loss was devastating. Akatemiatalo, the main building of the Imperial Academy of Turku was heavily damaged, the fire swallowing up most of the Finnish archives and all of the material from the Middle Ages. Historical downtown was a pile of smoldering embers, and the grandiose Mother Church of the Lutherans of Finland, Turku Cathedral, was ravaged—but the most important religious structure in the country would rise once more.

Located in the heart of Turku, the wooden cathedral was built in the 13th century, and fortified with stone in the 14th and 15th centuries. After the fire, the cathedral was resurrected, bigger and better than ever before. Elaborate Romantic-style frescos, three organs, and an altarpiece by Swedish artist Fredrik Westin depicting the Transfiguration of Jesus are all newer features of the cathedral. Perhaps the most impressive addition is the tower spire that can be seen for miles—its height measures in at 101 meters above sea level.  

The Great Fire of Turku remains the most disastrous urban fire in the history of all of the Nordic countries, and the Turku Cathedral remains as well, a symbol of the endurance of the oldest city in Finland. 

 

 

Related Tags

Fires Churches Disasters Architecture Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

The Cathedral is just 3 blocks away from the city center, and at one side of the Aura river

Community Contributors

Added By

Earthquakemachine

Edited By

Rachel, michelle, Jaszmina Szendrey, mordekia...

  • Rachel
  • michelle
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • mordekia
  • daynix

Published

February 19, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.turunseurakunnat.fi/portal/en/turku_cathedral/the_cathedral_speaks/after_the_great_fire/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Turku
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turku_Cathedral
Turku Cathedral
2 Rothoviusgatan
Turku, 20500
Finland
60.452222, 22.278333
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Posankka

Turku, Finland

miles away

The Moomin House

Naantali, Finland

miles away

Elk Garden

Pyhäranta, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Turku

Turku

Finland

Places 2

Nearby Places

Posankka

Turku, Finland

miles away

The Moomin House

Naantali, Finland

miles away

Elk Garden

Pyhäranta, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Turku

Turku

Finland

Places 2

Related Places

  • The Gothic church towers above the Old Town.

    Brașov, Romania

    Biserica Neagră (The Black Church)

    A fire once nearly devoured this gorgeous 14th-century Gothic cathedral.

  • Fantoft Stave Church

    Bergen, Norway

    Fantoft Stave Church

    The burning of this 12th-century church kicked off a campaign of Norwegian Black Metal terror.

  • Altar with its melted look

    Lisbon, Portugal

    Church of St. Dominic

    The scorched Lisbon church that survived two earthquakes and a massive fire.

  • Church of the Good Shepherd

    Lullington, England

    Lullington Church of the Good Shepherd

    This tiny church is one of England's smallest.

  • Entrance of the church.

    Viana do Castelo, Portugal

    Santuário do Sagrado Coração de Jesus

    An icon of the city, this chapel features an amazing dome ceiling and offers panoramic views.

  • Chapel on the Dunes

    Port Aransas, Texas

    Chapel on the Dunes

    The oldest functional consecrated church on Mustang Island.

  • Mantua Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Pietro)

    Mantua, Italy

    Mantua Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Pietro)

    The seat of the Mantua bishop holds many secrets within its walls.

  • Saint John Maroon Church

    Freetown, Sierra Leone

    Saint John Maroon Church

    One of the most important Krio heritage sites in the country.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.