Turku is a historic city of culture. It is also a great place to live, work, study, have hobbies, enjoy a good time and feast on amazing food.
Turku is the old capital of Finland. A fact that the people in Turku like to remind to others (especially to the people living in the current capital, Helsinki). In addition to Turku’s long and proud history, the city is prospering; new jobs are created in attractive fields. The maritime industry, bio-industries and the engineering industry are now looking for workers for a number of different positions.
The attraction of Turku in terms of tourism is based on the coexistence of clean and diverse nature, a breathtakingly beautiful archipelago and a historic city of culture. In housing, business life and leisure alike, Turku draws from its maritime location.
Some interesting facts on Turku:
790 years old
Turku’s history started on 23.1.1229 when Pope Gregory IX sent a letter in which he ordered the transfer of the bishop’s seat in Finland to a better location, to Turku.
200 000 people
The population of Turku was over 200 000 at the end of the year 2023. Turku is growing by about 1 600 residents per year.
Among the best 1 %
The University of Turku was ranked as 291th in the latest QS World University Ranking (2023). This means that the University is among the best 1 % in the world, when there are around 28 000 universities worldwide.
40 000 students
Tens of thousands of students study at some of the six universities in Turku: two universities and four universities of applied sciences. Over 10 % of all the students in Turku are international degree students or exchange students.
75 % would stay
Around three quarters of the university students in Turku would like to remain in Turku after graduation.
2029 carbon neutral
Turku has an objective to be a carbon neutral city in the year 2029. Smart mobility is a significant part of this objective; mobility will be based on walking, cycling, electronic public transport, shared use of vehicles and the Mobility as a Service model.
15 minutes
It takes about a quarter of and hour to get from Turku city centre to the airport. Also traffic jam in Turku is a very rare phenomenon.
40 000 islands
Thousands of islands and islets surround the city of Turku, each more beautiful that the other.
70 films
Turku has become a notable city for film productions. Over 70 feature films and TV-series have been filmed in Turku region since 2000. Since the year 2021, VFX- and post production projects are on the rise.
4 million passengers
Almost four million passengers travel through the Port of Turku each year. The port has a great impact on the competitiveness of businesses in the area.
10 000 delegates
10 000 delegates come to Turku each year. Key assets in congress activities in Turku include Logomo that operates in an old machine shop near the railway station and city centre.
Move to Turku >> More info on why you should move to Turku.
