When the savage Great Fire of 1827 swept through Turku, the lower-class quarter Luostarinmäki escaped the flames. Set along tiny lanes and around grassy yards, the 19th-century wooden workshops and houses now form the outdoor handicrafts museum, a national treasure since 1940.
All of the buildings are in their original locations and include 30 workshops (such as a silversmith, watchmaker, bakery, pottery, shoemaker, printer and cigar shop), where artisans in period costume practise their trades in summer.
Guided tours in English are available five times daily from June to August. The gift shop sells goods produced in the museum’s workshops.
