VI kaupunginosa, Turku — Area Guide & Where to Stay

The church marks the quarter. Mikaelinkirkko, a tall neo-Gothic brick building, rises over VI kaupunginosa and gives the district its skyline, a counterpoint to the older Turun tuomiokirkko nearby. Art and sport fill the rest.

The WAM nykytaiteen museo shows modern art, the Turun Urheilupuisto spreads its sports fields across the south, and the Paavo Nurmen kotimuseo keeps the home of the famous Finnish runner. There is more besides. The Turun birgittalaisluostari convent and the city's older museums sit within reach, layering this central part of the Varsinais-Suomi capital with churches, galleries, and green.

The district filled out as Turku grew west. Beyond the medieval core around the cathedral, the sixth city district was laid out in blocks, and the Mikaelinkirkko was raised over them in brick to serve the expanding inner city. Faith and games left their mark.

The Turun birgittalaisluostari carried the old monastic thread, while later the Turun Urheilupuisto and the Paavo Nurmen kotimuseo tied the quarter to sport and the runner who carried the city's name abroad. Museums of art followed, among them the WAM nykytaiteen museo. VI kaupunginosa grew into a settled central district of the Varsinais-Suomi capital.

VI kaupunginosa lies in the central part of Turku in south-western Finland, an inner quarter spreading west and south of the old core, with the tall Mikaelinkirkko at its centre and the green Turun Urheilupuisto stretching across its southern side toward the rest of the Varsinais-Suomi capital.