May 23 2008
the five bridges along Aura River
Turku, aside from being the oldest city in Finland, can also be described as a city with five bridges along the Aura River. Why is this so? Because as it is located on the river banks of Aura River (Aurajoki), its land stretches on both sides of the river, hence, as you take a walk along the banks of Aurajoki in downtown Turku you can see five bridges connecting the eastern and western side of Turku. The eastern side is popularly referred as “this side of the river” whilst the western side as “the other side of the river”.
Let me take you to a walk along Aura River. Our stroll starts on “this side of the river”, the eastern side of the Tuomiokirkkosilta (Cathedral Bridge) where the Turku Cathedral, Sibelius Museum and Ett Hem Cultural Museum are located. On this side of the river, we can also see the Great Old Square and the Brinkkala Mansion where the Christmas Peace declaration is read annually. As we reach the next block, we will find the Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova, which is a museum about old Turku. As we continue our stroll, the next bridge we will pass by is the Aurasilta (Aura Bridge), where we can see the Paavo Nurmi sculpture done by artist Wäinö Aaltonen. Up ahead is the Teatterisilta (Teatteri Bridge) with the Turku City Theatre beside it. Next is the Myllysilta (Mylly Bridge) where Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art is situated. The last bridge is the Martinsilta (Martin Bridge) where we can see a lot of ships and sailboats. This indicates that it’s now the sea that stretches ahead. From here we can take a free ride to ‘the other side of the river’ in one of Turku’s familiar attractions, the river ferry, Föri.
a Föri carrying pedestrians and bicycles across the Aura River © Wikipedia.org
If we start our stroll on “the other side of the river” from the Cathedral Bridge towards Martinsilta, we will pass by the Main Library, the Pharmacy Museum with the Tourist Information beside it, the Forum Marinum, and the Turku Castle. Restaurants and cafes are on this side too. You can dine at Aurora, famous for its steak, or Sergio’s, for Italian food, or enjoy the best coffee on the riverbank at Café Art. We have now completed our virtual walk along Aura River and have familiarized ourselves with the five bridges along it. So how would you find the walk if its the actual one?
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