New Member City in the Baltic Sail Association: Turku

In March, the City of Turku, Finland, signed the Membership Agreement of the Baltic Sail Association.

Turku is the biggest city in the region of Southwest Finland with about 200.000 inhabitants. As the oldest city in Finland, as well as the first capital, Turku is the cradle of history and culture. Situated by the Baltic Sea and sheltered by the beautiful islands of the Archipelago Sea, Turku is a prime example of the city with a distinct marine character. Turku also has a notable commercial and passenger seaport.

One of the upcoming projects is the establishment of the Maritime Centre in Turku, which has recently received EU funding. The Centre will strengthen the profile of Turku as the city of blue growth and serve as the meeting point for maritime actors and activities. It enables experiencing the closeness of the archipelago already within the river harbour.

Turku has hosted The Tall Ships Races five times, and there are various other events with maritime character: The River Harbour Festival kicks of the summer at the Turku river harbour. This year the festival was organised for the ninth time and the long weekend mostly included events that were free of charge. There was plenty to see and experience from the Declaration of Seafaring Peace to dashing concerts at the river harbour.
Throughout the summer there will be several regattas such as the Swan Regatta in July. During the whole summer there will be plenty to see and experience for both the residents and travellers!