Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova, Turku

4.4

History Museum · Hidden Gem · Museum

Create an itinerary including Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova

Walk through the ruins of Finland's oldest city while at the same time viewing pieces of modern art at Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova, a museum of history and contemporary art. At its inception in the 1990s, the institution was meant to host only contemporary art. However, when the builders accidentally discovered an ancient town below ground, the world received this unconventional venue. Ask for a guided tour of the site to get a comprehensive overview of the collections, or walk through the medieval cellars and eccentric exhibit halls at your own pace. You will see works by masters such as Picasso and Warhol, as well as artwork by Finnish artists of the 20th century. Put Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova into our Turku trip itinerary planner to see other points of interest to visit during your vacation in Turku.

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Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

295 reviews

Google

4.3

By Knitter8

This museum shows the medieval streets below. With boards explaining the history in Finnish and English. It was interesting. The artefacts they have found were interesting too. Took us about an hour..... more

This museum shows the medieval streets below. With boards explaining the history in Finnish and English. It was interesting. The artefacts they have found were interesting too. Took us about an hour..... more »
By Lucipara

This seems a particularly great restaurant for young (school age) children. The story of Matti who lived in the old city in the 1600s, with lots of hands on things to do for kids.

This seems a particularly great restaurant for young (school age) children. The story of Matti who lived in the old city in the 1600s, with lots of hands on things to do for kids. more »
By Jellona

The museum tells you about everyday life in medieval Turku. It's a fascinating though small museum. There is also some modern art in upper floors with the same ticket for those who find it...

The museum tells you about everyday life in medieval Turku. It's a fascinating though small museum. There is also some modern art in upper floors with the same ticket for those who find it... more »

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By Marta

The downstairs exhibition was really interesting and educational. We learned a lot of useful information in the historical section, and I particularly enjoyed looking at the reconstructed animal skeletons. There were also a lot of beautiful tapestries displayed in the art section. Unfortunately the upstairs part of the museum was rather disappointing. Most of the modern art was something, which my 4-year-old students could easily produce without much help.

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By Herman Singh

Really nice combination of Art gallery and Archeological museum. The entire building is built on top of an excavation of medieval dwellings with artifacts dating from the 16th century. I think this is a top place to visit when in Turku

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By Danielle White

Absolutely loved this place. Best museum in Turku! The café is amazing and the staff are friendly and helpful. I Will be coming back here again.

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By Marzhan Alpysbayeva

While at Turku Night of Arts @taiteidenyo_tku , I discovered some participatory museum practices at @aboavetusarsnova . They made archeological site and historical part of the museum a truly exciting and entertaining experience! Also multisensory and multimedia approach was the best, as well as the inclusion of on-hand experience with writing on clay Tablets and building a bucket👏🏻 I of course also appreciated the feedback wall! They also had a great bone identifying simulator, where you put one of the provided objects on a scanner, and you a presented with an explanatory video from an archeologist researcher!#patricipatorymuseum #archeology #historicalmuseum #finland #turuntaiteidenyö Contemporary part presented exhibition of Kustaa Saksi with very impressive (both in scale and skill) and majestic fractal tapestry artworks. Another hall upstairs exhibited some of the Finnish modernist artists(mostly abstract expressionism) but I didn’t have the time to properly explore it, as 2 hours wasn’t enough to explore the whole museum despite museum worker’s opinion😅 What I’m also very greatful for is meeting and observing VideoKaffee art collective and their sound-air artwork or more accurate would be to describe it as an art machine :)

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By Toni Peltonen

One of the best museums in Finland. Modern art and the history of Finland and Turku in the same museum.

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