Visiting Helsinki we have don a non-tedias drive to Turku in the second half of the day. The surrounding landscape is strongly reminiscent of my homeland, Ural, and even the roads are somewhat similar, only recesses in the rocks are smooth and tight metal mesh. In some places the rocks are lit up at night.

Turku Cathedral (fin. Turun tuomiokirkko, Swiss. Åbo domkyrka) is the main Lutheran Church in Finland and the residence of the Archbishop of Finland.

In the thirteenth century Abo (so called Turku in the long period of Swedish rule), became increasingly important as a center of Maritime trade. The city was expanding and the bishopric decided to erect a stone Church on the site of a small wooden Church on the hill Unikankare. Construction began in 1258, and in 1300 the new Church was consecrated in the name of the virgin Mary and the first Bishop of the country — Saint Henry, baptized Finland.

First stone Cathedral was smaller than the present. Its facade was on the spot where now is located the Department. The building was designed in the style, later called the North-Gothic, its features can be traced in most of the churches built in Finland, 14th-16th centuries. In the Middle ages, the Cathedral was repeatedly reconstructed and expanded. In the fifteenth century was added to the Cathedral side chapel. A little later the height of the vault of the Central nave was increased to 24 meters modern. On the walls are clearly visible the different periods of construction works on top of stone masonry is a later, brick.

Clock mechanism, mounted on the tower - the first public clock in Finland. Minutes in the middle ages no one believed, so only one arrow - hour. 1944 battle time bells began to be broadcast by radio as signals of exact time.

In 1827, ABO the fire occurred, became the largest for all history of Scandinavia, which went down in history under the name of "the Great fire". The fire destroyed three-quarters of the buildings in the city, including the entire center, including the building of the Academy and the Cathedral. But the process of rebuilding the temple tower upgrade came with the tent, covered with copper sheets, and the height of the Cathedral reached 101 meters.

In the little square next to the Cathedral is a monument to Brahe Peru (Per Brahe), the Swedish official, the Governor-General of Finland. During his reign, did much in the field of education in the territories, he decrees there were many schools, as well as the Royal Academy of Turku, which became the first University in Finland.