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Breakthrough of modernism in Finland

Location: Paimio, Turku, Finland

Duration: 2 days

Sites: Turku and the Office Building for Turun Sanomat Newspaper, Paimio Sanatorium

Available: All year

Accommodation: Not included

Transportation: Not included

Themes: Art, Block of flats, Churches, Hospitals, Modernism, Office buildings

From 105 € per person

The tour introduces you to the forerunners of Finnish modernism, architects Alvar Aalto and Erik Bryggman and takes you to experience their work in Turku and Paimio.

Tour highlights:

  • Office Building for Turun Sanomat Newspaper
  • Southwestern Finland Agricultural Cooperative Building
  • Chapel of Resurrection
  • Holy Cross Chapel
  • St. Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel
  • Paimio Sanatorium

The guided tour through the city takes you to the origins of the Finnish Modern movement. You will learn why modernist architecture first broke through on the southwestern coast of Finland in the 1920s. Aalto had his office in Turku in the late 1920s and early 1930s and also collaborated with fellow architect Erik Bryggman. During the tour, you will also see a selection of modernist chapels, visit the amazing Paimio Sanatorium and have a picnic in a natural setting, with a possibility for a relaxing short walk in the woods.

The suggested point of departure of the tour is Turku, but the tour can easily be started in either Paimio or Turku, depending on your wishes!

The Office Building for Turun Sanomat Newspaper had originally a two-storey-high display window. Photo: Alvar Aalto museum

Paimio Sanatorium during summer. Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation

See the turning points in the career of Alvar Aalto and sense the beginning of a new era, the first steps of Finnish modernism - in the oldest city in Finland.
turku-turun-sanomat-kuva-gustaf-welin-alvar-aalto-museo
Turku House for Turun Sanomat-painosali-1928-1930-kuva-Gustaf-Welin-alvar-aalto-museo
Photo: Gustaf Welin, Alvar Aalto -museum
Turun-Sanomien-toimitalo-1928-1930-piirustus-alvar-aalto-museo
The Office Building for Turun Sanomat Newspaper had originally a two-storey-high display window. Photo: Alvar Aalto museum

Programme by day

Day 1: Turku city tour & chapels

The group will be welcomed by their guide at the Market Square, Turun Kauppatori. After the introduction, the guided walking tour in the Turku city centre can begin! The guide takes the group to see buildings by Alvar Aalto and Erik Bryggman, while providing the participants with information about the cultural and historical context. Why were the first modernist buildings in Finland designed in Turku and Paimio? What did the architects Aalto and Bryggman think of the purpose of architecture or the role of design? What was the Finnish society like back in the early 1920s and early 1930s?

After the tour you will be taken for a lunch in a chosen restaurant.

In the afternoon there is a guided tour of Modern Chapels. The tour can be adjusted according to the wishes of the group and to the mode of transport in use.

A shorter tour of about 1.5 hours includes Erik Bryggman’s Chapel of Resurrection and the Holy Cross Chapel, designed by Pekka Pitkänen. The longer tour also includes the St. Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel on the island of Hirvensalo outside the city centre. A short guidance about the city of Turku can be arranged during the transfers. The longer tour takes about 2.5 hours.

Accommodation takes place in a hotel, according to the choice of the group.

Useful information

Dinner in the evening is an additional service. There is a rich selection of restaurants in Turku.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Paimio. A guided tour at the Paimio Sanatorium will deepen your understanding about modern architecture in the 1920s Finland. The tour provides information about how the Sanatorium affected the lives of the people around – patients, staff and neighbours. What was it like
to live in Sanatorium or near it?

After the tour food baskets are given and we will all have a picnic in the natural surroundings. It can take place in the Sanatorium garden or a bit further away at the campsite by a nature trail – as you like it!

Useful information

There is a possibility to hike the 4-kilometre path independently or with a guide. If walked with a guide it is possible to discuss the role of nature in old-fashioned health-care. If walked independently the group can return the empty baskets to a location agreed beforehand, otherwise the guide will take care of all the baskets and trash.

In case of rain the picnic can be arranged inside the Sanatorium.

Sites included in this trip

Paimio Sanatorium

Paimio / 1933

The building completed in 1933 as Paimio Sanatorium was of key importance to the international career of architects Alvar and Aino Aalto. Together with Vyborg (Viipuri) Library, completed two years later, it gave the Aaltos an international profile. Finnish architecture was no longer merely the receiver of influences from outside.

Information on this trip

Good to know

  • The tour can start either from Turku or Paimio
  • The length of the guided tour of Modern Chapels can be adjusted
  • The tour of the nature trail of 4 kilometres’ length is optional
  • The nature trail can be toured independently or with a guide
  • The terrain in the nature trail is rocky in places and it contains some duckboards
  • Good shoes are highly recommended, as well as an average state of health
  • Instead of the trail, the picnic lunch can be arranged in the garden of the Sanatorium, and in this case it is also accessible to those with disabilities. Alternatively lunch can be enjoyed also in a restaurant.
  • The walking tour in Turku is not possible by bus, but it is accessible and unobstructed routes can be found.
  • Group size 1 – 50 persons

Included

  • Guided tours at selected locations
  • 2 lunches, 1 breakfast
  • Accommodation in a hotel

Optional services

  • guided tours in other museums in Paimio
  • guided tours and other sights in Turku
  • transfers, accommodation, additional meals

Excluded

Transportation is not included, but can be arranged as an additional service.

Example price 105 € per person

Price is estimated for a group of 50 people.

The programme can be adjusted according to needs of the group. The tour is also available for individuals. Please ask the agency for detailed information!

The tour is available all year, however the opening times of sights and museums can affect the availability.

All rights reserved. We follow the general terms and conditions for package tours.

Inquiries and bookings

Example price 105 € per person

Price is estimated for a group of 50 people.

The programme can be adjusted according to needs of the group. The tour is also available for individuals. Please ask the agency for detailed information!

The tour is available all year, however the opening times of sights and museums can affect the availability.

All rights reserved. We follow the general terms and conditions for package tours.

Magni Mundi is an incoming agency and offers various kinds of tailored and group trips, specialized in architecture, history, food and life style and academic clientele.

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