Old City Hall in Turku, Historic site in Convent Quarter, Turku, Finland
The Old City Hall stands near Turku Cathedral, featuring a neoclassical design with a prominent facade and multiple exhibition spaces across three floors.
Architect Samuel Berner designed this administrative building in 1735, which underwent reconstruction after the devastating fire of 1827 that affected much of Turku.
The building houses art galleries and conference halls, serving as a central venue for exhibitions and events within the Turku Cultural Centre complex.
The Old City Hall remains open to visitors throughout the year, offering guided tours and hosting regular art exhibitions in its renovated interior spaces.
The building's restored cellars, dating from the original construction, now function as specialized venues for private ceremonies and cultural gatherings.
Location: Turku
Architects: Samuel Berner
Part of: Turku Cathedral and Turku historic center
GPS coordinates: 60.45060,22.27610
Latest update: March 4, 2025 23:43
The neo-Moorish architecture developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, driven by European interest in oriental forms. This architectural movement combines Western building elements with Moorish decorative motifs: horseshoe arches, carved arabesques, geometric mosaics, and ornate stuccoes. This stylistic synthesis appears in a variety of structures, from places of worship to private residences, theaters, and city fortifications. The collection gathers representative examples from across Europe and beyond. In Marseille, the Alcazar Grand Theatre has displayed a façade decorated with oriental patterns since 1857. The Great Synagogue of Brussels, inaugurated in 1878, demonstrates the adoption of this style in Belgian religious architecture. In Germany, Drachenburg Castle near Bonn incorporates Moorish elements into a late 19th-century villa. The movement also reaches unexpected locations: Brighton’s Royal Pavilion blends Indian and Islamic influences for a British royal seaside residence, while rural farms in Hälsingland, Sweden, include ornaments inspired by this orientalist trend. From Pena Palace overlooking Sintra to the Justo Sierra Synagogue in Mexico city, these buildings exemplify the international spread of an architectural style that profoundly marked its period.
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