Friday Bliss #175 - Botanical Garden of Ruissalo

Today I’ll take you to The Botanical Garden of the University of Turku, that I visited last September.

The garden is maintained by the University of Turku on the island of Ruissalo and it covers a collection of about 5,000 different species and varieties of plants, of which more than 2,000 are in six big greenhouses. Greenhouses include a succulent greenhouse, an araucaria room, a winter garden, the New World tropics, the old world tropics and the Mediterranean climate. 

The primary function of the botanical garden is to assist in the research and teaching of the Department of Biology, but it is also open to the public and is visited by about 40,000 visitors annually. The current greenhouses in the garden were designed by architect Jarmo Saarinen in 1998.

Inside the greenhouses there was a real moist jungle and the paths were narrow.

I saw a few parrots and admired the green and lush exotic plants.

I had never seen giant water lilies before!

Around the greenhouses there was a big park with centuries old oaks.

The climate of the area favours oaks that grow and selfseed there.

Each plant had labels and one could have spent there for hours.

Outside there were large areas of annuals, fruit trees and roses.

❤︎❤︎❤︎

Wishing a great winter weekend!

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Turku Castle

I'll share with you some photos of the Turku Castle that we visited last summer. It is huge - endless narrow stone staircases and climbing made me exhausted. The castle is a more than 700 year old historical monument and has stood guard over the river Aura estuary since the 1280’s. Its granite stone walls hold within them the history of Finland & Sweden.

In 1556, King Gustav Vasa named his son Johan Duke of Finland. The era of Johan marked a new phase in the construction of the castle. In the 17th century, the Governor General of Finland Per Brahe held court in the bailey. Gradually the administrative centre moved out of the castle, and gave way to a prison. There were almost 20 prisoners in the same small cell at times. The poor conditions in the prison caused illnesses, diarrhea and fever. Mortality peaked in 1863, when Turku was plagued by a cholera epidemic that killed 32 people in two weeks.

 

In the 1941 bombings the castle was left in ruins. After the end of the war restaurations began and took decenniums. Nowadays the periods of construction can be seen in labyrinthine passages, walled up doors and windows and in mysterious staircases. It was a grey day during our visit, no blue on the sky whatsoever.

 

The builder of the Sture Church was the Swedish regent Sten Sture in the 1480s.

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#der natur donnerstag #gartenglück #image-in-ing #krapu 

#makrotex  #mosaic monday #my corner of the world #tuesday's treasures 

Friday Bliss #171 - Peaceful Christmas!

I visited Turku Cathedral in early September, that is why the first two christmassy photos are from online, others are mine. Turku Cathedral is the previous Catholic cathedral of Finland, today the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is situated in the heart of Turku by the river Aura and is also central to Finland's annual Christmas celebrations.

Every year, at noon on Christmas Eve, the Christmas Peace is declared from the city of Turku and this tradition is broadcasted over the country. The declaration is read out loud in Finnish and Swedish to remind people that Christmas peace has begun, to advise people to spend the festive period in harmony, to threaten offenders with harsh punishments, and to wish all a Merry Christmas. The declaration’s wording is traditional and I try to translate it in English.

Tomorrow, if God wills, is the gracious birthday of our Lord and Savior; and thus be proclaimed universal Christmas peace by urging all to celebrate this occasion with appropriate devotion and otherwise behave quietly and peacefully, for the one who violates this peace and disturbs Christmas peace by any illegal or inappropriate conduct is to be sued for the punishment specified by law and regulations of each offense and delict separately. Finally, a joyful Christmas is wished for all the residents of the city. 

The cathedral was originally built out of wood in the late 13th century, and was dedicated as the main cathedral of Finland in 1300, the seat of the Catholic bishop of Turku. It was considerably expanded in the 14th and 15th centuries, mainly using stone as the construction material. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, and was rebuilt to a great extent afterwards.

Painting of the Cathedral and the Academy building after the fire, 

by Gustaf Wilhelm Finnberg whose atelier also burned down, 1827. Public Domain.

The cathedral was shady, so photos are a bit unsharp.

Votive ships have been donated, for example, in accordance with the promises 

made to God in a maritime distress. The tradition was strongest in coastal areas. 

About half of the more than 200  votive ships that have been or are in the Finnish churches 

date back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

High up in the attic there was the Turku Cathedral Museum that displays 

statues of saints and altarpieces from the Catholic Middle Ages. The time after the Reformation 

is told by church textiles and silverware by skilled artists. 

In the museum you can also get acquainted with the construction phases of the Cathedral.

Swedish-born Per Brahe (1602–1680) served as Finland's governor general in the 17th century. 

He developed the Finnish administration and established ten new cities in Finland. 

Sculptor Walter Runeberg has portrayed Per Brahe as a confident ruler. The monument stands 

in the Brahe Park next to Turku Cathedral. There is a sentence on the pedestal: 

I was satisfied with the country and the country was very pleased with me.

❤︎❤︎❤︎

PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS!

Thank you for your blog friendship this year. All the best for 2022!

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Friday Bliss #169 - Birthplace of Jean Sibelius

On Wednesday we celebrated the birthday of our national composer Jean Sibelius. He was born on 8th of December 1865 in Hämeenlinna and lived in this elegant town house the first three years of his life. Sibelius' father was city doctor of Hämeenlinna, but he died of typhoid when Janne was less than three years old. The father left great debts, and as a result the mother Maria Charlotta had to sell the house and move with Linda and Janne to her widowed mother elsewhere in Hämeenlinna while she was still pregnant of the youngest son Christian. 

Sibelius' birthplace is a charming little museum in Hämeenlinna, which I visited in the autumn. The rooms are decorated in the style of the 1860s - 1880s, and the museum exhibition illuminates little Janne's childhood. Chamber concerts are held regularly in the museum hall. The atmosphere of the museum was calm and Sibelius' music was playing in the background - a charming visit!

When young he was a very handsome man. There were many photos to be seen.

I visited also The Sibelius Museum in Turku, that showed his family tree with Aino Järnefelt.

Beautiful Aino came from a very well known cultural family of the Järnefelts.

Her brothers were painter Eero, composer Armas, writer Arvid and critic Kasper.

Here you can read more about Sibelius and his multiple travels abroad.

Sibelius loved Christmas and the advent season eased his depressions. At the Sibelius Museum in Turku, I saw this wall-sized enlargement of a crane with a citation from Sibelius' diary from September 1916. I think it aptly breathes the composer's humility before nature and the depression he experienced when autumn arrived. 

On all these days I have seen cranes;

full of music moving to the south.

Have been the willing pupil once again.

Their calls are my life thread.

Get increasingly close to heaven.

My heart full of melancholy and nature worship.

- Sibelius' diary the 10th of September 1916

There exist six Christmas carols composed by Jean Sibelius. They are not jolly and bright, more like slow psalms, but they are very popular in Finland and belong to every Christmas. I seek not Power or Glory, 1909 (lyrics Zacharias Topelius) starts like this and HERE you can listen to it interpreted by the acappella group Rajaton.

I seek not power or glory

Nor do I long for gold

I ask but for the light of heaven

And for peace on earth

I seek not power or glory

Nor do I long for gold

I ask but for the light of heaven

And for peace on earth

 

It brings us Christmas joy

And lifts our spirits towards God

Not power nor even gold

Just peace on earth

https://lyricstranslate.com

I seek not power or glory

Nor do I long for gold

I ask but for the light of heaven

And for peace on earth

 

It brings us Christmas joy

And lifts our spirits towards God

Not power nor even gold

Just peace on earth

https://lyricstranslate.com

I seek not power or glory

Nor do I long for gold

I ask but for the light of heaven

And for peace on earth

 

It brings us Christmas joy

And lifts our spirits towards God

Not power nor even gold

Just peace on earth

https://lyricstranslate.com

Sibelius' daughter Margareta Jalas has said that the carol I Seek not Power or Glory had a special place in Ainola's Christmas celebration. While Christmas songs were usually accompanied on the piano by Sibelius himself, this song was always accompanied by the mother of the family, Aino Sibelius. Its words are so easy to agree with in this global situation. I am especially fond of the carol Over Hill and Dale - it has an unusually beautiful melody. HERE you can listen to it interpreted by the opera singer Jorma Hynninen.

❤︎❤︎❤︎

Have a blessed Advent Season!

Thank you for all the lovely comments you leave week after week at Friday Bliss.

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