Breadcrumb Home About Tyks Lazaret Museum Lazaret Museum The goal of the Turku Lazaret Museum is to record the history of the oldest hospital in Finland, functional without interruptions since 1759, as well as to preserve its equipment and to collect folklore of the hospital. Founded in 1974, the museum turned 50 last year, 30 October 2024. General opening hours Turku Lazaret Museum is open the first weekday Monday of every month from 2 pm to 6 pm. In addition, the museum can visited by appointment. Visiting the museum and guidance around the museum is free.General opening hours:Monday 3 February 2 pm to 6 pmMonday 3 March 2 pm to 6 pmMonday 7 April 2 pm to 6 pmMonday 5 May 2 pm to 6 pmMonday 2 June 2 pm to 6 pmThe museum is also open annually on the Southwest Finland Museum Day (last Sunday in August), Turku Day (third Sunday in September), the anniversary of the founding of the Lazaret museum on 30 October and the anniversary of the founding of Turku Hospital on 17 December. Please check the opening hours before each theme day on this page. Historical walking toursHistorical walking tours of Kiinamyllynmäki will continue in the summer 2025.Guidance and additional informationmuseum curatortel. 050 571 4030[email protected]Welcome to the Turku Lazaret Museum! Lazaret Museum's visiting address The Lazaret Museum is located at Kiinamyllynkatu 4–8, 20520 Turku. The Lazaret Museum is building number 13. There is no accessible entrance to the museum. The outer and inner stairs of the back door are slightly lower. General overview of the museum The Turku Lazaret Museum was established on October 30th 1974. The efforts of the teaching nurse of the surgical clinic, Maija Jansén, were essential in setting up the museum's activity. The museum began its activity in the old gatekeeper lodge on the Kiinamylly hill in 1975.In addition to Tyks Main hospital, there are museum collections from the Tyks Loimaa hospital as well as Tyks Vakka-Suomi hospital. The museum activity is overseen by the museum working group of Tyks.The Turku Lazaret Museum is a member museum of the Varsinais-Suomen museot ry (Society for the museums of Southwest Finland). From a Lazaret to a University Hospital Children and nurses in an early 20th century bandaging room. The children's slippers pictured can be found in the museum collections. Turku University Hospital, originally Turku Lazaret, is the oldest continuously functional hospital in Finland. The Swedish king Adolf Frederick signed the lazaret charter December 17th 1756 and the opening ceremony of the 9-bed curing room of the diseased was held in a festive atmosphere along the shores of the river Aura on June 6th 1759. The first four patients had already been admitted earlier in the springtime.The hospital has located in several buildings along the river Aura. In 1784, the hospital moved to the log building in the corner of the contemporary Linnankatu and Sairashuoneenkatu. After the mid-19th century the provincial hospital was located for a quarter century in the so called stone garrison near the contemporary Martinsilta. Towards the end of the 19th century, the name of the hospital was established as "Läänin yleinen sairaala" (General Provincial Hospital) and later as "Turun lääninsairaala" (Turku Provincial Hospital).The Turku Provincial Hospital moved to the Kiinamylly hill in 1881. Most of the buildings built back then are still in use. The hospital became a University Hospital in 1958.You can get to know the hospital's history better in the Turku Lazaret Museum located along Kiinamyllynkatu in the old gatekeeper lodge (building 13). Print this page