Aboa Vetus, the only archaeological museum in Finland, is a town quarter discovered underground. The ruin area of Aboa Vetus includes the remains of medieval houses. The Convent Riverfront, one of medieval Turku’s main streets, still runs through the museum area today.
The story of the museum began in the 1990s, as a result of archaeological excavations conducted on the site. The remains of the buildings were kept as they were found. Various historical layers can be seen in the ruins; these were also accepted as a natural part of the museum. The cellars of the medieval houses date back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
After the Great Fire of Turku in 1827 majority of the city had to be rebuilt, and the ruins of the medieval city were buried underground. During the turn of the 20th century a spa called the Aura bathhouse operated on the plot. In 1928 the bathhouse was replaced with the Rettig palace, a prominent family home constructed by a tobacco manufacturer Hans von Rettig. The palace building’s premises have served as the museum of history and contemporary art, Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova since 1995.
