Other Collections of the Foundation

Since its founding in 1917, the Åbo Akademi University Foundation has received numerous generous donations, supporting its role as a preserver of cultural heritage. Listed below are the foundation’s most significant collections.

The Maritime History Collections

Maritime museum activities in Finland began in 1936 with the establishment of the Maritime Museum at the Åbo Akademi University, the country’s first of its kind. However, the war years and ensuing economic challenges halted plans for a national maritime museum, and no dedicated museum building was established. The focus gradually shifted from traditional museum operations to archival and library services, as well as research. In 1999, the Maritime Museum was officially restructured as the Institute of Maritime History.

Since spring 2000, the institute has been located at the Forum Marinum Maritime Centre. Most of its collections are owned by the Åbo Akademi University Foundation and comprise approximately 1,500 shelf meters of materials spanning six centuries. These include a library with roughly 10,500 catalogued titles, around 100,000 photographs, over 4,600 ship logs, thousands of boat and ship drawings, as well as nautical charts and atlases from around the world. The foundation also owns an extensive artifact collection assembled between 1936 and 1985, which has been on deposit at Forum Marinum since 2000.

The Geological Collection

Geology was one of the four natural sciences at the newly established Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the Åbo Akademi University in 1918. Helge Backlund (1878-1958), the first professor in the field, began building a collection of teaching and research materials through purchases from Germany and contacts in Russia. Over time, the collection has expanded significantly, primarily through donations and dedicated collection efforts. Today, it comprises an estimated 15,000 samples, mostly from Fennoscandia. featuring rocks, minerals, meteorites, and sand samples. Highlights include rare minerals from the Kemiö pegmatites, limestone deposits in Parainen, and unique meteorits and gold finds. The collection is on deposit at the Åbo Akademi University, with teaching and exhibit materials stored in the Geohouse on Akademigatan 1 in Turku.

The Biological Collection

The biological collections have grown through donations from around 150 amateur and professional biologists, with the first contributions received in the early 1920s. A pivotal figure in the development of these collections was Honorary Doctorate Justus Montell, who served as the first curator from 1930 to 1954. Under his leadership and through his dedicated collection efforts, the collections expanded substantially. The oldest specimen dates to the early 1800s, with notable rarities including the Menetries’ Tiger Moth (Arctia menetriesii), a species that remains rare even internationally.

The collections are preserved at the Zoological and Botanical Museums of the University of Turku. Currently, the collection consist of approximately 200,000 plants, 140,000 insects, 12,000 birds and eggs, 21,000 fungi, and about 8,000 specimens of lichens and mosses.Recent donations have been made directly to the Åbo Akademi University, expanding the overall biological collections. The collections are primarily intended for researchers, selected parts are exhibited at the Zoological Museum of the University of Turku, which is open to the public. Additionally, parts of the collections can be accessed digitally through the service Laji.fi.

The Coin and Medal Collection

The collection was initially estables by Court of Appeals Councillor George Granfelt (1865– 1917), who donated his coin collection to the Åbo Akademi University Foundation. Over time, it has been expanded by additional donations, including the notable medal collection of pharmacist Julius Andersson (1887-1945). Since 1987, the collection has been on deposit with the City of Turku, and parts of it are exhibited in the Coin and Medal Cabinet at Turku Castle.

Collections at the Åbo Akademi University Library

The collections at the Åbo Akademi University Library rank among Finland’s most significant in their field. Featuring works from the 15th century onward, they are an invaluable resource for researcher and enthusiasts alike. Since the nationalisation of Åbo Akademi University in 1981, portions of these collections have been owned by the foundation. The archival collections include materials on renowned authors, artists, and scientists, including Tove Jansson, Hagar Olsson och Axel Haartman.

The materials primarily date from the 19th and 20th centuries and include an extensive image collection, established in 1911. Donated mainly by Swedish-speaking Finnish families, these collections feature numerous identified portraits and landscapes from across Finland. The rarities collection consists of literary donations that were central in building the library’s holdings, with 40,000-50,000 volumes including both scholarly works and popular literature.