Last modified: 2011-03-11 by zoltán horváth Keywords: turku |
finland | fleur-de-lis | monogram: mary | a | Links: FOTW
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mirrors image by Ivan Sarajcic, 21 September 2007 Source: photo
at: Wikimedia Turku is the oldest city of Finland. In fact, the
name "Finland" originally was applied by the Swedish only to the
area around this city. Though it lost its status to the less
Sweden-oriented Helsinki, it's still a major port. In addition
to its Baltic trade, ferries leave here every day for the Åland
Islands and for Stockholm. The flag of Turku is a banner of its
arms, Azure a Mary monogram Or surmounted with four fleurs-de-
lis Argent. Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 13 October 2007
After the Russian conquest in 1809, the diet of Finland convened
in Turku once, but the city was never a de jure capital.
Helsinki was made capital of the new Grand Duchy very soon. The
monogram in the flag (and arms) really looks like a Mary
monogram (I also thought it was a Ma