State Visit to Finland - Day 3
On the last day of Their Majesties The King and Queen’s visit to Finland, the Royal Yacht reached Turku on the western coast. The city of Turku was established in the 13th century, and is considered to be the oldest city in Finland.
In the morning, The King and Queen visited Aker Yard’s shipyard in Turku. Aker Yard has three shipyards in Finland, building cruise vessels and ferries. At the moment, the Turku shipyard is building the world’s largest cruise ship, the Independence of the Seas. Their Majesties were given an introduction and a guided tour of the shipyard.
Forum Marinum
Later in the morning, The King and Queen attended the seminar “The Maritime Sector and the Environment” at Forum Marinum. The seminar explored the possibilities for reducing the negative impact of maritime activities on the environment.
Forum Marinum includes a national museum for the merchant navy and the navy, and after the lectures there was time for a quick tour of the museum, guided by Managing Director Seppo Sarelius.
Turku Cathedral
After lunch in Turku Palace, The King and Queen visited Turku Cathedral. The cathedral is Finland’s national shrine, and considered to be one of the most notable architectural monuments in Finland.
It was built as small parish church, and consecrated as the church of St. Mary around the middle of the 13th century. The church, originally made of wood, and later rebuilt with stone, was consecrated as the Cathedral in 1300. It was gradually extended, reaching its current scale at the beginning of the 19th century.
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Welcoming the Restauration to the US
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon, along with a couple of thousand attendees, welcomed the sloop Restauration to New York, exactly 200 years after the vessel carrying Norwegian emigrants arrived in the United States. In 1825, they crossed the Atlantic in search of a new and better life. This voyage is regarded as the beginning of organised emigration from Norway.
Met with Governor Walz in Minnesota
Minnesota is one of the states in the United States where a large proportion of the population has Norwegian ancestry. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon is therefore also visiting this state and its largest metropolitan area, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, during his trip to the United States to mark the 200th anniversary of Norwegian emigration to the US.