Light in the dark: Turku before electricity and the dim evenings at Qwensel
As autumn darkens, one of Turku’s oldest residential houses has its own atmosphere. Here is a look at how the city was lit before electricity, and how light is brought to the dimming evenings of the Qwensel House today.
A hand lantern for the dark city
Before street lighting, anyone out after dark had to carry a hand lantern, and the city’s regulations required it. From November 1805, property owners were responsible for lighting and maintaining the oil or candle lanterns mounted on the walls of buildings.
Electricity arrives in Turku
Turku’s first electric lighting system was in use at P.C. Rettig & Co’s tobacco factory in the 1880s. In autumn 1898, the Electron company began operating, with an estimated 200 customers. Its network was concentrated around Auransilta, the Market Square and the Cathedral area. In autumn 1908, the municipal electricity plant, run by AEG, began supplying current, and tram service opened before Christmas.
According to a review by the Turku urban research programme, Turku moved from hand lanterns to electric lights within a century. Households adopted electricity more slowly: in the early 1900s ordinary households found it too expensive, and when the Winter War began in 1939, about half of rural homes used electricity, almost exclusively for lighting.
A building where fire is not used
The history of the Qwensel House is estimated to reach back to the 17th century, and the building is said to date from around 1700. The Pharmacy Museum, which operates in the same courtyard, opened to the public on 2 June 1958. Today the house is a museum building where the use of open flame is forbidden.
That is why there are no candles inside Qwensel. In winter, a candle burns in a lantern outside, far from the building. The fireplace holds no firewood either; it runs on heating elements that pleasantly warm the interior in winter. There are no ceiling lights, only old wall lights, which always give the space a slightly dim glow. On darkening evenings, Christmas lights and old-fashioned electric candelabras are of course also placed in the windows.
Autumn flavours and atmosphere
The dim café hall is a lovely place to sit and read a book, or simply to be with a cup of coffee or tea and the seasonal treats baked in our own kitchen. The autumn selection includes a vegan apple and almond pie, a cherry pie, and a warming old-fashioned meat pie served with broth. This last treat is a cherished childhood flavour memory of our entrepreneur Kaisa Takala, and it has been revived at Cafe Qwensel for several winter seasons now. New this autumn are also Qwensel’s own chai latte, Q-milk, and the gluten-free Q-cake, flavoured with rum and almond.
The old carriage house opens at the end of the year
On 7 November, the atmospheric carriage house in the Qwensel courtyard opens its doors for the porridge brunch, which has already become a tradition. The carriage house is lit by electricity, though. Welcome to enjoy Christmas treats in a beautiful old shed right in the heart of Turku. The porridge brunch can be booked in advance here.
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