Despite the shift from a monument- or object-centred to a landscape-centred approach in the protection and management of urban cultural heritage, the analysis of cultural heritage as individual objects is still relevant. Theories on material culture do not see objects in the way they were conceived in monument-centred conservation. A case in point is fragmentation theory. The article uses this theory to analyse the relationship between archaeology and the urban landscape in Turku. Although fragmentation theory has its roots in prehistoric archaeology, the article adapts it to the modern, urban setting. Archaeological fragments have a physical connection with the past, but they can also act as agents independent of their original objects. This creative potential of fragments should be further explored in urban heritage management.