Tampere is a city in southern Finland located between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. Since the two lakes differ in level by 18 metres, the Tammerkoski rapids linking them have been an important power source throughout history, most recently for generating electricity. Railway tracks from many parts of the nation meet at Tampere railway station, making it an important junction on the VR system.
Tampere, with about 200,000 inhabitants in the city itself, and more than 300,000 including the neighbouring municipalities, is the second most important urban centre in Finland after the Helsinki region and the biggest inland city in the Nordic countries.
In terms of population, Tampere is the third largest city in Finland, and the largest city outside the Greater Helsinki area.

Pietiläs' architecture  
Renowned Finnish architects, Reima and Raili Pietilä created numerous masterpieces of modern architecture in Tampere.
The Kaleva Church is a modern concrete temple. It was completed in 1966.
The library building called "Metso" was completed in 1986. The facade materials are granite, copper and wiborgite.
The third big project of the Pietiläs in Tampere was the shopping and service centre and the church in the suburb of Hervanta.

Nature sights
Tampere is located on a narrow strip of land between two lakes. Important elements of the landscape also include the Tammerkoski Rapids with its banks and the high ridges with their spectacular views formed by ice and the sea. Tampere is also known for its parks and outdoor recreation areas such as Pyynikki and Kauppi.

Arboretum
Botanical park with more than 500 plants and types of plant living in Tampere and the surrounding areas. In addition to the park with trees and bushes, there is a separate rose garden. The park is always open. Free admission. Local bus nr 3, 7, 21, get off at Hatanpää hospital.

Pyynikki ridge
Pyynikki Ridge, an impressive reminder of the glacial period, rises between the lakes Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. The fresh pine forest of Pyynikki Park, a peaceful oasis in the middle of the town, is an ideal spot to take a break.
On top of the ridge, among the pine forest, spectacular views expand from the red-brick observation tower. The tower café offers delicious home-made doughnuts.
At the foot of the ridge, by Lake Pyhäjärvi, there are the Pyynikki Summer Theatre, a beach and Scandic Hotel Rosendahl.

Viikinsaari Island
Viikinsaari Island is a summer paradise for the whole family just 25 minutes away by boat.
Visitors can also enjoy the Wanha Kaidesaari restaurant, nature path, lakeside sauna, beach, playgrounds, sports fields and barbecue areas. For spiritual peace and calm, there is a tiny ecumenical chapel on the island.

Kauppi outdoor recreation area
Kauppi area allows visitors an opportunity to relax and exercise right in the heart of the city.

National parks
Tampere is also close to the magnificent national parks Seitseminen and Helvetinjärvi in the region.

Pyynikki observation tower
Built in 1929, Pyynikki Observation Tower offers a splendid general view of Tampere. From there, you can see Lake Näsijärvi on the north, Lake Pyhäjärvi on the south and, on a narrow strip of land, the city in between.
The tower is open throughout the year Mon-Sun 9-20. Entrance is 1 Euro (children 20 cents). At the café of the tower, don't forget to taste the best doughnuts in town. Café's phone number (03) 212 3247.

Näsinneula observation tower
Näsinneula Observation Tower is Tampere´s best-known building and its landmark. Näsinneula is definitely a must to a visitor.
Näsinneula stands by the shore of Lake Näsijärvi in the Särkänniemi Adventure Park. At 168 metres, Näsinneula is the highest observation tower in the Nordic countries. The observation level and the revolving restaurant are not as high as that, yet the view is magnificent. You can see a fantastic panorama of the city centre and the lakes surrounding it. As a matter of fact, there are some 200 lakes within the city limits.

The Cradle of industry
Finlayson - from the cotton mill to a palace
James Finlayson, a Scotsman, came to Finland via Russia and founded a cotton mill in Tampere in 1820, thereby creating what was to be the first major industrial establishment in the country.
As elsewhere in Europe, the first large-scale industry focused on cotton, since cotton was best-suited to mechanical processing: to be woven into thread and fabric. Finished products were sold to Russia; the export of the goods was promoted by generously granted customs and tax reliefs.
From the very beginning, Finlayson's cotton mill exemplified the state-of-the-art technology in the field world-wide. The required technology and know-how were acquired from England, the leading industrial country in those days. Finlayson's famous six-storey factory building, called Kuusvooninkinen, represented a real breakthrough in modern industrial building in the Nordic countries.
From the 1830's to 1900's, Finlayson was a town within a town. The new owners of the factory, the Nottbeck family, ruled the community like an enlightened king rules his kingdom: they provided employment, housing, a school, food, a home for the elderly, a hospital and a church.

First among equals
Finlayson cotton mill exemplifies the state-of-the-art technology of his day with regard to both machinery and building. Finlayson introduced large water wheels and turbines in Finland, as well as an automatic fire-extinguishing system. In the late 19th century, Finlayson boasted the largest steam engine and the first electric light bulb in the Nordic countries.
The necessary skills and know-how were acquired from England: drawings for machinery and buildings, as well as foremen to run the various departments of the factory.
Completed in 1837, Finlayson's six-storey factory building, called Kuusvooninkinen is the most significant monument of Finnish industrial history. It was the first building designed for large-scale industry, where halls had no partitioning walls. Instead, the intermediate floors were supported by cast iron pillars. Today, Kuusvooninkinen is a protected building, and the National Board of Antiquities and Historical Monuments is supervising its restoration.
Finlayson was a town within a town. In the mid-1800's, it had all the institutions that became familliar in other Finnisch industrial towns and villages later in our century: factory owner's mansion, officials' and workers' housing, a hospital, a church, a school, a community hall and a home for the elderly.
Co-operation between an architect and an engineer shaped the industrial architecture, of which the multi-storey buildings in the Finlayson area provide an excellent example. Even though the sounds of weaving and spinning machines have died away, the buildings are still full of activity; they house various businesses, studios for artisans and artists, exhibitions spaces, college premises and sports facilities.

Tampella - woven from the water
All over Finland, the early industrial towns were located by rapids. The wood processing industry, in particular, sought locations near the water, as water was an essential element in its operations. How was the power of the rapids harnessed? How could the irregular power be converted into a stable flow of energy required by the factories?
While new technologies introduced in the wood processing industry turned Finnish forests into green gold and steered Finland's economy to a new direction, another driving force of the economy began to gain ground, namely the engineering industry. Finnish factories needed grinders and water turbines, ships and locomotives. All of the above were manufactured by Oy Tampella Ab, founded beside the upper reaches of the Tammerkoski rapids in 1861. Today, the versatile Vapriikki Museum Centre has its home here.

Tako and Tampella: red bricks and long-standing tradition
The introduction of wood as the raw material for paper truly revolutionised Finnish industry. Thanks to Finland's 'green gold' - the forests - industry began to grow rapidly. Since the 1860's, groundwood mills as well as pulp and paper mills were founded near rapids all around the country. The first groundwood mill in Tampere started in 1865.
Factories needed grinders and water turbines for their operations, and locomotives and ships to transport goods. All of the above were manufactured by Oy Tampella Ab, which was founded in 1861. During the Second World War, Tampella began to manufacture arms and ammunition. After the war, the factory started to manufacture paper machines. Machinery felts were manufactured by the town's largest wool factory, Tampereen Verkatehdas, for use in the wood processing industry.
Turbines and mechanical wires for the purposes of industry are still produced in Tampere. In the same place as 130 years ago, mechanical pulpwood is being ground and shipped to paperboard mills, where it will be converted into high-quality packaging materials, which will be used in industrial applications worldwide and eventually end up in the hands of consumers.
The forests remain the foundation of the Finns' well-being. Roughly 70 per cent of the country is covered with forest, making the forest-related industries the second-largest generator of export revenue in Finland after the metal industry. Finland is the leading exporter of printing and writing paper worldwide.

Frenckell - rags to riches, woods to wealth
In the early 19th century, the rag buyers from Frenckell's paper mill travelled around the country buying rags to be used for raw material at the mill. Later, wood replaced rag in the production process. The first groundwood mills were established in the Tampere region by the rapids in the 1860's.
Tampere was a pioneer in the wood processing industry in Finland. Established as early as 1783, Finland's first paper mill operated by the Tammerkoski rapids. In 1842, Frenckell's paper mill was the first to purchase a paper machine and manufacture paper from a mixture of rag and groundwood. The first groundwood mill that manufactured groundwood for the industry was founded on the lower reaches of the Tammerkoski rapids, right about where Metsä-Serla's Tako groundwood mill stands today. It was established by the father of Finnish wood processing industry, Knut Fredrik Idestam. A couple of years later, Mr Idestam launched the wood processing industry on the banks of the Emäkoski rapids in Nokia. The skills and knowledge soon spread out all over the Tampere region; Carl Johan Helin began to apply Idestam's methods in Valkeakoski and G.A. Serlachius in Mänttä.

Viikinsaari island
Viikinsaari island is a summer paradise for the whole family just 20 minutes away by boat. Visitors can also enjoy the Wanha Kaidesaari restaurant, nature path, lakeside sauna, beach, playgrounds, sports fields and barbecue areas. For spiritual peace and calm, there is a tiny ecumenical chapel on the island.