Oulu
Capital of Northern Scandinavia
Oulu Capital of Northern Scandinavia
Photographs Juho Alatalo
Timo Heikkala (p. 72) TH
Minna Hentilä (p. 15, 38) MH
Reijo Koirikivi (p. 68) RK
Sanna Krook (p. 42) SK
Petri Lampela (p. 55) PL
Kati Leinonen (p. 70) KL
Petteri Löppönen (p. 75) PLö
Tiina Mustonen (p. 5, 14, 37, 57) TM
Oulun Satama (p. 66) OS
Sami Peltokorpi (p. 66, 67) SP
Anne Peltola (p. 75) AP
Juha Sarkkinen (p. 69, 70) JS
Suomen Ilmakuva Oy (p. 71) SI
Tiia Tervonen (p. 74) TT
Kaisa Tiri (p. 75) KT
Text
Työmaa, www.tyomaa.com
Translation
Apropos Lingua Oy
Publisher
Kirjakaari Oy
Layout
Greystone Oy, Tiina Mustonen, www.greystone.fi
Printing
Bookwell Oy, Porvoo 2016
Paper
This book is printed on LumiSilk 150 g/m2 produced
at Stora Enso Oulu Mill. Cover LumiArt 130 g/m2.
ISBN
978-952-7187-03-6
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Life Works Out Well in Oulu Oulu is a convenient city where everything you need is close by. The sea, river, parks, services and cycleways belong to everyone, and the people don’t waste time in traffic jams or in lines. The most famous statue in Oulu, “Toripolliisi” (“The Bobby at the Marketplace”), watches the townsfolk go by in Torinranta and keeps his feet firmly on the ground. But don’t think that the people of Oulu are content to just rest on their laurels. Active business and cultural operators are constantly putting Oulu on the map through smart technology and unique events. You have probably used wireless technology from Oulu for data transfer even today, or have sometimes played the air guitar – an invention made in Oulu, too. In Oulu, you always have time to enjoy life in addition to handling your everyday tasks. The dance-like fluency and relaxed atmosphere can be seen and felt in the pulse of the city. When life works out so well, it’s no wonder that people enjoy living here so much.
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Oulu is a city that looks like its inhabitants: smart, determined and young. The youngest in Europe, in fact.
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There are plenty of events and things to do for exercisers and families with children. Because the average age of Oulu’s residents is under 37 years, the city is always full of the enthusiasm of youth in the springtime.
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The river that has provided the people of Oulu with tar and salmon now flows through a magnificent dam and several channels, generating renewable energy.
The Hupisaaret City Park is beautiful and peaceful. The gushing fountains at the edge of the park and the water flowing through the hollows of the islands calm the mind.
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Get the Most out of Summer An essential part of the summer in Oulu is lying around carefree on the beach or daydreaming on the pier. The sauna ferry called “Kesän Sauna” (“The Sauna of Summer”) is an excellent display of the good-natured community spirit and laid-back attitude to life that is characteristic of the residents of Oulu. The floating sauna, a project started by Oulun Rantasaunaseura ry and completed with the help of volunteers, is a public sauna open to all. When you are sitting on the raft’s sauna benches in the light of the endless day and with the Oulu River flowing beneath you, it’s easy to smile and feel time fading away. The home port of the floating sauna, the Tuira beach, is a popular place among young people to hang out and play games. The people at Tuira beach really know how to enjoy the summer, especially the summer night sun and the company of friends.
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Soft, sandy bottom, the sun setting behind the islands, a fish restaurant, spa hotel and a direct cycleway from the city centre. It’s no wonder that Nallikari is the most popular beach in Oulu, attracting also tens of thousands of tourists from Norway and Sweden in the summer.
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The walkways and parks in the city centre are a great place to spend some time, daydreaming and savouring various delicacies.
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Piquant cafĂŠs and bakeries offer freshly baked pastries for the sweet tooth. The most famous traditional local delicacy is the apple crumble by Katri Antell, a bakery established in 1880.
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New houses and even completely new residential areas are constantly springing up in the most attractive growth centre of the north.
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Even though living in Oulu is cheap, that doesn’t have to mean cutting back on the quality. There is plenty of space for everyone to live in a home suited to their own personal style.
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In the summer, the granaries at Torinranta and the Market Hall give way to a laid-back market atmosphere – local food, crafts, music and patios full of happy people.
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Oulu – a City of the River and the Sea The water flows, bringing and taking things with it.
starts at the end of Pikisaari’s main road, winding
The river and the sea have kept the people of Oulu
its way through a lush forest. In no time, you’ll find
lively for centuries. Life by the water made the people
yourself in front of another bridge, piers belonging to
of Oulu international a long time ago, and the water-
yacht clubs, fishermen trolling for salmon, perch and
ways are still a source of nutrition both for the mind
whitefish, and finally the Hietasaari island: a develop-
and the body. The maritime life and atmosphere are
ing leisure area with spas and beaches.
experiencing an upwards trend again as of late. Active outdoor exercisers will continue their trip from
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The most beautiful walking and cycling route in Oulu
Hietasaari back to the city centre, up the beautiful
is also near the water. It starts from Torinranta, en-
river delta, along the side of the beach that is closer
livened by storehouse cafés, gourmet restaurants,
to the neighbourhood of Tuira. In October, one can
live music and the Oulu Market Hall. The journey
watch as spawning whitefish are caught using unique,
continues along the pedestrian bridge towards Piki-
long-handled landing nets called “lippos”, used
saari, an island full of traditional houses. A cycleway
specifically for catching whitefish.
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The façade of the Oulu City Hall is decorated with flowers during the summer, and with a beautiful Christmas tree during Christmas. On the Torikatu side of the City Hall, you can find a statue by the sculptor Sanna Koivisto, “Ajan kulku” (“The Passage of Time”), loved by the people of Oulu.
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The Pikisaari island, inhabited by artists and craftsmen, is one of the oldest remaining parts of Oulu, and that is why it’s also a protected milieu. Its history, which goes all the way back to the 17th century, includes a pitch mill, a sea customs station and shipbuilding.
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Pikisaari is full of interesting details: alleys, flowers and beach trails.
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Hupisaaret You can see it all the way from the Oulu Cathedral: one of Finland’s most beautiful parks. The gardens, streams, bridges, playground, café, bird pond, Art and Provincial Museum and the open-air summer theatre all make the Hupisaaret islands a fun meeting place for all of Oulu’s residents. From the First of May at the latest, people start coming to the islands to meet friends and family for picnics, coffee breaks and children’s games. Both emperors and kings have also enjoyed the idyllic islands – former President Martti Ahtisaari, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, also lived on the Lasaretinsaari island as a child. Hupisaaret consists of tiny islands on the delta of the Oulu River, connected by white wooden bridges and pathways. The arboretum, or the Tree Park, has many rare species of trees, and its diversity is one of a kind. Many visitors to the park have enjoyed a rest underneath the shade of its larches. The beaches on many of the islands are still almost in their natural states, so the range of different species of birds nesting on the islands is very diverse. The Finnish Local Heritage Foundation chose Oulu’s Hupisaaret islands as District of the Year 2005.
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The laughter of children, the intoxicating scent of a sea of flowers, walking tours and friends – these are the things that the Hupisaaret islands are made of.
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Autumn Dreams à la Oulu As the summer turns to autumn, the residents of Oulu take every last drop out of the last warm days of the year. The autumn is punctuated by several events, such as the internationally acclaimed Irish Festival of Oulu and the Oulu International Children’s and Youth Film Festival. In the autumn, the sun greets the townsfolk less frequently but more serenely, lighting up the autumn foliage and turning them into a firework of colours. And the symphony of the autumn storms is magnificent as the storms strike against the rocks on the sea shore – following this spectacle has become a tradition for many. The people of Oulu exercise outdoors throughout the year. In the autumn, people change into warmer and more resistant clothing to fight against the wind, water, and first frosts. Bicycles are used all year round, both by children going to school and by adults hurrying off to work.
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Is there a more wonderful sight to behold than misty bridges as the city clothes itself in autumn colours?
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The Painted Church, a Unique Gem of Art History According to historians, a church has stood north of
Mikael Toppelius painted almost all of the paintings
the Oulu city centre, in Haukipudas, since the Middle
in the walls, the ceiling arches and the ceiling in the
Ages. In the early 18th century, the Russians plun-
Haukipudas church with glue paints. Motifs from the
dered the church twice and even took the church’s
Baroque and Rococo periods can be clearly distin-
windows with them. When a new church was built to
guished from the paintings. Several art history ex-
replace the old in 1762, the residents of Haukipudas
perts even think that the illustrations in the Haukipu-
invited the most famous church painter of the time,
das church form the most significant composition
Mikael Toppelius from Oulu, to enliven the church
made in the Baroque style in Finland.
with his paintings.
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The Most Distinctive Feature of Oulu’s Silhouette A spring day in 1882 turns to night. Unexpectedly, the completely ordinary night takes a chaotic turn: cries of “Fire! Fire!” echo throughout the city blocks. Flammable materials stored in the cellar of the city’s apothecary start an explosive fire, and 27 buildings in the Oulu city centre are destroyed SK
completely. Among those buildings are the church, completed in the 18th century, and the much-beloved Seurahuone hotel and restaurant. As if by a miracle, seven of the oldest chandeliers from the church, located in the heart of the city, are saved. According to the engravings in the chandeliers’ brass bases, they have been donated to the church as early as 1723–1730. The church, a meeting place for the townspeople, was soon rebuilt. The building, which has become the most distinctive feature of Oulu’s silhouette, was designed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel, who also worked on the buildings in the historical Empire centre in Helsinki’s Senate Square. The stone walls that had survived the fire served as the frame for the rebuilt Oulu Cathedral. The central dome, the roof structures and the tower were completely rebuilt. Since 1845, the lightly coloured church, built in the neoclassical style, has provided grand surroundings for events such as atmospheric Christmas concerts.
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The tradition of the Star Boys (“Tiernapojat” in Finnish) during Christmas time is still strong in Oulu. Every year, a competition for Star Boys (the “Tiernapoikakilpailu”) is held in the heart of the city, at the Rotuaari Square, and in December, groups of Star Boys bring joy to people, such as restaurant customers, with their beautiful singing.
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The “Valoa Oulu!” light festival is one of the newest additions to Oulu’s selection of events. The light festival, which is free and open to all, cheers up the dark November, a time when the sun can be seen only for a few hours in Oulu.
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The City’s Newest Pride Is Underground Oulu’s newest source of pride has been mined 30 metres below the city centre. The “Kivisydän” (“Stone Heart”) parking cave is an infrastructure solution that has caused the parking of cars in the Oulu city centre and maintenance transports in the most central business districts to move underground. Directing the traffic into the depths of the earth has freed up space above the ground to design the Oulu city centre in a completely new way. Since the start of its construction, Kivisydän has been more than just a parking cave for Oulu. Thanks to this parking facility, which utilizes intelligent technology, the investments in downtown Oulu have increased up to 300 million euros. Kivisydän has enabled the development of the city centre’s park areas, the expansion of the Rotuaari pedestrian district, and the complementary construction of key city blocks. In the future, it has been envisioned that the city blocks in the very centre of Oulu would be covered so that people could socialize and enjoy themselves inside them all year round, protected from the weather.
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Cycling All Year Round Oulu is the only European city in Finland, if observed from the point of view of cycling. Only in Oulu do people cycle as much as elsewhere in Europe. Every fourth trip in Oulu is made by bike. Oulu has been developed towards a cycling city patiently since the 1970s. The main lines for the city’s current cycleway network were drawn up back then, and ever since, the network has been supplemented and improved upon actively as the city has grown and according to the number and needs of the cyclists. Around the world, people have marvelled at the perseverance of the residents of this northern city and their year-round cycling. In Oulu, people cycle also in the wind and snow and even on the coldest days of winter. But why wouldn’t the people of Oulu be happy to get on their bikes even early in the morning when they know that the most important cycleways are always in good driving condition.
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Life and Joy from the Countryside The Oulu region has a very rich landscape. Waves from the Bay of Bothnia crash against the rocks on the sea shore. Here and there, along the roads, kilometres of wide fields can be seen, fertile expanses of flat land. And then there are the fast-flowing rivers, three of which can be found in the Oulu region: the Oulu River, the Kiiminki River and the Ii River. And the forest is never far away. When the municipalities of Haukipudas, Kiiminki, Oulunsalo, Yli-Ii and Oulu were merged together in early 2013, Oulu received nearly 200 new entrepreneurs. The rural traders in the Oulu region are made up especially of dairy farmers, beef producers, potato farmers and the people who make their living from the so-called green gold, forestry. Oulu has focused especially on safeguarding the operational conditions of agricultural entrepreneurs and the development of their operations. Future challenges include making generational changes as easy as possible and securing the supply of skilled labour. The countryside also plays an important role in the free-time activities of the residents of the Oulu region. Fishing, hunting and berry-picking are among the traditional outdoor activities that the people of Oulu still continue to enjoy with all their hearts, regardless of age or gender.
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New Architecture, Traditional Valuable Buildings Ympäristötalo, one of the newest landmarks in Oulu, is located in the Karjasilta neighbourhood, in the immediate vicinity of the Oulu city centre and the railway station. What looks like suede when looking at a distance is actually steel, which gets its brown colour from rust. The building, known colloquially as “Rust House”, is home to the city of Oulu’s Technical Centre and various offices. The building, created by Head Architect Juha Pasanen, is impressive also from the inside – glass and light, clarity and space. The Puistola House, located opposite the Otto Karhi Park, is one of the few Art Nouveau buildings in Oulu. The oldest residents of Oulu may still remember that, back in the day, the city’s first “theatre for moving images”, the cinema Urania, was located downstairs. The 100-year-old valuable building, restored to its glory, is now home to Restaurant Puistola, among other things. In the early 20th century, people wanted to move butcheries indoors from the marketplace because of quality reasons, and thus Finland’s third-oldest market hall was established in Oulu. Nowadays, this cornerstone of the market trade provides a variety of services for friends of good food and crafts. Fresh bread, fish, meat and cheeses have been joined by ethnic flavours. Both locals and tourists enjoy themselves in the cafés of the Market Hall.
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Stora Enso’s paper mill in Oulu manufactures paper and pulp in Nuottasaari. The mill, which employs about 600 people, produces almost all of its paper for export. The factory, shown illuminating the nightly sea in the picture, can be seen clearly from Tuira’s bridges and from Torinranta.
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Oulu Airport – Around the World and Back Again The Oulu Airport, serving the lively technology and university city of Oulu, invites travellers to enjoy themselves, with Oulu as its theme. The nearby sea, the nature around the area, and especially Hailuoto, situated right next to Oulu, can all be seen from the airport that has received a complete makeover. The Hailuoto Lounge in the gate area provides a place both for rest and for work. The rocking chairs and down-to-earth upholstery at the terminal create a unique atmosphere for the airport, which is the second-busiest in Finland after Helsinki-Vantaa in terms of passengers. The Oulu Airport is extremely important for the business of the entire northern Finland, and approximately a million passengers travel through the airport each year. There is still room to grow, though, because the capacity for the airport, which has been renovated and expanded several times, is 1.5 million passengers per year. The Oulu Airport has connections both to the south and to the north. There are also charter flights to several holiday destinations.
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Renewable Energy from the Solar Power Plant According to the EU climate target, by 2020, 38 per cent of the energy consumed should come from renewable energy sources. The solar power plant on the roof of the Kaleva printing house is doing its bit to help achieve this target. When the plant was completed in the summer of 2015, it was Finland’s largest: 420 kilowatts of power and 1,600 panels with a total surface area of approximately 2,400 m2. The plant, built by the Oulun Energia energy company, produces about half of the energy of the Kaleva printing house in the summer, and on a clear summer day, up to 90 per cent of the printing house’s electricity is generated by solar panels, meaning that at its best, there is enough solar electricity to run the printing presses. As a maritime city, Oulu has over 400 years of tradition in trade, industry and
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international shipping – the mouth of the Oulu River was certainly a bustling port already in the 14th century. Today, this is reflected, among other things, in the Port of Oulu, which is open all year round and is the leading port for unit load and forest industry transports in the Bay of Bothnia. Approximately 3.5 million tonnes of freight traffic goes through the Port of Oulu every year. Forest industry products are the most important export items. The largest categories of imported goods are fuels and raw materials for the forest industry. Another transport service for the residents of Oulu and the entire northern Finland’s industrial business is the Oulu Railway Station, which has excellent connections to Scandinavia, Russia and the Far East. Oulu is an important place of transfer for passenger transport and the most important transfer station in Northern Finland. SP
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RK / Oamk SimLab
RK / Oamk SimLab
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City of ICT and Welfare Expertise Every day, 2.6 billion people use technology developed in Oulu. The know-how on wireless data transfer in Oulu is the best in the world, and the revolutionary 5G technology is being developed here. It’s no wonder that companies all over the world have set up their units in Oulu. The ecosystem is diverse, and the development moves forward amazingly fast, from concept to testing, from testing to production, and from production to the market. Approximately 12,000 people work in ICT-related tasks in Oulu. Research and business activities for health and welfare are also exceptionally active in Oulu, as is the co-operation between the welfare and ICT sectors. It is estimated that more than 200 life science companies are operating in Oulu, with their focus strongly on export. The cooperation between companies and educational and research organizations is commonplace in Oulu. For example, the Oulu Health Labs is a versatile testing environment provided by the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the Oulu University Hospital and the City of Oulu, where companies can test their innovations in their various stages of development in authentic environments, while receiving constructive feedback on their products from medical and welfare industry professionals.
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Multidisciplinary and International University of Oulu The University of Oulu is a first-rate, international university of science and innovation that builds new know-how, welfare and civilization of the future through multidisciplinary research and education. The expertise of the future is discovering, utilizing and applying new knowledge and training new top professionals for tasks that require international expertise. All the operations and expertise of the University of Oulu promote the building of a more sustainable, smarter and healthier world through research, innovation and education, and also together with partner net-
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works. Research is conducted in close cooperation with sector research institutes and businesses. Many Finnish innovations have their roots in the University of Oulu, such as applications used for wireless heart rate monitoring. The University, founded in 1958, has 16,000 students and 3,000 employees and is one of the largest and most multidisciplinary universities in Finland. Ten faculties and their departments, together with many specialized research units in various fields, all come together to create a unique basis for new multidisciplinary research, innovation and education.
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Professionals for Work Life Needs The Oulu Region Joint Authority for Education (OSEKK) organizes work life-oriented educational services in the Oulu and Koillismaa regions. The educational services are carried out by the Oulu Vocational College OSAO. The main objective of vocational education is to provide students with the skills that improve their employability. More than 11,000 young people and adults study at the multidisciplinary OSAO, and around 2,700 professionals graduate successfully every year. In terms of appeal, scope of operations and results, OSAO ranks among the top vocational colleges in Finland.
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The Kastelli Community Centre, serving all the residents of Oulu, is the place of education for about 1,500 kindergarten students and schoolchildren every day. Pedagogy experts were heard out when designing the facilities, and thought was also given to what kind of an environment learning would take place in today and ten years from now.
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The Oulu University of Applied Sciences The Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk) is a higher education environment with more than 8,500 students and 640 employees. Skilled and innovative professionals graduate from Oamk from five different fields of study: culture, business economics, natural resources, engineering and health & social care. Oamk develops new and flexible educational models, such as the e-Kampus, the lab learning environment and entrepreneurship studies. The cornerstones of Oamk are its professional staff, topnotch students and commitment to reforming the region’s business life. Oamk focuses on the health and well-being of the future and on energy, natural resources and the environment. Areas of development include intelligent learning, innovative products and services as well as entrepreneurship and new business.
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Kärpät – a Team for all of Northern Finland When the streets fill up with party people dressed in black and yellow, singing the legendary support song by Jamppa Tuominen “Kärpät on rautaa” (“Kärpät Rocks”), we’re looking at one of the embodiments of what it means to be from Oulu – the ice hockey team Oulun Kärpät and supporting it. Kärpät is the most successful team of the 21st century in the Finnish Elite League, the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. There has even been talk of a dynasty, and with good reason. The numerous Finnish championships and good games in the international CHL league have made Kärpät a much-loved – and hated – team, one whose matches are always full of people, no matter whether they are playing at home or away. Everyone wants to beat the consistent winner. Even though they are from Oulu, Kärpät is not a team just for the people of Oulu, but for the entire Northern Finland. It has partners and supporters everywhere, from Ostrobothnia to the northernmost Lapland. Many top players have also moved to Kärpät from smaller teams in the north to develop themselves – like current NHL players Joonas Donskoi from Raahe, Joonas Kemppainen from Kajaani and Jussi Jokinen from Kalajoki.
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The residents of Oulu don’t stop even in the coldest days of winter, but find the energy to take part in various winter happenings. Their Arctic originality is reflected, for example, in the Polar Bear Pitching event, where start-up entrepreneurs slip into a frozen lake to present their business ideas to an international audience. The popular event brings entrepreneurs and investors to Oulu from all around the world to marvel at the northern perseverance and start-up culture.
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The Raatti Stadium, located right next to the city centre, offers top-class conditions for sports and exercise. The stadium, which holds more than 4,000 people, hosts not only sports competitions and home games for the football club AC Oulu, but also concerts and other major events.
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Diverse options for various leisurely and athletic activities are the cornerstone of a vibrant and energetic city, and the youngest population in Europe exercises in many different ways. Dozens of sports centres and facilities in the city make sure that everyone can find a hobby that they’re interested in and makes them move.
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All Kinds of Activities Oulu is a city of culture with a lot going on. Over 700 different events are held every year, and especially during the summer months there is so much to do that you just don’t have the time to participate in everything even if you wanted to. In the summer, Oulu is full of life when the townspeople take to their music-filled patios and verdant parks, go have fun in the amusement park, or cultivate themselves at the open-air summer theatre. There are plenty of events and things to do in the vibrant city to suit all tastes.
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OuluZone is a new, top-notch motor sports centre just a short drive away from the Oulu city centre. The centre, which has also been called the best in Finland, includes tracks for go-kart, rally cross and motocross racing.
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The Most Visible Event City in Northern Scandinavia The Air Guitar World Championships are making Finland known around the world. The air guitar show, held every year in Oulu, brings fans and the best air guitarists to the city all the way from Japan and the United States. The event, first started in 1996 with tongue firmly in cheek, has already reached a respectable age and has become an international success. In addition the their invisible instruments, the air guitarists also have a common goal: promoting world peace. Oulu offers great experiences also for fans of live music. Qstock, the largest music festival in Northern Finland, makes Kuusisaari echo to the beat of both Finnish and international top performers. The urban city festival Rotuaari Picnic gathers the top musicians in Finland on stage every year, and the darker Jalometalli festival is there for the lovers of heavier music.
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The Kierikki Stone Age Centre and its Stone Age village tell visitors about the prehistory of the Oulu region and what life was like thousands of years ago in Finland. The world’s oldest chewing gum found in an excavation is also on display.
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In the “Tervasoutu� tar rowing event, competitors row from the upper reaches of the Oulu River to the city. Participants travel the 90-kilometre-long trip in good humour with traditional church boats, following the same route that was used to transport tar to Oulu for sale back in the day.
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Turkansaari and its Open-Air Museum introduce visitors to old-fashioned rural culture and provides a scenic place to rest for a while for example during a summery bicycle trip. Visitors can enjoy the authentic rural market atmosphere at the Turkansaari Autumn Market, held every year.
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The Korttelihaipakka and Night of the Arts events make the residents of Oulu take to the streets when shops, cafĂŠs and restaurants in the city centre are open until late at night.
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Oulu is the capital of northern Scandinavia, a city that combines creative atmosphere with cutting-edge technology, entrepreneurs with skilled professionals, and the unique culture of a modern maritime city with a vibrant countryside. Oulu’s provision of education is excellent, and it has the youngest population in Europe, as well as the ability to turn know-how into international success stories, boldly and together. All this can be found in the healthy city that is just the right size and provides excellent conditions for a happy life.
ISBN 978-952-7187-03-6