Tampere offers many great places to enjoy the stunning city views. Head out to Pyynikki ridge to climb up to the observation tower and marvel at the views opening to Lake Pyhäjärvi and Lake Näsijärvi. You can also admire Tampere panorama from
the roof of a historic building: Roof Walk Finlayson Area allows you to see the sights from a new perspective. Also, check out Näsinneula observation tower, Moro Sky Bar at Solo Sokos Torni Hotel and Laawu Rooftop Terrace & Sauna on top of Lapland Hotels Arena hotel.
In Tampere, the lakeside starts from the city centre, and so do the forests. Breathe some fresh forest air in Pyynikki nature reserve While you’re there, don’t forget to try the world’s best doughnuts in the observation tower’s café! Some accessible nature reserves are located also in Kintulammi and Hervanta – you can even take the tram to Hervanta! All kinds of nature and lake activities like sup boarding, canoeing and biking are also provided, see visittampere.com for rental info.
Tampere is famous for its sauna culture and the city region has over 50 public saunas to choose from. Here are some of our favorites.
RAJAPORTTI
The oldest public sauna in Finland. Here you will experience the traditional sauna atmosphere. Let the locals show you how it’s done!
KUUMA SAUNA & RESTAURANT
Kuuma is one of the newest additions to Tampere sauna scene right in the city centre. Enjoy the heat, dip into the Ratina bay and have some food or drinks on the terrace.
Museum Centre Vapriikki has many ongoing exhibitions at the same time and the only Moomin Museum in the world invites you and your family for a magical journey into the fairytale world. The theme park Särkänniemi offers a great variety of amusement rides for both adrenaline seekers as well the ones enjoying more of a peaceful ride. Another great place for the whole family is Tallipiha Stable Yards. If you’re lucky, you might experience a horse carriage ride there!
Are you Hungry for Tampere? Savor the tastes and atmosphere of this unique city and find your favorite dishes from its vast range of restaurants. Local, organic, vegan, burgers, wings, oriental… Tampere has it all. Not to mention the breweries!
Tampere is also known for the vivid market culture, where you’ll find all the local delicacies. Don’t forget the Summer Terrace in Central Square (10.5.–13.8.2023), which is a must see with its 8 restaurants!
MAY
12.–28.5. 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey
World Championship
17.–21.5. International Grand Markets
25.–27.5. Great Beers – Small Breweries
JUNE
7.–11.6. Tampere Guitar Festival
10.6. Summer Vibes
11.6.–31.8. Mänttä Art Festival
12.–18.6. Fest Afrika
26.6.–9.7. European Masters Games
JULY
6.–8.7. Sauna Open Air -festival
8.–9.7. The Pirkkala Viking Fair
20.–22.7. Tammerfest
AUGUST
4.–5.8. SaariHelvetti -festival
7.–13.8. Tampere Theatre Festival
18.–19.8. Blockfest -festival
25.–26.8. Festivaali -festival
29.8.–2.9. Pintxofiesta Tamperrada
→ See more on: visittampere.fi
KAUPINOJA AND RAUHANIEMI
These lakeside saunas are loved by both locals and visitors. Swimming and sauna all year round!
→ See more about saunas on saunacapital.com
ROOFWALK IS a UNIQUE EXPERIENCE THAT SHOWCASES TAMPERE FROM a NEW PERSPECTIVE. TWO DIFFERENT ROUTES ON the TOP OF THE CITY INCLUDE STUNNING SIGHTS AND HISTORICAL STORIES.
FINLAYSON AREA, SATAKUNNANKATU 18A, 5th Floor
ROOFWALK.FI
Issue 1/2023
Summer www.tamperetimes.fi
ISSN 2343-3817 (print)
ISSN 2669-8293
Editor in chief Roope Lipasti
Publisher Teemu Jaakonkoski
Sales manager Raimo Kurki raimo.kurki@aikalehdet.fi Tel. +358 45 656 7216
Sales
S ™
© Moo M in c haracter
Cover photos Night view of Tampere city centre.
Photo: Laura Vanzo / Visit Tampere Pispala in the summer.
Photo: Laura Vanzo / Visit Tampere
Tampere Sauna Day.
Photo: Laura Vanzo / Visit Tampere Hatanpää Arboretum.
Photo: Laura Vanzo / Visit Tampere Leena Parkkinen.
By reputation, Tampere is a rugged beauty between two lakes. Here the heritage of an old industrial city intertwines with the new, energetic trends of a modern university city, and the nobility of a cultural city with the charms of a city with a young population.
For tourists Tampere offers plenty to see and experience: our latest addition is a new, state-of-the art Nokia Arena for sports, music and events right in the city centre, easily accessible by train from all over Finland.
So where would I take a visitor in Tampere? We would start by walking along the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids, admiring the flowing water and the red-brick buildings on its edge. The city was founded in 1779 on the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids as a city that granted free trade rights to craftsmen, merchants, and entrepreneurs. In the 19th century, the small village grew into the largest industrial city in the Nordic countries, a city of cotton and linen weavers, shoemakers, and machine builders.
Only one of the factories remain in its original use, namely the TAKO paper mill on the banks below the rapids. Other factory buildings boast activities typical of the 21st century Tampere: culture, cafés, movie theatres, museums, galleries, and companies in the media and creative sectors.
From the “old city” of Tammerkoski, I would take my visitor to the bustle of Hämeenkatu Street and its surroundings to enjoy a selection of department stores and boutiques. We would also visit the university campus and Tampere Hall, home to Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra the world’s first Moomin museum.
Today, Tampere is a busy city of trade, culture, and education that has a population of 250,000. According to a recent study Tampere is the most attractive city to move to, so we expect the figure to grow! While the universities and other educational institutions bring students and young people to our city, also the diverse business sector attracts employees to the region. While we have a large number of companies operating in the ICT, health and wellbeing, and creative sectors, some manufacturing industry operators remain, for example mechanical engineering companies.
A good tour includes a peaceful break, so next I would probably take my visitors to the Tampere Cathedral to enjoy the atmosphere and admire the frescoes of Hugo Simberg. The tour would continue
to the Saturday market in Tammela for coffee or black sausages, a local delicacy.
From the market we would hop on our new tram, and travel towards the slopes of Pyynikki and Pispala to enjoy a walk and see what the world’s highest gravel esker looks like, and to admire the beauty of Lakes Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. The alleys of Pispala also show a different side of Tampere, with its old cottages and the unique and lively community of the locals.
After strolling around the city, I would take my visitor to one of our excellent theatres or to enjoy some art at Sara Hildén Art Museum. If the weather allows, we could also stop by the Särkänniemi Amusement Park. In the event that my visitor is a sports fan, we would go to a football match or to an ice hockey match in the new Nokia Arena.
In any case, our tour would end with an excellent meal in one of the city centre’s many fine restaurants. And after that, we could continue to a club to enjoy good music and the beautiful sunset over the rapids and the lakes of Tampere.
Anna-Kaisa Ikonen Mayor of taMPere
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The Viikinsaari island in Tampere is a wonderful place to spend a summer day with your family, friends or a loved one. The boat trip from Laukontori harbour to Viikinsaari island takes only 20 minutes and offers a lovely break from the hassle of the city. Viikinsaari offers something for everyone: summer theatre, nature park, sauna and outdoor games for hire.
Island’s over 120 years old restaurant Viikinsaari, the oldest summer restaurant in Tampere, is located in a beautiful old wooden villa. Restaurant Viikinsaari offers lake and archipelago inspired, straightforward Finnish food with a modern twist valuing local producers and the island's very own herb garden.
Take a look at the schedule and book your tickets online www.viikinsaari.fi www.ravintolaviikinsaari.fi
S/s Tarjanne built in 1908 is the only passenger steamship in the world that still operates regularly on a long distance route. Tarjanne sails from Tampere Mustalahti harbour to Virrat via Ruovesi.
Onboard Tarjanne passengers will experience the authentic steam whistle blow and enjoy delicious modern Finnish food made with fresh, local ingredients at the restaurant designed by a famous Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela.
For more information and tickets www.tarjannelaiva.fi
Artist Kaj Stenvall ridicules and criticizes power by painting Putin every day, putting his subject in a wide variety of settings.
Written by roope Lipasti transLated by Christina saarinen
The studio floor is littered with dozens of paintings, either drying or just otherwise complete. Most of them depict Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin, but Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, former president of the United States Donald Trump, and even a few Finnish politicians make their appearances. But by and large, the paintings are of Putin. He sits in The Hague looking miserable, stares in a mirror and Hitler looks back, is hiding in a toilet bowl. And so on.
Although you might imagine otherwise, Stenvall didn’t start painting Putin after last year’s invasion of Ukraine. He actually started much earlier, the last time Putin attacked Ukraine in 2014, when the world hadn’t yet taken much notice.
“Actually, it started with the Olympics in Sochi. I watched it on TV and saw how Putin was strutting around among the athletes there. Even before that, he had appeared shirtless in public and built up his macho image, but that was when I really started paying attention to it. It was just too much. A little while later, Crimea was annexed, which was the last straw and got me to start making these. It was a concrete sign of Putin’s agenda, which was not staying inside his own country,” Stenvall explains.
The explicitly political paintings were also a counterweight to what Stenvall had been doing for the last 30 years or so. He is famous for his duck paintings, which feature humanoid ducks in all kinds of situations. Often, they are pastiches of famous paintings, with the main character replaced by a duck. Stenvall’s duck paintings have been extremely popular, which has given Stenvall the financial leeway to paint Putins – because there can’t be too many people who want one on their living room wall, can there?
“It’s hard to say. There have been a lot of inquiries, but I don’t know if it’s a question of putting them on display or an investment. In any case, I haven’t sold them. Well, I did sell two: one to a member of parliament in Berlin and the other to a member of parliament in Prague. But the idea is to keep the collection together and expand it, so that at some point I can have a bigger exhibition.”
Actually, there is also one painting in Ukraine: a year ago at midsummer, a young Ukrainian celebrity died on the front and became something of a national hero, so Stenvall made a painting of him. The painting was supposed to be sold at auction, with the money donated to Ukraine, but in the end, the painting went to Ukraine along with the Finnish foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto
“It was a show of sympathy for the Ukrainian people. I have also done paintings of Zelensky. It’s kind of nice to paint heroes, too, and not always just villains. On the whole, this is a mission, something important. And because I am able to do it, I feel that it’s also a kind of duty. At the same time, it’s a way to unload my own anxieties about the war, through critique and ridicule.”
In fact, painting Putin – or other powerful people – is ironically not so terribly far from Stenvall’s duck-themed paintings. Through the ducks, Stenvall was able to explore different aspects of humanity, and a similar thing is going on with the Putins and the others, though the war soon brought its tragic addition to the mix.
Politics itself is not a new thing for Stenvall and his generation: Originally from Tampere, Stenvall was born in 1951 and started studying art in Turku in 1971. It was still the time of the underground movement, and all kinds of politicization – including of art – continued throughout the ’70s.
“The underground was one of the reasons I came to Turku. It combined different kinds of elements, including from real life, and there was always a message or a point, and that’s actually what I’ve come back to now. I’m interested in how people experience their position, the fact that they have power. I’m trying to get to the person there, deep inside. For example, the painting of Lavrov is based on a news photo in which he was criticizing the West with a Western watch and cellphone in his hand. I put him in a hoodie, so he would look like a rapper. In the painting, his face reflects sheer helplessness, the fact that he is completely lost.”
According to Stenvall, the response to his Putin paintings has been largely bewildered.
“When I put the first images on Twitter in 2014, I got a few comments, but people from Finland in particular were confused and somehow afraid of the issue. Finlandization was quite strong even then. One art critic’s column ran under the headline ‘Does it make sense or not?’ quoting a song by the ’70s Finnish rock group Sleepy Sleepers. The message was that maybe I shouldn’t make paintings like these because it’s dangerous to mock the leader of a neighboring country.”
Dangerous or not, it’s clear that Stenvall is making internet art, or, more broadly, media art: Stenvall pulls material from the media, refines it, and puts it back into the media. The image that goes out is always different from when it came to him:
“The pieces themselves are quite small, so I can do them quickly. Online, it makes no difference what size the original is. The idea is to be able to comment on things practically in real time.”
Stenvall’s pace and work ethic are formidable. In the morning, he takes his kid to school – the trip serves as a kind of commute –before returning to his home studio to start painting. At that point, it’s nine o’clock. By the afternoon, the painting will be ready to be photographed and put online.
“Spontaneity is the thing, getting it done all at once. It’s three and a half hours of really intense pressure, and afterwards my head is spinning. Developing the subject matter is a big and time-consuming part because I want each painting to be different and to have a specific point. I’ve done maybe 130 or 140 of these, so quite a lot of angles have already been used.” s
See more paintings at: kajstenvall.fi"I’M INTERESTED IN HOW PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THEIR POSITION, THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE POWER."Here is still room, 2022, oil on board.
Flowpark is an ecological adventure park where you can test your guts on a number of different trails. Flowpark is suited to all active, sporting and slighty adventurous people of all ages. Challenge yourself, welcome to Flowpark Varala!
Varalankatu 36 Tampere | www.flowpark.fi
The pool is located near the city centre and easy to reach by tram, bus or car. Facilities include changing rooms and showers. There is a café where you can enjoy hot and cold beverages, ice cream and snacks. The area has sun loungers for relaxation and an extensive lawn area for children's play, games and sunbathing.
If you spend more than a few days in Finland, odds are you’ll come across a sauna. You’ll find one in almost every house, summer cottage, hotel, and apartment building, and of course at swimming pools and other well-equipped swimming spots.
Written by roope Lipasti transLated by Christina saarinenThe sauna is one of the world’s finest inventions, but the concept can be strange at first if you aren’t used to it, and there are many unspoken conventions that apply. Here’s a short guide to sauna etiquette.
Nudity. Yes, people are naked in Finnish saunas, though usually women and men go to sauna separately. There are exceptions, however, and depending on the situation, swimsuits may also be worn – for example, in mixed-gender saunas at ice-hole swimming spots. As a general rule, however, you go to sauna naked, though it’s not as if it’s written into the Finnish constitution. So you won’t wind up in jail if you decide to wear a bathing suit or wrap yourself in a towel. However you go, the most important thing is to enjoy it.
Most swimming halls explicitly forbid swimsuits in the saunas, but if you use a pefletti, it’s hard to see what harm a swimsuit would do. A pefletti is a disposable, single-use bench cover. They are generally available at public saunas for you to use.
WhiSking. In the summertime, in particular, it’s traditional to make sauna whisks out of birch branches. The branches are tied into a beautiful bundle. The whisk is kind of like a sponge, or perhaps a medieval torture device, depending on your point of view. The idea is that you use it to beat yourself on different parts of your body – or, perhaps, your benchmate’s back (it’s a good idea to ask permission first). The whisk is softened by soaking it in water, so it not only gets your skin clean, but it makes the sauna smell nice too.
Throwing water. In a Finnish sauna, water is thrown on the hot stones of the sauna stove, or heater in case it’s an electric one. The resulting steam momentarily makes the sauna very hot. The hotter, the better. However, if you aren’t alone in the sauna, it’s good to ask the others how much steam they are comfortable with. If the heat is too much for you, you can move to a lower bench. Finnish men are unlikely to do so, however, because it would be a sign of weakness. That kind of attitude is unfortunate and old-fashioned and has even led to deaths.
If the bucket of water is empty and you are about to leave the sauna, it’s polite to fill the bucket and return it to its place.
Cooling off. After taking a sauna – or between turns in the sauna – it’s good to cool oneself off from time to time. So step outside for a moment to cool off. During the winter, you can jump into a snowbank and make snow angels or take a dip in an ice hole – a large opening made in a frozen lake or sea, sometimes large enough to swim in. It’s nicer in the summer, though, when there’s no option to do either of those stupid things, and you can settle for something like a cold drink.
Socializing. In Finland, going to sauna is often compared to going to church, meaning that taking a sauna is practically a sacred event, during which people are happy to sit quietly. Or at least to show restraint while chatting. On the other hand, Finns may take a sauna as an opportunity to talk, and even to discuss big, important topics. In the sauna, when everyone is naked, even titles and status are left in the dressing room.
Sauna night. It’s a very Finnish tradition: going to sauna somewhere with a group of friends. It often includes having dinner and some drinks. In other words, for Finns, taking a sauna is both intimate and social. While Finns don’t generally talk more than necessary, if you’re naked in the sauna, talking is okay, even with strangers. s
The sauna is not a Finnish invention, but it tells you something about Finns’ sauna madness that there are an estimated 3 million saunas here, in a country of only 5.5 million people. Though perhaps it’s not surprising: up in the northern latitudes, it’s quite a luxury to have a warm place where you can bathe.
The earliest known Finnish saunas are earth pit saunas from the Bronze Age, about 3,000 years ago. However, these saunas probably existed already 10,000 years ago. The idea was simple: stones were heated in a pit, and when they were hot enough, a kind of tent was spread over the pit and a sauna could be taken. Starting in the 6th century, dedicated buildings were constructed for saunas, usually from logs.
Nowadays, there are many types of saunas. The rarest, but perhaps the most valued and atmospheric, is the smoke sauna. A smoke sauna has no chimney at all. Instead, after the big pile of stones has been heated, the smoke is aired out of the sauna. Heating up a smoke sauna takes time and is somewhat dangerous – smoke saunas have burned down often enough. However, the steam in a smoke sauna is uniquely soft, not to mention that smoke saunas are usually beautiful. A small downside is that you usually come out of a smoke sauna a bit dirtier than when you went in, due to all the soot on the walls.
Traditional wood-burning sauna stoves are common, especially in older detached single-family houses: the steam in these saunas is also good and soft, and they can be heated as hot as you like.
Nowadays electric saunas are the most common and easiest to use. They don’t require a chimney and can fit into small spaces, making them suitable for apartment buildings, for example. They’re also effortless, as all you have to do is switch them on. On the other hand, they use a lot of electricity and the steam generally feels quite dry. And they’re not at all as atmospheric as a wood-burning sauna.
Public saunas can be found in all the big cities, so go ahead and give it a try!
There are over 55 public saunas in Tampere region. Finnish sauna culture is also a part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. visittampere.fi/en/see-do/sauna-capital
IN FINLAND, GOING TO SAUNA IS OFTEN COMPARED TO GOING TO CHURCH, MEANING THAT TAKING A SAUNA IS PRACTICALLY A SACRED EVENT,Rajaportti sauna.
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Irish bar & sports
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Sitting on anthills, throwing boots, competitive sauna bathing, carrying your wife through an obstacle course - would you call these things sports? According to Finns, they are.
The best place to start telling the story of Finland’s strange summer sports is the same as for any other story about Finnishness: the sauna. In 2010, the World Sauna Championships were organized for the twelfth and final time. After six minutes, the competition was stopped and the organizers removed the disoriented finalists, Russia’s Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy and
Finland’s Timo Kaukonen, from the sauna. Both were suffering severe burns, and Ladyzhenskiy died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him. Kaukonen suffered burns over 70 percent of his body and was in a coma for two months but survived. Today, Kaukonen is back to sauna bathing.
Jari “Lyde” Lyytikäinen’s attempt to set a world record for standing in a swamp nearly ended as tragically. Lyytikäinen, who calls himself a life artist,
was caught off guard by the powerful suction of a bog hole, and only the quick reaction of his assistants saved him. “When I realized what sort of bog hole it was, I thought I was done for,” Lyytikäinen said later in a TV interview on MTV3.
Lyytikäinen has had more success with sitting on an anthill and in a freezer – both sports of their own. The world record for the former stands at a respectable five hours. “These are one-time deals. Once you’ve done it, you don’t really want to do it again. You’re competing with yourself there. The result is the reward,” Lyytikäinen said.
Both Lyytikäinen and Kaukonen represent traditional Finnish unyielding heroism. They’re like the beloved character Lieutenant Koskela from the classic Finnish war novel The Unknown Soldier, who is said to “eat iron and shit chains.”
An even closer point of comparison could be the world-famous Finnish stunt group the Dudesons. This is how the audience was warned about the group’s activities in the opening credits of the TV series Dudesons in America: “Most of the stunts in the series are dangerous and stupid. The Dudesons are professionals and jerks. Don't try to imitate anything you see on the show.”
Many other FinniSh summer sports don’t dive as deep into the dark heart of toxic masculinity – they’re simply weird. The most famous around the world is probably wife-carrying. World championships in the sport have been held annually in Sonkajärvi since 1992, though they were cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic. The idea of the sport is to carry a woman who weighs at least 49 kilograms through a 253.5-meter obstacle course as quickly as possible.
At best, representatives from 15 different countries have participated in the championship, and wife-carrying differs from sports like boot-throwing or sitting on an anthill in that it’s not a given that the winner will be a Finn. The two most recent victories have gone to Lithuania, and the world record in the sport is held by Estonians. It speaks to the wide interest in the sport that in 2005, basketball superstar Dennis Rodman attended the championships to try it out. He didn’t participate in the actual competition, however, citing health problems.
Although many Finnish summer sports seem as if they were invented while solidly drunk, to freely quote Shakespeare, “there’s always a method in Finnish madness.” Considering the weirdness of the competitions, their rules are surprisingly precise. For example,
Why do PeoPle participate in these strange sports? The most cynical explanation is that since Finns are no longer successful in their old favorite sport, athletics, they’ve been forced to come up with new sports that other countries don’t want to or can’t be bothered to participate in. Perhaps it can be taken as evidence of this that boot-throwing uses the same runway as the javelin, whose globalization has drastically reduced Finland’s chances of success (in the past, the only people who seriously trained in javelin were the Finns and one Norwegian).
Another possible explanation is that it’s simply so boring in the Finnish countryside that people have to come up with something to do. This theory is supported by the fact that the sports described here are specifically rural amusements: tourists in Finland’s largest cities don’t need to dodge flying boots or fear bumping into someone sitting pantless on an anthill in the park.
The reasons are of course also related to economics and image. The competitions are held in small towns, and without the Wife Carrying World Championships, Sonkajärvi (population 3,768) couldn’t dream of holding a summer event that would attract over 3,000 spectators or be featured as a humorous kicker story on TV news and sports programs abroad. The visibility record for Finnish summer sports was probably achieved in 2004, when the Japanese television company Nippon Network made a documentary about the World Sauna Championships, which was seen by a whopping 40 million viewers in Japan alone.
A third explanation is based on Finns’ unique national character, the core of which is the world-famous Finnish sisu (sitting on an anthill is certainly not very hygge). Here’s how journalist Heini Kilpamäki describes it in her book Suomalaisen tyhmyyden ylistys (In praise of Finnish stupidity): “Even today, Finns are portrayed as wild and raw – and what could be better for the image and brand factories? Being wild seems rugged in an otherwise bland world. A slight feeling of danger has always been intriguing.”
Kilpamäki describes stupidity as an unconventional energy that results in new ideas and breaks free from familiar patterns: “Stupidity steps off the trail to find new paths. As the ancient philosopher Heraclitus said, madness is the source of wisdom.” s
Although many Finnish summer sports seem as if they were invented
The connection to ocean from the Tampere region was cut when the ice age was finally over. As the ice melted, the land rose up and the lakes were born – also Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, and little later the Tampere Rapids. A must see attraction from the ice age is Pyynikki, a 90 hectare ridge area, which is almost in the centre of the city. From here there are marvellous views to lake Pyhäjärvi. It is also a beautiful place for other outdoor activities.
600
Tampere was an ideal place to build a village, because there were good waterways to both north and south. The first signs of permanent living in the area are from the 7th century.
1200
By the 13th century Tampere region had grown, and it was an important market place. It was inhabited by the Pirkka tribe and even today the Tampere province is called Pirkanmaa, “The land of the Pirkka”.
1638
Tampere was not yet an actual city, but in 1638 Finland’s governor Per Brahe ordered two yearly fairs to be held at the the Tampere Rapids. That’s why Turku – the then capital of Finland – and Tampere have got a special connections of fates, for when the whole city of Turku burned in 1827, the damage was so severe partly because all the men from Turku happened to be at the Tampere fair.
1779
The King Gustav III of Sweden finally granted Tampere the full township status. And no wonder, because Tampere was huge: 3.2 square kilometres with population of no less than 200!
1824
The beautiful old church of Tampere was built. The architect was Charles Bassi
1820
A Scotsman called James Finlayson set up a cotton factory near the Tampere Rapids. It was the first but not last major factory in the remarkable industrial history of Tampere. Finlayson still is a brand every Finn knows. Also from that time on, the use of waterpower from Tampere Rapids became important.
1840
From the 1840’s Tampere became the most industrialised city in Finland. Soon there were factories that made iron, paper, machinery, clothes, shoes and many other things. Even to this day Tampere is sometimes called “Manse”, which comes from the saying that Tampere is the Manchester of Finland.
1901
Tampere is also a vibrant theatre city. The first one, Tampereen Työväen Teatteri – The Tampere Workers Theatre – was established 1901. In 2020 there are over 10 professional theatres in the area.
1918
In 1918 Finland was torn by a civil war with two sides: the “reds” and the “whites”. As a working class city, Tampere sided with the reds (who lost). Tampere saw severe battles, thousands died in war efforts and even more in prison camps.
Finland was in war against Russia, and Tampere was an important centre of war industry. For example Tampella made mortars and cannons. Tampere was also bombed, but luckily there was little damage.
Näsinneula, the high tower that Tampere is famous for, was built. Few years later The Särkänniemi Amusement Park opened its doors.
During the 90’s the heavy industry of Tampere was in trouble. One reason was the collapse of Soviet Union, but all and all the world was changing. The chimneys were no longer active, and the factories shut down. Nowadays they are renovated for apartments, museums and such. Industry in today’s Tampere in mostly high tech.
Tampere is the third biggest city in Finland, with over 240,000 inhabitants in the city region. It has four universities and a very vivid cultural life. Tampere is also a city of vision and courage: the brand new tramway is a good example of that! s
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Kauppakatu 4, 33210 Tampere
Tel. +358 20 198 3420 www.forenom.fi
05 holiday inn taMPere central Station
Rautatienkatu 21, 33100 Tampere
Tel. +358 3 2392 2000 www.ihg.com
06 hotel hoMeland
Kullervonkatu 19, 33500 Tampere
Tel. +358 3 3126 0200 www.homeland.fi
07 hotel kauPPi
Kalevan puistotie 2, 33500 Tampere Tel. +358 3 253 5353 www.hotelli-kauppi.fi
08 laPland hotel taMPere
Yliopistonkatu 44, 33100 Tampere Tel. + 358 3 383 0000 www.laplandhotels.com
09 original SokoS hotel ilVeS
Hatanpään valtatie 1, 33100 Tampere Tel. +358 20 123 4631 www.sokoshotels.fi
10 radiSSon blu grand hotel taMMer
Satakunnankatu 13, 33100 Tampere
Tel. +358 20 123 4632 www.radissonblu.com
11 Scandic eden nokia
Paratiisikatu 2, 37120 Nokia
Tel. +358 3 4108 1627 www.scandichotels.fi
12 Scandic roSendahl
Pyynikintie 13, 33230 Tampere
Tel +358 3 244 1111
www.scandichotels.fi
13 Scandic taMPere city
Hämeenkatu 1, 33100 Tampere
Tel. + 358 3 244 6111
www.scandichotels.fi
14 Scandic taMPere häMeenPuiSto
Hämeenpuisto 47, 33200 Tampere
Tel. +358 3 4108 1628
www.scandichotels.fi
15 Scandic taMPere koSkiPuiSto
Koskikatu 5, 33100 Tampere
Tel. +358 3 4108 1626
www.scandichotels.fi
16 Scandic taMPere Station
Ratapihankatu 37, 33100 Tampere
Tel +358 3 339 8000
www.scandichotels.fi
17 SPa hotel holiday club taMPereen kylPylä
Lapinniemenranta 12, 33180 Tampere
Tel. +358 30 687 0000
www.holidayclub.fi
Lovely shop with Tampere and Suomi souvenirs, Finnish design, handicrafts and clothes
Nysse, public transport in Tampere region, is a great way to get around the region. You can travell by bus, tram and train.
Nysse trips can easily be paid, for example, using Nysse Mobiili app. On buses and trams you can also pay for your own trip with contactless payment. Go on nysse.fi/en and find the best way to travell with Nysse.
Haihara Manor area is filled with art exhibitions, open air theatre and concerts.
tampere.fi/haihara
Culture House Laikku offers art and events all year round in the heart of the city.
tampere.fi/laikku
The developing district invites you to join urban culture at Hiedanranta historical surroundings.
hiedanranta.fi
The world’s only Moomin Museum Tampere, Finland
The Original Artwork of Tove Jansson
Awaken your inner palaeontologist! Come and track the footsteps of dinosaurs to learn more about the fascinating lives of the largest ever reptiles to walk the Earth!
The family-friendly exhibition contains life-size dinosaurs that move and roar, interactive play areas for children and the latest VR technology.
Buy tickets: tamperehall.com
The
How does a sauna relate to a museum? Why does a museum build a sauna? Serlachius Museums’ Art Sauna integrates Finnish sauna culture into an experience of art, nature and architecture. The Art Sauna can be enjoyed at public sauna sessions, held on Tuesdays throughout the year, or by reserving the entire sauna for private use.
The Art Sauna has been designed by the internationally renowned award-winning architects Héctor Mendoza, Mara Partida and Boris Bežan , the same trio who also designed the Serlachius Museums’ timber-frame extension, the Pavilion, which opened in 2014. Pekka Pakkanen is the Finnish architect partner in the project.
The starting point for the design of the Art Sauna was the desire to bring something new and unique to Serlachius’ non-traditional art setting. Among the hundreds of thousands of saunas in Finland, there is reportedly no other Art Sauna – at least not one attached to a museum.
“We decided to create an experiential sauna path, along which we hope visitors will gain memorable perceptions through all the senses. The sauna path ends in a round steam room, accessed via an outdoor space. It is reminiscent of a traditional Finnish sauna path, reached by running across a snowy yard,” says Päivi Viherkoski, Development Director of the Serlachius Museums.
The starting point for the architecture of the unique Art Sauna is a horizontal line defined for the whole Museum complex, with stone below and wood above. The sauna is concealed behind the museum on a slope descending to the shore of the lake, and it blends into the landscape, rising unassumingly above the terrain. A green roof further merges the building into its setting.
The interior spaces of the sauna are characterised by a dialogue of art, landscape and architecture. Stone and wood surfaces alternate rhythmically, and the curved lines of the lobby’s ceiling soften the straight lines of the stone finish. The entrance to the sauna and the layout of the rooms lead the sauna visitor on a journey into the embrace of light, nature and art.
“Actually, the Gösta extension, the building itself, is part of an emotional journey that starts and continues with different elements of the context. The new Art Sauna is presented as part of that journey, and it will become ‘more than a sauna room’, integrating nature and art on a more intimate and proximate scale,” conclude the Art Sauna’s architects.
At the end of 2022, the Art Sauna won the Travel Industry Innovation of the Year award at the Finnish Travel Gala. In its rationale for making the award, the jury described the Art Sauna as bringing new colour to the world of cultural tourism. The Art Sauna was also nominated for the 2022 Finlandia Award for Architecture. At the beginning of 2023, the sauna also won the Finnish Concrete Structure of the Year award.
In addition to the sauna and its changing and shower facilities, the Art Sauna includes a large living room, which is well suited for organising various events. Every day a different view of the lake opens out from the large viewing window. An extensive cooling off yard has a bubble tub that is in use all year round. The sauna visit is
"THE SAUNA PATH ENDS IN A ROUND STEAM ROOM, ACCESSED VIA AN OUTDOOR SPACE."
crowned by the chance to take a dip from the end of a long jetty, to swim in the lake and, in winter, an ice hole.
In addition to Finnish contemporary art, the sauna also features utility items. Satu Rautiainen’s large-scale commissioned work Birdbath (2022) decorates the wall of the lobby. The theme of the work is also repeated in sauna textiles designed by Rautiainen. Tuula Lehtinen’s mosaic work Embrace (2022) decorates a semi-circular outdoor shower, which is in use all year round. Other artists include Jussi Goman, Anne Koskinen, Laura Könönen, Anni Rapinoja and Noora Schroderus
The interior of the sauna features furniture from top international designers such as Òscar Tusquets , Patricia Urquiola , J asper Morrison and Faye Toogood Alvar Aalto, Eero Aarnio, Lisa Johansson-Pape and Antrei Hartikainen are among the Finnish designers represented in the sauna.
Sauna culture has enjoyed an upsurge in popularity both in Finland and internationally. Particularly in Japan, a real sauna boom is currently under way. The interest there was sparked by a Manga strip cartoon about a sauna and a drama series based on it. As a result, women and young people have also become interested in the sauna. In the past, saunas in Japan have mainly been considered to be a pastime for older men.
Ayana Palander, who is Japanese and has lived in Finland for ten years, knows both the Finnish and the Japanese sauna culture well. Ayana, who works as a media coordinator, has also brought Japanese sauna visitors to the Serlachius Art Sauna.
Articles about Finnish saunas written by two well-known, high-circulation magazines have fuelled the interest of the Japanese even more. A popular comedian's video of his honeymoon, during which he visited the Serlachius Art Sauna, has become a real hit. This interest has been clearly evident in the increase in the number of Japanese people attending the Art Sauna’s public sauna sessions.
“The Japanese are now taking sauna-oriented trips to Finland. Men are
Located in art town Mänttä-Vilppula, the Serlachius Museums offer, in addition to art, experiences amidst nature, history, award-winning architecture and fabulous flavours.
Serlachius Museum Gösta shows international and Finnish contemporary art in several exhibitions. From the Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation’s own collection are displayed classics of the Golden Age of Finnish art, including works by Akseli Gallen-Kallela , Albert Edelfelt and Helene Schjerfbeck.
Serlachius Museum Gustaf, the head office of the former Serlachius paper industry company, tells of the origin of Mänttä’s paper industry through dramatised history and narratives.
Art Museum Gösta is home to Restaurant Gösta, which offers pure Nordic flavours under the direction of award-winning restaurateur Henry Tikkanen. At the restaurant, located next to a beautiful park landscape, museum visits can continue with culinary delights. In the summer, 1 June–31 August, the summer café Autere Cottage, located beside the museum, also offers light salad and soup lunches.
particularly interested in Finland and sauna tourism. On a one- or two-week visit, they may tour numerous different saunas around Finland,” says Ayana.
According to Ayana, the Serlachius Art Sauna meets all the requirements that the Japanese set for a Finnish sauna. The most important element is an excellent steam room and the chance to swim in a lake and, in winter, an ice hole. The experience is complemented by the Art Sauna’s clear architecture and the surrounding beautiful nature. Japanese people, says Atana, are ready to travel a long way for the sauna experience. They are also fairly well aware of the differences in countries’ sauna cultures. Ayana suggests that the Serlachius Art Sauna can be marketed to foreigners as an easy-going sauna experience. Then the visitors will know that sauna etiquette permits chatting and pouring water on to the sauna stones. s
SERLACHIUS MUSEUMS' ART SAUNA
Joenniementie 47, 35800 Mänttä
Public sauna
Tuesdays, 12 noon–6 p.m.
Tickets
10/7 € for a two-hour sauna session
Free for children under 4 years old. Book your sauna session in advance on our website: serlachius.fi/en/service/ art-sauna-public-sauna-day www.serlachius.fi
SEE ON MAP (PAGE 25).
THE EXPERIENCE IS COMPLEMENTED BY THE ART SAUNA’S CLEAR ARCHITECTURE AND THE SURROUNDING BEAUTIFUL NATURE.
The world’s first spy museum in the city center introduces you to the world of real life James Bonds where a single device can change the world more than governments. World of eavesdropping, hidden cameras and microphones, secret weapons, code breaking, hacking, lock picking...
Mariankatu 40, Tampere
Emil Aaltonen museum of industry and art. The permanent collection represents Aaltonen’s life and displays some of his art collection. The exhibited artists are masters of older Finnish painting. Temporary exhibitions.
Tove – yes, she is Tove to Finns, known by her first name because she’s familiar to everyone and easily approachable, like the Moomins – loved yellow roses. Though actually, she loved everything beautiful and pleasurable: dancing, parties, flowers, laughing. And that side of her personality also shines through the Moomins, who have slowly become loved all around the world. It remains a great injustice that Tove never received the Nobel Prize in literature.
But Tove’s lightheartedness and zest for life are not the whole picture. Underlying her joy in everyday life were weighty and important values that can also be found in her Moomin books, values like courage, love, and freedom.
Or friendship, nature, and tolerance, which are also supporting pillars of the Moominverse.
Though the Moomins are timeless, of course, similarities can nonetheless be found between the present and 77 years ago.
Tove wrote the book The Moomins and the Great Flood in 1939, but it was published only after the war, in 1945. As at the time of the book’s writing, we are now again in a situation where freedom is not self-evident. Years of coronavirus and now the war in Europe have made people remember what is ultimately most important: their friends and loved ones.
The Moomin books are also current in that different personalities and views of life are all given a voice, but everyone is united by the values of equality and diversity. Everyone is always welcome at the Moominhouse, and its door is never locked, even at night, as the theme song from the Finnish-language version of the animated series says.
The characters of Moominvalley are allowed to be exactly who they are, different and unique. Sniff is greedy but fearful. Moominpappa is the head of the family, but rather irresponsible. Moominmamma takes care of everyone, to the point of exhaustion. Snufkin is a good friend, but despite that, he always leaves. And so on. The inhabitants of Moominvalley have many sides, just like humans. They also evolve.
The characters’ multidimensionality is also their charm. They have annoying features, but also lovable ones. Children may see one side of the Moomin characters, but adults see something else, which is probably one reason for their popularity – everyone finds something in them. For Finns, there’s also an element of nostalgia: since most Finns have read the books as children, the Moomins unite them.
The Moomins are universal and deeply human. One distinctive feature of the Moomins is their positivity. There’s not a single bad character in all of Moominvalley. The Groke is undeniably scary, but at the heart of it, she’s just lonely, like many people who seem scary in real life probably are. As for Stinky... well, he tries to be a bandit, but nothing really comes of it.
The first drawing of a Moomin was created in the early 1930s on the wall of the outhouse at the Janssons’ summer cottage. Tove named it Snork. The character later grew into Moomintroll, changing a little along the way. He reached his chubbiest form in 1954. At that time, Finland was starting to recover from the war, and perhaps there were plenty of treats to be had in Moominvalley too!
Tove Jansson (1914–2001) was an artist, writer, caricaturist, and cartoonist who is best known as the creator of the Moomin characters. Thirteen beloved Moomin books were published, and they have been translated into more than 50 languages. Tove Jansson is Finland’s most translated author.
Everyone recognizes the tall blue Moominhouse, but few know it was inspired by a real-life building, the now-demolished Glosholm Lighthouse near Porvoo. Tove and her partner, Tuulikki Pietilä , had their summer place near Porvoo, on a barren cliff without any comforts – well, hardly any: the story goes that Tove would order gin from the local grocery store on her radiotelephone when she needed it – it could be arranged, even though grocery stores in Finland aren’t allowed to sell gin, at least not at the time.
The sea was an important element for Tove, both in real life and in the Moomin books: it’s a symbol of freedom and a place for swimming and sailing, but also something that no one can control.
The sea is also apparent in the work of artists Tove was inspired by. In illustration, she admired Swedish artists like John Bauer and Elsa Beskow, but she also absorbed influences from other artists as well, such as the famous seascape painters J. M. W. Turner, from England, and Hokusai, from Japan.
Tove considered herself first and foremost a painter, and she was an excellent artist. But she will always be remembered above all for the Moomins. They are so beloved that since 2020, the Finnish flag is flown in Tove’s honor on August 9, her birthday. s
Tove’s Moomin book one-liners are unparalleled:
“If you’re not afraid, how can you really be brave?”
—Moominpappa
“All nice things are good for you.”
—Moominmamma
“All things are so very uncertain, and that’s exactly what makes me feel reassured.”
—Too-Ticky
MOOMIN MUSEUM
Tampere Hall, Yliopistonkatu 55, 33100 Tampere, Finland
www.muumimuseo.fi/en
See on map (page 25)
Tove Jansson working at her studio.TIMES-LEHDET TAVOITTAVAT
2,5 MILJOONAA
HOTELLIYÖPYJÄÄ VUODESSA
Varmista näkyvyytesi:
Puh. 045 656 7216 | Puh. 040 507 1002
We create functional identities and unforgettable brands. So stop hiding and let’s level up your image!
www.knok.fi
Lifestyle store in Tampere center. We have many traditional quality brands for men and women. Come and visit our new shop at Laukontori harbour.
Myymme laadukkaita klassikkomerkkien vaatteita.
Tervetuloa tutustumaan uuteen myymäläämme Laukontorille.
Tampere-Helsinki-Turku
Laukontori 6 Tre 050-3734595
For further information, please visit: visitlempaala.fi and lempaala.ideapark.fi
For over 700 years, we have called this place home. Our long history has taught us to take a deep breath, slow down, and appreciate the beauty of our city, where we have the space to live close to nature and pursue our passions. And if you happen to work in the capital region, you can still enjoy the best of both worlds, with easy access to the hustle and bustle of the big city just a stone’s throw away.
Experience the best of both worlds in Lohja. Located just a stone’s throw from the capital, yet far away from the noise and stress, Lohja offers a unique blend of urban excitement and natural beauty. Here, you can have it all - indulge in the vibrant cultural scene while staying firmly grounded in the great outdoors. No need to choose between the city and the countryside - in Lohja, you can have the best of both. Open the window to thousand lakes! As an urban gateway to Finland, the land of a thousand lakes, we’re proud to boast 200 of them right next door to our cafes, restaurants, museums, theaters, and concert venues. But that’s not all - just a few steps down, you’ll find the Tytyri Mine Experience, a hundred meters deep and bursting with a thousand stories waiting to be uncovered. Come explore the endless possibilities of Lohja - where urban sophistication and natural wonder meet.
www.visitlohja.fi/en
There iS uSually another side to stereotypes and clichés, so they can be enlightening when you want to get to know Finland and Finnishness. So here we go: How to understand Finns!
The Finnish language is very difficult, so much so that Finns themselves even avoid using it, which is why Finns often prefer to speak through their actions.
Several very different tribes live in Finland. When traveling in Finland, it’s a good idea to take into account at least the following factors about the way these tribes behave:
The East is home to talkative and emotional people who are usually crying when they aren’t laughing. These are the Karelians. To the west of Karelians live the Savonians, who consider themselves folksy but not everyone appreciates the subtlety of their wit.
Going even further west, you find the Häme people, whom we won’t mention further because they don’t like to call too much attention to themselves. Conversely, on the West Coast people are even quieter than normal, which is good because what few words they say are usually rude.
Ostrobothnians place their trust in two higher powers, themselves and God, especially the former. Finns in the middle of the country do not have any special characteristics other than that everyone owns their own lake. The north is home to people who live 150 kilometers from the nearest convenience store and 140 from a mailbox, which has made them quite broad-minded.
There is also a large minority of Swedish-speaking Finns, who differ from others in that they are beautiful, rich, healthy and live on the coast.
Personal space is important for Finns. This may be due to the fact that the country’s size is 338,424 square kilometers, which means that each Finn (5.5 million people) could have 61 hectares to themselves.
Being in close quarters with others is a vexing experience for Finns. A good conversational distance is two meters. Any more distant and you have to raise your voice (bad) and any less and you might make physical contact (even worse).
Finns are the most reliable people in the world. This is evident in many areas, not least in large-scale industry. If you order a ship from the Finns, it arrives as agreed and on time. In Finland, schedules and sticking to them are valued perhaps more than anything else. The construction industry, rail transport and public procurement are, of course, exceptions to this.
You cannot offend a Finn worse than by arriving late to an appointment without a valid reason. These include death and dying.
In Finland, it is important not to be a bother. You see this especially in restaurant culture: Waiters often aren’t particularly friendly, if there even is one. Many times you have to pick up your drinks and even your food from the counter yourself. We don’t tip since it’s usually equated with giving alms.
Above all, in restaurants it is important to eat quietly and without complaining, no matter how bad the food. When the server asks if you like your meal, you’re supposed to nod and smile and say that you just ate at home, which is why you didn’t finish your plate.
Finns do not want to be indebted to anyone. It causes them anxiety if a friend offers them a glass of beer, which is why the warmest friendships arise between those who never give each other anything. s
Suomen ensimmäisessä kissakahvilassa sinua odottaa
lauma rapsutustasi odottavia kissoja, herkullista suuhun pantavaa sekä ihana, kehräävä tunnelma.
Tervetuloa meille herkutteluhetkelle tai viettämään kokonaisen yön kissojen seuraan!
Cat cafe Purnauskis is the Finland's first cat cafe. We have adorrable fluffy cats, delicious food and sweets and you can also spend a night withs our purring friends Wellcome to the Kingdom of Cats!
www.purnauskis.fi
www.nightwithcats.com
Aaltosenkatu 31-33
TAMPERE
Muista myös kissakahvilat Helsingissä ja Kuopiossa!
Come and enjoy magnificent views over the city and arguably the best doughnuts in Finland!
Cafeteria and observation tower are open daily from 9 am to 8 pm (summertime to 9 pm).
Pyynikki Observation Tower & Café
Näkötornintie 20, Tampere
munkkikahvila.net
When I had a child, my relationship with hotels changed. What used to be merely a necessity for business trips became instead a luxury. Clean white sheets without crayon stains, on a bed someone else has made, in a room someone else has cleaned and drinking coffee while it’s still hot was my idea of paradise. How wonderful to sleep uninterrupted, without a little person climbing into bed beside me at three in the morning. Not to mention the shower, where I could stay as long as I wanted without anyone banging on the door, shouting “Mom, mom, mom!”
Before I had a child, I had thought the word “mom” from the mouth of a small child might be the most beautiful word in the world. Nowadays, I think it might also be the most irritating.
For the first three years of my child’s life, I parented entirely on my own. In practice, it meant that I was never alone. After having a baby, I didn’t particularly miss parties, or Pilates classes, or being able to wear earrings or pants that didn’t have elastic waistbands. I missed being able to occasionally sit on the sofa and read an entire magazine, from start to finish. I had friends who had babies at the same time as me. When they wanted to stop nursing, they got a hotel room in town and left their children with their fathers to wean. I don’t think I have ever been more jealous of my friends in my life. My own first night alone in a hotel was still years in the future, which made it all the more wonderful. I will never forget the dear hotel in Pori where I slept eight blessed hours for the first time in years!
For me, the most important thing in hotels has always been the breakfast. I always say that my sister has such a good memory that,
even years later, she can remember every detail about the things that are important to her. For my sister, desserts are especially important. She can remember every single lemon meringue pie she has ever eaten, and where she ate it. I’m not as talented. I only remember good breakfasts. I remember how the hotel in Puerto Vallarta had its own breakfast tortilla chef, from whom you could order what you wanted. Mexicans are breakfast people in general. They say a Mexican eats like a king in the morning, a prince at lunch, and a beggar at dinner. I made a habit of eating mostly huevos rancheros, “ranch-style eggs,” for breakfast, which were cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and eaten with tortillas.
There was a breakfast chef in Beijing, too. There you could order your own breakfast noodles and smoothies. But the best breakfast of all was in Vaasa. My daughter was very small then, and when I traveled to literature festivals, I took both her and my mother with me. I have a photo of me nursing her between talks. What I remember best, however, was how I got to make myself a waffle, topped with homemade cloudberry jam. Perhaps the most beautiful thing you can say to a breastfeeding woman is: “Your waffle is ready.”
If you’re lucky, you might also have the chance to get to know some very interesting people in hotels. I once played cards with a Russian spy and a Japanese soldier in Kyrgyzstan. But perhaps the most exciting person I’ve met was Father Armando, the headmaster of a Catholic school where I had given a talk. After the literature festival, the locals took us to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. The restaurant was famous for its gigantic steaks, which was slightly problematic
because I was a vegetarian. Father Armando had just organized a fundraising event for his school, a boxing match with ticket revenue benefiting the school. To raise additional funds, Father Armando had participated in the boxing himself. His black eye hadn’t completely healed yet. But things had apparently gone better than the previous year, when Father Armando had organized a bullfight. The bull had punctured Father Armando’s lung. What wouldn’t a man or a priest do for his school!
The older I get, the more I understand writers who want to live permanently in a hotel. s
Leena Parkkinen is an author, who loves crisp sheets and breakfast. She is also an award-winning writer, whose books have been published in twelve countries and is loved by both readers and critics.
Perhaps the most beautiful thing you can say to a breastfeeding woman is:
“Your waffle is ready.”
