Tampere – reassuringly different
Tampere is Finland’s most popular city. Ask us to account for this attraction, and we’d say “it’s hard to find a more inspiring place to fulfil your dreams than Tampere”. Good living comes from having everything in easy reach and working just as it should. The city has all the essentials as a great place to live, study and work. It has a unique lack of pretention, and offers a captivating way of life.
Tampere is also a vibrant destination for tourists and congress guests – about a million of the former visit every year, and thousands of the latter. Many touch down at Tampere-Pirkkala airport, which can be reached by direct flights from many European cities.
The business structure in Tampere is underpinned by a healthy diversity; eggs in many baskets. There’s always something new emerging across a number of fields, and networks extend across borders. The level of technological expertise in Tampere is impressive: typically at the forefront of progress. Many world-class breakthroughs have been achieved in this hotspot of innovation, and numerous products and services have been developed to improve the quality of ordinary people’s lives.
Let’s take look at the city itself, at Tampere’s glittering lakes, handsome ridges and green parks, all on a scale that suits walking. Past is present in the historic centre, with the cityscape dominated by red-brick former factories lining the Tammerkoski rapids. Original local phenomena include black sausage with lingonberry jam, curious museums, saunas and winter swimming in holes cut through the ice. Morning coffee is brightened by a light lake breeze on the Laukontori market place, and numerous events offer opportunities for exertion or leisure.
Tampere isn’t perfect, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned, even endearing in Tampere, and at the same time active and dynamic. It is a people’s city. An experience that expands horizons as a place to live and visit.
Tampere in a nutshell
- established in 1779, by Gustavus III of Sweden
- third largest city in Finland and a regional centre
- approx. 220,000 inhabitants
- total area 689 km², of which water 164 km²
- municipal tax rate 19%
- located on an isthmus between lakes Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, in beautiful ridge and lake scenery
- the city is divided into western and eastern sides by the Tammerkoski rapids, which have a drop of 18 m
- impressive industrial history: the Finlayson cotton mill was Finland’s first large-scale industrial company
- the national landscape of Tammerkoski rapids and magnificent lighting in the city centre
- neighbouring municipalities: Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti, Ylöjärvi
- according to many surveys, Finland’s most attractive city for living and studying
- a city of innovation and technology, culture and theatre
- 170 km to the capital Helsinki, direct flights between Tampere and many European cities
- specialities: black sausage adds to the local flavour, urban bustle borders tranquil lakes and forests
Take a virtual trip to Tampere in VirtualTampere.com!
