City of Oulu Oulun kaupunki |
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Location of Oulu in Finland | |||
Coordinates: | |||
Country | Finland | ||
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Province | Oulu Province | ||
Region | Northern Ostrobothnia | ||
Sub-region | Oulu sub-region | ||
Charter | 1605 | ||
Government | |||
- City manager | Matti Pennanen | ||
Area | |||
- Total | 449.2 km² (173.4 sq mi) | ||
- Land | 369.7 km² (142.7 sq mi) | ||
- Water | 75.5 km² (29.2 sq mi) | ||
Population (2007) | |||
- Total | 130,459 | ||
- Density | 351.4/km² (910.1/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
- Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Official languages | Finnish | ||
Website: www.ouka.fi |
Oulu (listen) (literally: "Flood") (Swedish: Uleåborg ([ˈʉːleɔˌbɔrj]) (literally: "Ule River Castle")) is a city and municipality of about 130,000 inhabitants in the province of Oulu and the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the largest and most important city in Northern Finland and the sixth largest city in the country. Its population growth rate is almost comparable with that of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Oulu has a namesake in the United States, Oulu, Wisconsin, which is a village with a population of about 540.
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Oulu was founded on July 20th 1605 by King Karl IX of Sweden opposite to the castle built on the island of Linnansaari. This took place after favourable peace settlements with the Russians, which removed the threat of attack via the main east-west waterway, the river Oulu. The surrounding areas were populated much earlier. Oulu is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of river Oulujoki, which is an ancient trading site. One source for the name Oulu is a word in the Sami language meaning 'flood water', but there are other suggestions. Oulu has been the capital of the Oulu Province since 1776.
In 1822, a major fire destroyed much of the city. The architect Carl Ludvig Engel, chiefly known for the neo-classical (empire style) buildings around Helsinki Senate Square, was enlisted to provide the plan for the rebuilding of the city. With minor changes, this plan remains the basis for the layout of Oulu's town center. The Oulu Cathedral was built in 1832 to his designs, with the spire being finished in 1844.
From being a town known for wood tar and salmon in the past, Oulu has evolved into a major centre of competence in the field of high technology, particularly IT and wellness technology. Other prominent industries include wood refining as well as paper and steel industry. The University of Oulu is located six kilometres north of the city center. The Oulu Airport, located in neighbouring municipality of Oulunsalo, is the second busiest in Finland.
The cultural life in Oulu is rich and varied. The best known cultural exports of the city of Oulu are Air Guitar World Championships, Mieskuoro Huutajat (also known as Screaming Men), and the now defunct metal band Sentenced.
There are many artists, writers and musicians resident in the city. A variety of concerts, both rock, classical music, and jazz, as well as other cultural events take place each year; for example, Oulu Music Video Festival - the host of the Air Guitar World Championships and Musixine Music Film Competition - in August, annual rock festival Qstock in July, the Oulu Music Festival in winter, the Oulunsalo Music Festival in summer, and the International Children's Film Festival in November. Many people who have made a significant contribution to the cultural and political life of Finland have been born or have lived in Oulu, for example, the composer Leevi Madetoja, and the writer Paavo Rintala. Three former Presidents of the country, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, Kyösti Kallio and Martti Ahtisaari also went to school there, attending the Oulu Lyceum.
Oulu is served by Oulu Airport, the second biggest airport in Finland by passenger volume. There are non-stop scheduled flights to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (around 18 daily flights with Finnair and Blue1) and Rovaniemi Airport (1 daily with Finnair) as well as charter flights to Southern Europe, Canary Isles and Phuket in Thailand.
In October of 2007, Air Baltic begun flying to Oulu Airport, offering a direct connection to its main hub Riga International Airport in Latvia, and connecting flights to airports in most European countries.
Oulu Airport is located in the neighbouring county of Oulunsalo, 15 km from the city centre. It can be reached by bus number 19 from the centre of the city and Technopolis.
Port of Oulu is one of the busiest harbours within the Bothnian Bay. Port of Oulu includes four separate harbour areas: Vihreäsaari oil and bulk docks, Nuottasaari docks, Oritkari docks and the Toppila docks.
The shortest travel time from Oulu Railway Station to Helsinki Central Railway Station is 5 h 44 mins, operated by VR. There are also night trains with beds taking 8-11 hours; the newest night train cars are double deckers and have showers and toilets in the cabins. Other destinations include, for instance, Kolari, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki and Tampere.
The Oulu ice hockey team Kärpät have won the Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga) Championship title five times (1981, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008). They have also been the runner-up in the European Champions Cup twice, in 2005 and 2006.
Terwa Marathon & Run event in late May (since 1989)
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