Tampere

City of Tampere

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city in Finland
Province	Western Finland
Region	Pirkanmaa
Sub-region	Tampere
City manager	Mayor Timo P. Nieminen
Official languages	Finnish
Area  - total  - land	ranked 129th 687.9 km² 522.7 km²
Population  - total (December 31, 2007)  - change  - density	ranked 3rd 208,004 +0.7 % 391/km²
Urbanisation	96.9 %
Unemployment rate	10.1 %
http://www.tampere.fi/

Tampere (pronunciation, IPA: [ˈtɑmpɛrɛ]; Swedish: Tammerfors [tamərˈfɔrs] or [tamərˈfɔʃ]) is a city in southern Finland located between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. Since the two lakes differ in level by 18 metres, the rapids linking them, Tammerkoski, has been an important power source throughout history, most recently for generating electricity. Tampere is dubbed the "Manchester of Finland" for its industrial past.^[1][2]

The Tampere region, or Pirkanmaa, which includes outlying municipalities, has around 470,000 residents, 230,000 employed, and 25 billion euro turnover as of 2007.^[1]

Tampere is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of 209,000, and Tampere's metropolitan area has a population of over 340,000.^[2] Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in Finland, after the Greater Helsinki municipalities of Helsinki and Espoo. Helsinki can be reached in 1.5 - 2 hours by train and 2 - 2.5 hours by car. The distance to Turku is approximately the same. Tampere airport is the second busiest international airport in Finland with 800,000 passengers annually.^[1]

History

Tammerkoski, Tampere, December 2, 2002

The old Finlayson works, Tampere

Tampere was founded as a market place on the banks of the Tammerkoski channel in 1775 by Gustav III of Sweden and four years later, 1779^[3], it was granted full township status. At this time Tampere was a rather small town, consisting of only a few square kilometers of land around the Tammerkoski.

Tampere grew as a major market town and industrial centre in the 19th century. During the latter half of 19th century Tampere had almost half of Finland's industrial labour. The town's industrial nature in the 19th and 20th centuries gave it the nickname "Manchester of the North", Manse for short.

Tampere was the centre of many important political events of Finland in the early 20th century. On 1 November 1905, during the general strike, the famous Red Declaration was proclaimed on the Keskustori, the central square of Tampere, subsequently leading to universal suffrage in Finland and the Tsar of Russia granting larger freedoms to Finns. In 1918, when Finland had recently gained independence, Tampere also played a major role, being one of the strategically important scenes during the Civil War in Finland (January 28 - May 15 1918). Tampere was a red stronghold during the war, with Hugo Salmela in command. White forces captured Tampere, seizing about 10,000 Red prisoners on April 6.

The Renaissance Revival Kaupungintalo (City Hall), 1890; from its balcony was read the "red manifesto" in 1905

Prevalent in Tampere's post-World War II municipal politics was the so called Brothers-in-Arms Axis (aseveliakseli), the alliance of conservatives and social democrats against the communists and Agrarian party. During this era some of the most renowned city managers of Tampere were Erkki Napoleon Lindfors (who was responsible for many ambitious construction projects such as the Näsinneula tower and the construction of the suburb of Hervanta, Tampere's "daughter town"), Pekka Paavola (who gained some notoriety in corruption scandals) and Jarmo Rantanen. From 2007 on, Tampere switched to a new model of having a mayor and four deputy mayors, chosen for a periods of two years. Timo P. Nieminen was elected as the first mayor of Tampere for the years 2007-2009.

After World War II Tampere was enlarged by joining some neighbouring areas. Messukylä was incorporated in 1947, Lielahti in 1950, Aitolahti in 1966 and finally Teisko in 1972. Tampere was known for its textile and metal industries, but these have been largely replaced by information technology and telecommunications during the 1990s. The technology centre Hermia in Hervanta is home to many companies in these fields.

Geography

Tampere from the Näsinneula tower.

Christmas lights on Hämeenkatu, in central Tampere.

Tampereen Teatteri (Tampere Theatre)

Tampere is part of the Pirkanmaa region and is surrounded by the municipalities of Kangasala, Kuru, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Ruovesi and Ylöjärvi

Economy

The Tampere region, or Pirkanmaa, which includes outlying municipalities, has around 0.47 million residents, 0.23 million employed, and 25 billion euro turnover as of 2007.^[1] According to the Tampere International Business Office, the area is strong in mechanical engineering and automation, information and communication technologies, and health and biotechnology, as well as pulp and paper industry education. The Tampere region has two universities and three polytechnics totaling 40,000 students. The unemployment rate is around 10%.

Education

There are four universities in the Tampere area: the University of Tampere (UTA) (more than 12,000 students), Tampere University of Technology (TUT, TTY in Finnish) (more than 12,000 students), located in Hervanta, TAMK University of Applied Sciences (5,000 students) and PIRAMK University of Applied Sciences (4,500 students).

Culture

Tampere is known for its active cultural life. Some of the most popular writers in Finland, such as Väinö Linna, Kalle Päätalo and Hannu Salama, hail from Tampere. These are all known as writers depicting the lives of working class people. Also from a working class background was the famous poet Lauri Viita of the Pispala district (which is the original home of Hannu Salama too). Tampere also has old theatre traditions, with such established institutions as Tampereen Työväen Teatteri, Tampereen Teatteri and Pyynikin Kesäteatteri, which is an open-air theatre with the oldest revolving auditorium in Europe. Tampereen Teatterikesä or Tampere Theatre Festival is an international theatre festival held in Tampere every August.

Tampere is also known for its Tampere Art Museum, Tampere, Finland which featured American artist Richard Humann in 2004, for his exhibition entitled, Delicate Monster.

Tampere Film Festival, an international short film festival, is held every March. Tammerfest is Tampere's urban rock festival held every July.

Tampere Music Festivals organises three international music events: Tampere Jazz Happening each November, and in alternate years Tampere Vocal Music Festival and Tampere Biennale.

Tampere is home to the television channel YLE TV2, with its studios in the Tohloppi district, known among all for such popular TV comedies as Tankki täyteen, Reinikainen and Kummeli.

Religion

Tampere has a variety of different religious services spanning from traditional to charismatic. There are also some English speaking services. Tampere English Service is an international community affiliated with the Tampere Pentecostal Church. English services of the International Congregation of Christ the King (ICCK) are organized by the Anglican Church in Finland and the Lutheran Parishes of Tampere. Other churches may also have English speaking ministries. Other notable churches in Tampere are Nokia Revival, Finnish Orthodox Church, Evangelical Free Church, and Baptist Church.

Sports

Tampere's sporting scene is driven by two sports, ice hockey and Football. As the first ice hockey match was played in Tampere, on the ice of Näsijärvi, between Ilves and Pyrintö, Tampere is nicknamed the hometown of Finnish hockey, while at the same time the most popular sport in Tampere is football. Two notably exceptional ice hockey teams exist in Tampere - Ilves and Tappara. They both have had a great impact on Finnish ice hockey culture and are among the most successful teams in Finland. The Finnish ice hockey museum, and the first ice hockey arena to be built in Finland, the Hakametsä arena, are both located in Tampere. Football however, is the number one sport in Tampere. Only Ilves have over 4000 players in their football teams, while Tampere boasts over 100 football teams alone. They were eliminated in the UEFA Cup in the first round against Bordeaux. The city also host two flatwater canoeing world championships, doing so in 1973 and 1983. In 1977 Tampere hosted the Junior World Rowing Championships.

Rivalry Between Cities

Tampere ostensibly has a long-standing mutual feud with the city of Turku, the first capital of Finland. This hostility is largely expressed in jokes in one city about the other; prominent targets are the traditional Tampere food, mustamakkara, the state of the Aura River in Turku, and the regional accents. Students at Tampere have organized the Non-Turkuan Nation (Ei-Turkulainen Osakunta) [2], which since 1997 has made annual excursions to Turku to jump on the market square, doing their part to undo the post-glacial rebound and push the city back under the sea. [3].

Sites of interest

Kaleva Church by architect Reima Pietilä.

Cathedral of Tampere

The main tourist attraction is the Särkänniemi amusement park, which includes a dolphinarium and the landmark Näsinneula tower, topped by a revolving restaurant. Other sites of interests are Tampere Cathedral, Tampere City Library Metso ("wood grouse"), Kaleva Church (both designed by Reima Pietilä), the Tampere Hall for conferences and the Tampere Market Hall.

Tampere is also home to one of the, if not the, last museum in the world dedicated to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Lenin moved to Tampere in August 1905 and during a subsequent Bolshevik conference in the city met Joseph Stalin for the first time. Lenin eventually fled Tampere (for Sweden) in November 1907 when being pursued by the Russian Okhrana. Lenin would not return to any part of the Russian Empire until 10 years later when he heard the start of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Pispala is a ridge located between the two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. It used to house the majority of industrial labour in the late 19th and early 20th century, when it was part of Suur-Pirkkala and its follower Pohjois-Pirkkala. It was a free area to be built upon by the working class people working in Tampere factories. It was joined to Tampere in the late 1920s. Currently it is a popular residential area and together with neighbouring Pyynikki it forms an important historical area of Tampere.

There are many museums and galleries, including:

• The Vapriikki Museum Centre [4] which includes the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame and the Shoe Museum
• Tampere Art Museum [5]
• Tampere Lenin Museum [6]
• The Muumilaakso Museum [7], all about Moomins
• Spy Museum in Siperia [8]

Statistics

Population 209 067 (30.9.2008)

Founded 1779

To Helsinki 173 km

Area 690,6 km²

Max temp °C +29,8

Min temp °C -26,4

Pop. density 378/km²

Weather

Notable persons

For a more complete list, see Category:People from Tampere.

Twin Towns - Sister Cities

Tampere is twinned with 18 cities :

Trivia

• Tampere has been compared to the English city of Manchester, which is the third largest city in the UK (Tampere being the third largest city in Finland). The term Manserock (rock music originating from Tampere) is suggested to have derived from this.
• Briefly used and much less common, nickname for Tampere is Nääsville, a portmanteau between the old Tamperean dialect word nääs (meaning something like "you know") and the American city of Nashville.
• A local food speciality is mustamakkara, which resembles black pudding of northern England.
• The asteroid 1497 Tampere was named after the city by its discoverer, the Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä.

Notes

External links

• Tampere - Official site
• Map of Tampere
• Tammerfest
• Tampere region webcams
• Tampere travel guide from Wikitravel