Schmap Tampere Historical Background

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Tampere - Historical Background
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Founded in 1779, Tampere is a relatively young city, but it has been proven that the narrow isthmus of Tammerkoski was first inhabited as early as eight thousand years ago. A tool part from that era has been found in Pispala. The first inhabitants, however, could not admire the rapids now flowing through the heart of the city; for them, the present-day city centre was nothing but sea bottom. After the Ice Age, the surface of the ancient sea of Yoldia had settled high up the slopes of Pyynikki Ridge. The bedrock under Tampere used to belong to the oldest mountain range in the world, formed more than a billion years ago.

At the end of the Middle Ages, a village named aptly as Koski (Rapids) appeared by the flowing waters. The first mill dams were built across the rapids in the 15th century, probably providing the rapids and the future town with their names. In old Swedish, damber meant dam and tamber referred to taming. By the end of the century, the names of the village (Tambere) and the rapids (Tamberkoski) already carried a close resemblance to the present ones. The first plan for a town was presented in the 1640s on the grounds that the location served as a lively market venue, but serious proposals were not put forward until the parliament of 1771-72, when the head of Lempäälä Congregation, Erik Edner, brought up the idea. The rapids, at the time belonging to the estate of Tammerkoski in the municipality of Messukylä, interested Edner especially as a future industrial site providing natural waterpower.

It was indeed in the lands of Tammerkoski Manor that the town was eventually founded, once King Gustav III of Sweden had first visited the site himself. The King signed the official founding papers in 1779, when a newly-built distillery already attracted people to the banks of Tammerkoski. What followed, however, can hardly be called a migration rush; in 1800 there were still fewer than 500 inhabitants in the new town.

Tampere’s Industrial Revolution

Well into the 19th century, Tampere had the appearance of a rural village. Domestic animals wandered freely on the hilly streets lined by little cottages. In 1808, the war between Sweden and Russia reached Tampere, and in March Russian troops quickly took over the area. In the peace treaty ratified the next year, the whole of Finland became part of Russia, but Tsar Alexander I immediately granted Finland autonomy, validating all existing laws from the Swedish era.

Although the original scenario only aimed at a few hundred inhabitants, the migration of industries into the area was expected to result in an international community. The first city plan featured sites for as many as four different churches, meant for different religious groups, but only the (Lutheran) Old Church was ever built. At the time, the Old Messukylä Church, located approximately five kilometres from the Central Square, was already 300 years old. This originally Catholic monument, dedicated to St. Michael, is by far the oldest building in the city of Tampere today.

Gradually, acriculture as a means of livelihood gave way to handicrafts, but a bigger change originated in 1821 when the Tsar declared the free zone of Tampere. This meant that no limitations whatsoever were placed on industrial enterprises, and manufacturers, Finnish or foreign, could practically forget about all kinds of taxes and tariffs. These exemptions ensured a future rise of industry. The first paper factory had already been built in 1783 by Abraham Häggman in the area by the rapids now called Frenckell. That date initiated the long and gradual development during which the view over the Tammerkoski rapids turned into what it is today: an industrial city landscape of inestimable cultural and historical value.

In the summer of 1819, a Scottish gentleman named James Finlayson paid a visit to Tampere. Immediately, he grew excited about the industrial prospects in the area and sent an application to the Tsar, asking for permission to start a textile factory. Alexander I, who himself had recently visited Tampere, assented and exempted Finlayson from several duties, a reaction that anticipated the free zone decision made two years later. The Finlayson plant soon became the virtual heart of the city; around 1860 almost half of the people of Tampere lived off the factory.

In the 1850s, Finlayson was joined by another major manufacturer, the Tampella linen factory, built on the opposite side of the rapids. A local anecdote has it that Mr. Gustav August Wasastjerna founded the new plant almost by accident. His original plan was to buy a factory from elsewhere, but the deal foundered at the last moment, and suddenly Wasastjerna found himself with a lot of extra cash to invest to the Tampella factory proposed to him by Mr. A. Törngren, a local businessman. During the latter half of the 19th century, the busy and growing factories of Finlayson and Tampella, together with many smaller businesses, made Tampere the most significant industrial city in Finland. At one time, nearly half of all Finnish factory workers lived in the area. Naturally, all these workers needed accommodation; the districts of Amuri and Kyttälä fulfilled this need. Between the years 1860 and 1900, the number of people living in Tampere increased almost sevenfold.

It was in Amuri and Kyttälä that the true nature of the city could be experienced at the time. People had little room for living; at night the floors were completely covered by beds. Most houses were occupied by tenants who took subtenants if there was any extra room. Today, this kind of living is reproduced in the Amuri Museum of Workers' Housing, located in the only block of wood houses left of the old working class district. Amuri with its regularly built blocks used to seem very organised in comparison with Kyttälä, a district of winding muddy streets and cottages scattered here and there. Notorious for its scruffy bars, old Kyttälä did not at first officially belong to the then tiny city of Tampere. After the annexation came into force, the district was rebuilt completely according to a new city plan.

Twentieth-Century Tampere

The end of the century and the beginning of the next one brought about great changes in the whole world; likewise in Tampere. As regards industry, the city had long been in the vanguard, and its infrastructure kept developing at an increasing speed. Comprehensive water supply and sewer systems, new educational institutions, and the growing cultural sphere created new kinds of lifestyles that included free time activities. The first theatre, Tampereen Työväen Teatteri, came into existence in 1901. Different sports societies were started, one of which was a gymnastics club called Vapaa ('free'), known since 1896 as Tampereen Pyrintö. In a symbolically significant event in March 1882, the first electric light in Finland illuminated the factory of Finlayson. A few years later, dark winter evenings in the city centre were lit up by street lights, although they burned so dimly that their real purpose might have been - as people joked - to warn pedestrians against bumping into the light poles.

In the city centre, the completion of the high-pressure water main gave incentive to replace the old wooden houses with higher buildings. By Central Square, the new city hall (1890) was soon accompanied by a group of Jugend-style stone buildings, including the Palander building and the Sumelius building. The whole commercial centre, built in the same style, was constructed during a fairly short period of time. Growing wealth, modern inventions, and new engineering skills enabled local businessmen to erect high and impressive buildings, whose National Romantic decorations were strongly influenced by the Finnish flora and fauna. Other landmarks built near the turn of the century include the Student Union House, the Orthodox Church, the Old Customs House, and Tampere Cathedral, designed by Lars Sonck and completed in 1907.

Politically, Tampere played an increasingly significant role. During the general strike in 1905, the full Central Square listened to the so-called Red Declaration, and the revolutionary atmosphere grew day by day. However, it was not until after the Finnish Declaration of Independence twelve years later that the city turned into a true battle ground. The new political situation broke the inner tensions of the country, throwing it into a violent civil war. The decisive moments of the war came in April 1918, when the White army succeeded in beating the Red defense in Tampere, taking over the city after weeks of siege. The biggest battle in Scandinavian war history so far left behind thousands of dead, and the prison camps maintained by the winning side produced even more victims.

In independent Finland, Tampere continued with its rapid growth; After World War II, the city population was approaching 100,000. A large part of the increase in population was explained by a growth in area. The western district - containing the unique densely built area of Pispala - belonged to the neighbouring municipality of Nokia until 1937, when it joined Tampere, bringing more than 10,000 new inhabitants to the city and doubling its area. In 1947, Tampere swallowed its mother municipality Messukylä. The last big annexation took place in 1972, when the rural district of Teisko tripled the total area. Scarcely populated Teisko is the reason for Tampere's present failure to qualify as a city according to the official EU criteria; the average population density is too low. Founded on a land stretch of about three square kilometres in 1779, the city now occupies an area almost two hundred times larger.

Postmodern Improvements

During the latter half of the 20th century, a rise in the quality of available education had a considerable effect on life in Tampere. The city got a university as late as in the 1960s, when the School of Social Sciences moved from Helsinki to Tampere, to be renamed as Tampere University in 1966. The same period saw the birth of the Tampere University of Technology, which in 1973 moved from the centre to the newly-founded and rapidly growing satellite city of Hervanta. Nowadays Tampere is a true students city, providing quality education at the highest level. In part, this fact accounts for the steady increase in population; every autumn a flood of students enters the city, many of them to stay. The educational and cultural spheres have developed hand in hand. At present, city life is thoroughly influenced and enriched by high quality cultural institutions and events such as the Tampere International Short Film Festival and the famous Theatre Festival. Tourists are also attracted by the Särkänniemi Experience Park and the Näsinneula Tower, both opened in the 1970s.

Progress in transport methods has had significant domestic and international effects on Tampere. In the latter half of the 19th century, steamboats sailed the lakes of Tampere, but their importance especially in the south sank when the railway was completed in 1876. Today the lakeboats are mainly used by tourists. In 1979, the International Airport in Pirkkala was opened, and the latest big step in transport was celebrated in October 2000 at the opening ceremony of the new motorway between Helsinki and Tampere. In architecture, functionalism gained ground in Tampere in the 1930s, producing for example the simple forms and flat roofs of the railway station and the coach station. Among the most important fairly recent architectural names are Reima and Raili Pietilä, whose creative work is exemplified by the Kaleva Church, the main library Metso, and several central buildings in Hervanta. In conclusion, Tampere has always wanted to be in the vanguard of progress. In the early stages of the city's history, this tendency showed in the industrial pioneer spirit, and a more recent little expression of the same phenomenon came on 1 June 1991, when the world's first GSM phonecall was made from the yard of the local phone company. Tampere protects her past as a city of factories carefully, but she looks into the future in different, much more colourful clothes.

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Central Square of Tampere

Markets, festivals, music and dance

Keskustori
Tampere 33100
Finland

The Central Square of Tampere is a place of commerce and a meeting point for people. The general market day is Monday, but there are several theme markets organised at the Central Square throughout the year (for example the Vappu market on 1 May, the crayfish market, a Lapp market or the "countryside comes into the city" market). During the summer there are events here almost every weekend, because the Central Square is often the site for festivals, concerts and dance performances, too. There is a mention of Keskustori already in the first town plan of 1775. During that time the square was larger than today, reaching all the way to the Tammerkoski rapids (the city theatre had not been built yet). There were wooden houses around the square, but only one of them still stands today; this is the Old Church, built in 1824, and its bell tower (1828). It was only in the late nineteenth century when the city water and sewage network was properly constructed so that the big stone buildings could be built next to the Central Square. The Southern side of the square is undergoing some changes. The old bus stops and the kiosk will be taken down and modern, glass-covered bus and taxi stops will be built. The other side of the area will be constructed as a small market area and a new kiosk will be built next to that. Also the streets going down to the Laukontori marketplace will be turned into pedestrian streets, at least partially.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Central Square of Tampere photo by Teemu Mäki

Photo: Teemu Mäki

Central Square of Tampere photo by Yenching Cui

Photo: Yenching Cui

Finlayson Factory Area

Cradle of growth and development Finlaysoninkatu
Tampere 33210
Finland
The Finlayson factory area is full of memories of the history of Tampere, and its importance to the growth and development of the city cannot be overestimated. The Finlayson factory was established by Scottish gentleman James Finlayson, who was given a permission to set up a factory here in 1820. At first, the factory produced hand-woven wool fabrics, but in 1828 it was transformed into a cotton mill with two spinning machines. This event marks the beginning of large-scale industrial production in Finland. Mr. Finlayson sold his factory to Georg Adolf Rauch and Carl Samuel Nottbeck in 1836. The new owners immediately started to develop the factory area. By 1850 a school, a hospital, a bank and worker housing had been built and Finlayson's parish set up with its own priest. The factory itself was enlarged, and the most important of all the new buildings was the huge weaving mill Plevna (1877), in which 1200 spinning machines were used and where the first electric lightbulb of northern and eastern Europe was lit in 1882. In the same year Finland's first automatic fire extinguishing system was built in the Finlayson factory buildings.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Kaleva Church

Extraordinary architecture Liisanpuisto 1
Tampere 33540
Finland
+358 3 219 0403
http://www.tampereenseurakunna... The Kaleva Church offers a visual counterpart to the more traditional stone churches in the city. The pale yellow walls that the church is known for would reach even higher had the original plan of architect Reima Pietilä been wholly executed. On occasion, the extraordinary appearance of the church is still commented on with mixed feelings. Completed in 1966, the church was built for the Congregation of Kaleva, to satisfy the need for a place of worship. The spacious church hall is 30 metres high and 50 metres long. The cross-shaped bell tower on the roof sends out forceful sounds that can be heard surprisingly far away even in the bustle of the city. The exterior of the church is covered with 150,000 bricks.

The church is often presented as a tourist attraction, but it also serves a large and active congregation. Services are held on Sundays and religious holidays at 10am, and often there are smaller gatherings on weekdays.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Neoclassical Old Church

The central square's wooden landmark Keskustori 6
Tampere 33100
Finland
+358 3 219 0266 The Neoclassical Old Church has stood on the Central Square since 1824. At that time, there were only a few thousand inhabitants in Tampere. The wooden church has been restored and otherwise altered on several occasions, but its present appearance is very close to the original. The church bell tower features the oldest public clock in Tampere, a one-hand apparatus made by Juho Könni. The altarpiece was painted by Robert Wilhelm Ekman in 1831. The church is a popular venue for weddings and small concerts.

The Old Church is the home of the Swedish Congregation of Tampere. Services are held in Swedish at 10.30am on Sundays. In addition, an international group gathers for a service in English at 4pm every Sunday. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Neoclassical Old Church photo by wcities
Photo: wcities

Nokia

History and high tech Harjukatu 23
PL 2
Tampere 37101
Finland
+358 3 341 8111
http://www.nokiankaupunki.fi/ Nokia is a small town of 26,000 inhabitants that lies about 15km west of the Tampere city centre. For centuries Nokia belonged to the old Greater Pirkkala, but seceded in 1922, when the area was still called Northern Pirkkala. The place was named Nokia in 1938. Most often associated with telecommunications, Nokia's true history begins here. When in town, it's worth visiting the old redbrick factory buildings in which the success and global growth of Nokia Corp began over a hundred years ago.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Näsinneula Observation Tower

Highest observation tower in the Nordic countries Särkänniemi
Tampere 33230
Finland
+358 3 248 8111
http://www.sarkanniemi.fi/engl... One of the best-known landmarks of Tampere, the tower commands spectacular views in all directions. Even the lift to the indoor lookout terrace(at a height of 120 meters) is an adventure, as the lift moves at six meters per second. The whole ride up takes 27 seconds. You can rent binoculars at the terrace and enjoy the scenery, or relax at the café. There is also an outdoor terrace nine meters below; you'll be surprised at how hard the wind blows at that altitude. Hours vary, so check ahead.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Old Messukylä Church

Oldest building in Tampere Kivikirkontie 2
Tampere 33700
Finland
+358 3 363 0098 The oldest congregation in Tampere can be found in Messukylä, where there was a church as early as the fifteenth century. This stone church from the beginning of the sixteenth century is the oldest building in the city. After the new Messukylä Church was erected in 1879, the maintenance of the old one was forgotten for several decades. Fortunately, the historically valuable building received proper care during the twentieth century. Built during the Catholic Middle Ages, the Old Messukylä Church follows the style of Finland's other medieval places of worship. The décor serves as a magnificent example of high-quality carpentry. A few pictures of saints have survived from the beginning of the fifteenth century. Presently, the Old Messukylä Church is only used in summer. Many people choose to be married there, and the weekly services gather visitors from near and far.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Palanderin Building

Queen of the Central Square Keskustori 7
Tampere 33100
Finland
Public prosecutor Verner Palander had this building erected on a magnificent site on the southern side of the Central Square. The original design for the building was made by architect Birger Federley, who later had to change the floral ornaments to comply with the Finnish National Romantic style (depicting Finnish fauna). Palander and Federley eventually disagreed about the design of the building, and so Palander hired building contractor Vihtori Heikkilalta finish the job. Heikkila hanged the original, symmetric fae by elevating the western tower. This side of the building was completed in 1905. The beautiful plaster ornaments were designed by German artist Willy Baer, who also designed the lead-glass windows in the main stairwell. Unfortunately the panes were later destroyed, and their remains are now held in Tampere City Museum.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Palanderin Building photo by wcities
Photo: wcities

Pispala

Colourful as a quilt Pispalan harju
Tampere 33250
Finland
Pispala district on the Pispala ridge was founded in the late nineteenth century. No one actually planned this district - settlers just built their little cottages along the slopes in the manner they liked and could afford. This is why Pispala is a very colourful and peculiar housing district with small houses built very close to each other. The area is now protected by a building plan, so that its unique look will be preserved for future generations. Pispala is no longer a workers' district but more famous for its artists, authors and musicians. The plots are understandably very expensive here, because of the magnificent views over lakes Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Sumeliuksen Building

Revivalist and Art Nouveau Hämeenkatu 15 A
Tampere 33100
Finland
This splendid residential and office building on the Central Square was built for merchant Gösta Sumelius in 1901, designed by the architect company Grahn, Hedman and Wasastjerna. At this time the Art Nouveau style was just becoming known in Finland, and the architecture is reminiscent of both the older Revivalist style (ornamented, with round arches and portals) and Art Nouveau (with etched glass windows, wall panelling and tiled stoves). Unfortunately the original slate roof has been replaced by sheet metal and the balconies have been removed from the second floor.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Piia Anneli Lehto

Tampere Cathedral

Hugo Simberg's brave vision Tuomiokirkonkatu 3
Tampere 33100
Finland
+358 3 219 0265 Tampere Cathedral, one of the city's best-known sites, aroused vehement debates when it was built at the beginning of the twentieth century. The daring paintings by famous Finnish artist Hugo Simberg, inside the church, caused controversy with visions of snakes, naked boys and skeletons. Of course, this has made the building popular internationally. The church is used by the Cathedral Congregation and the Diocese of Tampere (one of Finland's eight Dioceses) as their primary place of worship.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tampere City Library

Bringing Finnish Nature to the City Pirkankatu 2
Tampere 33101
Finland
+358 3 314 614
http://www.tampere.fi/kirjasto... Tampere City Library, Metso, is a distinctive and memorable building. It is also the central library of the province of Pirkanmaa. The building has been named Metso because from a bird's eye perspective the building looks like a wood grouse (metso in Finnish). The library was designed by architects Reima and Raili Pietilä, very famous and well respected in their field. In addition to Metso, they have also designed Mäntyniemi, the official residence of the President of Finland. Metso is the most visited library in Finland, with 5,000-6,000 visitors every day. There are 1.1 million books and 91,000 recordings in the library. There are also lecture rooms, a café and an office that distributes EU information to the people of Tampere in the library. On the lower ground floor are the Moomin Valley Museum and Tampere Mineral Museum (entrance is from the Hämeenpuisto side of the building).

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tampere Railway Station

Modern travelling Rautatienkatu 25
Tampere 33100
Finland
+358 3 0710
http://www.vr.fi/ The first railway station in Tampere was built in 1876. However, this station was too small for the growing city; a new, more spacious station was needed. The new railway station and clock tower were built in 1936 and together they form an impressive eastern end to Hämeenkatu street. The building represents Functionalist style and its outer walls are covered with beautiful, burnt-red brick.

The winds of change are blowing at the Tampere railway station again. The platforms are going to be covered with a huge glass roof - there is also a plan to turn the railway station into a huge transport center, which would also include a bus station.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tampere Town Hall

Centre of political thought in Tampere Keskustori
Tampere 33100
Finland
+358 3 212 2393 The Tampere Town Hall was designed by architect Georg Schreck and inaugurated in January 1890 (there had been an old wooden town hall in the same place before). The Town Hall is the centre of political events in Tampere. The city's inhabitants gather at the central square in front of the building for example on Finland's Independence Day (6 December) and New Year's Eve to listen to the mayor speak. There is a granite slate with historical text carved on it in the stone base of the building. The text tells us how a proposal demanding Finnish independence from Russia was declared from the Town Hall balcony during the great strike in 1905. The proposal also demanded universal suffrage, as well as the freedoms of assembly, association and speech. After this these principles were commonly accepted in the whole country, and the dream of Finnish independence finally came true on 6 December 1917. The Independence Day torch procession organised by the University of Tampere and the Tampere University of Technology ends in front of the Town Hall. Here Finland's national anthem Maamme (Our Land) is sung as a way of showing respect to Finland's independence and to the war veterans who fought to defend it during the Second World War.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tampere University of Technology

High-level technical knowledge and development Korkeakoulunkatu 10
Tampere 33720
Finland
+358 3 311 511
http://www.tut.fi/ The Tampere University of Technology (TTKK) concentrates on teaching and the research and development of products in the fields of technology and architecture. To finance its projects, TTKK co-operates with many kinds of industry. There are nine separate teaching units in the school: architecture, automation, civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and management, information technology, materials engineering, mechanical engineering and environmental technology. Altogether, there are about 9000 students. These technical students are called teekkarit, and they have strong traditions in organising various events.

TTKK participates in several international exchange programmes, and there are about 100 foreign researchers working at the University each year. There are opportunities for receiving tutoring in English in many teaching units, and some of the degrees can be taken almost entirely in English.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tampereen Elokuvajuhlat

The film fan's daydream Tullikamarinaukio 2
(PL 305)
Tampere 33101
Finland
+358 3 213 0034
http://www.tamperefilmfestival... In March, the International Short Film Festival always gathers together a large number of the biggest names and best productions in the field from all over the world. The festival now has a permanent position as one of the world's leading short film events. A five-day dream come true for a film fan, the event revolves around two competitions. The International Competition is divided into animation, documentary, and fiction categories, whereas the Finnish one has two categories based on duration: under and over 30 minutes. The competitions are open to everyone; one of their main objectives is to find new creative talents. In addition to the competitive part, the festival provides a wide range of treats for film enthusiasts. Annual special themes add depth to the selection, and every year the festival features a number of older rarities, carefully chosen treasures from the archives. If you have any interest in films, this is an event not to be missed.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Tampereen Työväen Teatteri

One of the main theatres Hämeenpuisto 28-32
Tampere 33201
Finland
+358 3 217 8111
http://www.ttt-teatteri.fi/ Larger-than-life is a frequent theme at Tampereen Työväen Teatteri (the Tampere Workers' Theatre), whether it refers to the emotions expressed or the people portrayed. Tampereen Työväen Teatteri is one of Tampere's two main theatres so anyone in search of large-scale productions should head for the redbrick building on the edge of Hämeenpuisto, one of the largest parks in Tampere. Known as TTT, Tampereen Työväen Teatteri was founded at the beginning of the twentieth century as the result of the working classes showing an interest in theatre. The theatre includes a café and there are often costumes from previous productions on display in the halls. TTT employs almost 150 people, out of whom 30 are actors. Anyone familiar with Finnish film and television will be pleasently surprised as the faces of Ilmari Saarelainen, Karoliina Blackburn and TTT manager Esko Roine frequently appear live on stage. Tickets for all performances can be booked through TTT's own ticket office (+358 3 217 8222).

Review © 2007, Wcities

The Amuri Museum of Worker Housing

A glimpse of old times Makasiininkatu 12
Tampere 33230
Finland
+358 3 3146 6690 The Amuri Museum of Worker Housing is a unique place to visit, because it is the only lasting residential quarter in the Amuri district. Amuri used to be a wooden housing area where the workers lived. When the city began to expand due to the industrial growth of the late nineteenth century, housing was needed for the expanding workforce. The city plan of 1868 set up a new town district on the western side of the city. The name Amuri was chosen because the city dwellers thought the new workers' town was very far from the town center (the name reminded people of the Amur colony in Siberia to where many Finns emigrated in the 1860s). The Amuri Museum of Worker Housing represents a typical late nineteenth/early twentieth-century wooden residential quarter. The single-storey houses line the streets and the outer buildings were placed in the middle. Next to each room there is a sign that tells something about a typical family that might have lived there, including their ages and occupations, and usually also something about their lives and events in Tampere at the time. The rooms have been decorated to represent different time periods (the oldest being from 1882 and the newest from 1972). There is also a museum shop and café Amurin Helmi on the premises.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Maria Niku
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The Orthodox Church

Onion domes and detailed decorations Suvantokatu 10 A
Tampere 33100
Finland
+358 3 3141 2724
http://www.ort.fi/ The Orthodox Church dominates the view on this gently sloping hill near the railway station. The church was designed by T.U. Jassikov towards the end of the nineteenth century, and built in the traditional eastern Orthodox fashion. The reddish-brown building is crowned by a number of impressive onion-shaped domes. The interior also contains many more decorative details than Lutheran churches do. The consecration of the church took place in 1899, when Bishop Nikolai dedicated the building to the memory of St. Alexander Nevski and St. Nicholas. The Orthodox Congregation of Tampere, part of the Diocese of Helsinki, also has a smaller church in Vilppula and chapels in Valkeakoski and Pori. The congregation gathers at least twice a week.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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University of Tampere

Social knowledge and research Kalevantie 4
Tampere 33014
Finland
+358 3 215 6111
http://www.uta.fi/ The main building of the University of Tampere was built in 1960, designed by architect Toivo Korhonen. The University moved from Helsinki to Tampere after the main building had been built. It was then called The Social Institute of Higher Education (established in 1925); soon after moving to Tampere the institute would be called the University of Tampere. The university is very international, and participates in several EU programmes.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Tampere - Historical Background"
Tampere
Tampere - Neighborhood Guide
Tampere - Where to Stay
Tampere - Dining & Drinking
Tampere - Art & Entertainment
Other nearby cities:
Helsinki (136 miles)
Stockholm (394 miles)
Oslo (728 miles)
Gothenburg (785 miles)
Copenhagen (909 miles)
Berlin (1178 miles)
Hamburg (1200 miles)
Prague (1394 miles)
Amsterdam (1520 miles)
Dusseldorf (1540 miles)

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