Oulu (pronounced ; , literally “Ule River Fort”) is a
city and
municipality of inhabitants ()
in the
province of
Oulu and the region of
Northern Ostrobothnia, in
Finland. It is the largest 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 USA (
Oulu, Wisconsin, which is a village with a population of about 540).
History
Oulu was founded on
April 8,
1605, by
King Charles IX of
Sweden opposite to the fort 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 possible 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.
Drawing of central Oulu from the 19th Century.
In 1822, a major fire destroyed much of the city. The architect
Carl Ludvig Engel, chiefly known for the
neoclassical (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 municipality of
Ylikiiminki was consolidated with the city of Oulu on
January 1,
2009.
Geography
Climate
Cultural life
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. Oulu is home to the most northerly architecture school in the world. The school is best known for its strong regionalistic ideas for developing architecture. This movement is named "the Oulu school" ("Oulun koulu") of architecture.
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,
The Irish Festival of Oulu in October 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.
Sights
View over the river Oulu towards Tuira from Hupisaaret park. Water power plant can be seen on the right side. Tuira is one of the largest districts of Oulu with almost 7000 inhabitants.
- , a science center with over 150 exhibits
- Ainola Park, formerly a university botanical garden before the university was moved to Linnanmaa
- The Rapids Center, the area in the estuary of the Oulu river consisting of small islands connected with bridges, fountains in the middle of the river, and including a housing area of building blocks planned by Alvar Aalto
- Rotuaari pedestrian street
- The Market Square with the City Library, the City Theatre and old salt and tar storehouses
- Hupisaaret, a large park area located in the estuary of the Oulu river
- The F. M. Franzen memorial
- The Pateniemi Sawmill Museum
- The University of Oulu Botanical Garden (situated in Linnanmaa)
- Turkansaari () (historical outdoor museum)
Other points of interest
Railway station area in Oulu, looking southwest along Hallituskatu.
- The Irish Festival of Oulu ()
- Madetoja Hall, housing the Oulu Music Centre () the residence of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra
- Oulu Children's Theatre Festival ()
- Oulu Hall (a large indoor sports facility consisting of a low dome, which looks somewhat like a landed flying saucer)
- Nallikari Recreational Centre (with sandy beach and camping grounds)
- Eden Hotel & Spa (in Nallikari)
- event in late May (since 1989)
- The Terva-skiing event in early March (since 1889)
- The Winter Swimming World Championship
- Oulu University of Applied Sciences (formerly Oulu Polytechnic)
Transportation
Air
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 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, from the city centre. It can be reached by bus number 19 from the centre of the city and Technopolis.
Sea
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.
Rail
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.
Road
The most important road in Oulu is
highway 4 (
E8/
E75) that runs from Helsinki to
Utsjoki via
Lahti,
Jyväskylä, Oulu,
Kemi and
Rovaniemi. Other
highways running to and from Oulu are highway 20 to
Kuusamo and highway 22 to
Kajaani.
Distances to other Finnish cities:
Employment
As of December 31, 2005, the active working population was employed as follows:
In 2008, the most important employers were:
Stora Enso has an important paper manufacturing plant in Oulu.
Sports
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.
Oulu has 2 teams in the highest
bandy division. Oulun Luistinseura, OLS, has become Finnish champions 14 times, and Oulun Palloseura, OPS, 7 times. In 2001 the city was the main venue for the
Bandy World Championsips.
event in late May (since 1989)
Town twinning
Sister cities
Friendship cities
See also
