Tours

1.Tampere: Past/Present(Central Square—Finlayson—Särkänniemi)

We start at Keskustori (Central Square), the focal point of the city. In front of us is the Town Hall (1890), designed by G. Schreck. The surrounding area reflects what is typical to this city: old meets new in a way that doesn't seem balanced or planned in any way. To the South is the main street Hämeenkatu, across which a McDonald's restaurant boasts its fluorescent signs—not to mention the bingo hall that seems to have grown into the western side of the town hall. To the East we are facing Tampereen Teatteri (Tampere Theatre), built in the early 1900s. At its side stand the Old Church with its impressive belfry (C.L.Engel 1828) and the old Library building(1925); both important reminders of cultural history of Tampere.

Once we begin walking north along Aleksis Kiven katu, the juxtaposition of new over old becomes even more intense. We are now facing the old Finlayson factory area, which played an important role in the city's growth from a small rural village to an important industrial city. Once we enter the yard through the gate, we cannot miss the Old Factory(1837), which, upon completion set a new standard for industrial architecture in Nordic countries. While the area retains its rugged industrial look on the outside, inside it is a thriving cultural and recreational centre. The surroundings are under constant construction; for example one of the nation's leading newspapers, Aamulehti, is building its headquarters here. In the southern end, we find cinemas and restaurants, among which Plevna, the brewery/distillery, and the cinema that goes by the same name, are top of the line in their own fields.

We continue north along a narrow path. At the end of Itäinenkatu, turning west is our only option. This is Finlayson Street, which leads us to a church by the same name, Finlaysonin Kirkko(C.L. Calonius) - you only have to look at the names of the buildings and the streets in this area to realise the importance of the factory in the old days. The church was built in 1879 but it still fits perfectly in these surroundings. The quarter is by far the most peaceful in downtown Tampere, and especially in the summer, it offers a perfect getaway from the every day hassle of city life.

Finlaysonin Palatsi, a palace from the 19th century, is only a few hundred meters northeast from the church—following the old gravel road to the palace is like entering a time warp. While the place operates mostly as a restaurant these days, it is a worthwhile sight, especially its beautiful garden, through which our journey can continue to Näsinpuisto Park. On the left, we see Tallipiha (Stable Yard); once home to the coachmen of the factory. The buildings here are among the oldest in Tampere. Today, the premises have been renovated and the area has become a popular tourist attraction. A little further north, along Kuninkaankatu Street, we find the Mältinranta Art Centre.

Now we leave the Stable Yards behind, still heading north up the hill in Näsinpuisto Park until we reach the top overlooking Lake Näsijärvi. In the middle of woods, up on the rocky hill stands the old Häme Museum. The view to the north reveals many new possibilities: below lies Mustalahti Bay, one of the small harbours of the city that offer cruises on Lake Näsijärvi—paddle wheeler m/s Finlandia Queen being the most popular these days. There is much more to this small harbour than cruises, though; it operates as a market place, and you can also eat here.

Coming down the southern side of the hill, we end up at the northern end of Hämeenpuisto Park. From here, we continue west under the railway and leave downtown behind. We are now in Mustalahti Bay, facing Särkänniemi, the fun quarter of the city, as it could well be called. Särkänniemi Amusement Park with its whirling contraptions waits for the impatient, but there are other curiosities close by that deserve a try, too. First things first: Up the hill, we find Näsinneula (1971 Pekka Ilveskoski), the monstrous concrete tower with its many sidekicks including Aquarium, Planetarium, and why not, the revolving restaurant 124 meters up in the sky. In the west, under the shadow of the tower, we can see the Dolphinarium, the latest attraction on this fun-filled cape. Behind Näsinneula, on the north side, is Sara Hilden's art museum (1978 Pekka Ilveskoski).

2. Crosstown tour(Kehräsaari—Vapriikki—Tuomiokirkko)

We begin our tour at Laukontori, a busy market place down by Ratina dead-water. To the south is Lake Pyhäjärvi; in the north only a few blocks up is the Central Square—essentially we are in the middle of the city. We head east towards the idyllic Kehräsaari on the banks of Tammerkoski. The narrow path through the old factory area is riddled with small establishments ranging from a restaurant to a new age bookstore—Joulupuu, the souvenir shop and restaurant Hook are good examples of the variety. A small bridge leads over the river to the eastern side of the city.

On the eastern bank, we come first face to face with Koskikeskus, your average-everyday shopping mall that consists of everything imaginable in connection to shopping/drinking/dining. We reroute here, for the simple reason that it would take us the whole day to roam the mall from the ground up. Instead, we climb the stairs at northern end of the building and arrive at Hotel Ilves entrance area. On the left, we see Tampere Tourist Centre—had we just got lost this would have truly been a blessing.

We have now emerged from the banks of Tammerkoski to one of the busiest intersections in downtown Tampere: The main street Hämeenkatu and Hatanpään valtatie. In the west is the great Hämeensilta Bridge (1929); in the east, at the beginning of Hämeenkatu, looms the tower of Tampere Railway Station. We head north towards the shadows of Koskipuisto Park. The area is usually filled with people, some fly-fishing on the banks, others reading newspapers, or just taking a nap (for varying reasons) under the tall spruces. On the left bank of Tammerkoski, we see restaurant Tillikka and Tampereen Teatteri. The path leads us towards the city's electric power plant that stands next to the second largest bridge in downtown, Satakunnansilta (K. Snellmann1898).

Once we have cleared the park, we enter a busy intersection in the corner of the electric plant. To our right is the old and faithful Hotel Tammer. We are still heading north, as we cross Satakunnankatu and continue on Lapintie Street. We are now officially in Juhannuskylä, one of the oldest quarters in Tampere. On the right, we see Tampere main fire station(1908), designed by Wivi Lönn.

As we head on in a northeastern angle, we are closing in on one of the main attractions of the tour. At the first opportunity, we turn left on Kelloportinkatu Street and continue north again. In front of us opens the world of Vapriikki museum centre. The huge premises that seem as though they were just about to slide down to Tammerkoski rapids used to house an engineering workshop; now, the upgraded version covers everything an average man needs to know about culture, industry and natural history. We do not need to necessarily bother ourselves with science, though; just as well, we can sit back in cafe/restaurant Valssi or visit Vinssi, the museum gift shop.

But this is not the end of the line for us: We must return to Satakunnankatu and continue past Hotel Tammer until we reach Hotel Cumulus Pinja. Here, we turn left and arrive at Tampere Cathedral (1902-07). While the building is an impressive sight already on the outside, the inside promises even more: The artists responsible for the decorations include such names as Hugo Simberg and Magnus Enckell.

3.Main Street Tampere(Metso—rautatieasema—Tampere-talo)

We start at Pyynikki Churchyard, a park at the western end of the city that derives its name from the beautiful Alexander Church (1881). On the left on Pirkankatu, we see Kustaa Hiekka museum. To the north is a quarter called Amuri. As we head east towards the main street Hämeenkatu, which will lead us all the way through downtown. The city library, Metso /(1986) with its copper roof appears on the left. In front of us opens the centre square of Hämeenpuisto Park, in the middle of which stands Vapaudenpatsas (1921), or the Statue of Freedom—it seems quite appropriate for the statue to be in such a close proximity to a church that was named after a Russian czar.

We have now arrived at the end of Hämeenkatu. This is by far the best way to get a grasp on Tampere, which is a typical Finnish city in the sense that its quarters do not differ from one another very much. This basically means that the services are scattered all over downtown. Only in the case of Hämeenkatu we can talk of a concentration of particular services: hundreds of small shops, restaurants, pubs and clubs will appear on both sides of the street until its end, at the feet of Tampere railway station.

A few hundred metres down on the right we find Sokos, one of the biggest department stores in town. Many clothing stores and banks, as well as restaurants, have found a good home in the vicinity; whether it is day or night, the area is always busy. Places like McDonald's, employment office, Hesburger (Finnish hamburger magic), and of course, the town hall can all be found here.

As we have cleared one third of the main street, we arrive at the Central Square. On the left, we see the downtown bus station, and behind it, the beautiful Palander building (1901) - historically and architecturally important buildings surround this massive square. As we continue on, we arrive at Hämeensilta Bridge and its famous statues. The four figures are called Maiden Finland, the Hunter, the Tax collector and the Merchant. Below us, flow waters of Tammerkoski—the view from the bridge, regardless of direction, will definitely be memorable. This is literally the heart of Tampere.

We continue now on the eastern side of Tampere towards the railway station that already looms in the distance. The last leg is filled with yet another set of banks, restaurants and pubs—while the first section thrives mostly due to the nearby Central Square, at this end the main cause of traffic is certainly the railway station. As we close in on the end of the street, on the left we see another big department store, Stockmann; behind it, is one of the oldest quarters of the city, Kyttälä. After that, we find ourselves already at the feet of the station, on Itsenäisyydenkatu Street, heading towards the tunnel that runs under the railway to an area called Tammela. Just before we submerge the tunnel, we see Tampere Post-Office building on the left.

On our right, on Tullikamari Square, stands Tulliklubi, a famous music club. Behind it, we find Attila the university library, which somehow looks more like a factory than a place of education - so much for first-impressions. We turn right from the first intersection and continue along Yliopistonkatu Street towards the destination of the tour. On the right, is the Ramada Hotel; in the east, a view opens to Sorsalammi Park and its many winged inhabitants—meaning the multitude of different kinds of birds that have settled down at the pond in the middle of the park. It is fair to say you never walk alone here, at least as long as you have a good supply of breadcrumbs.

As we enter the park, we have arrived at our destination, or at least within its influence. The massive white building in the southwest corner of the park should leave no one unimpressed. It is called Tampere-talo or Tampere Hall(1990) and behind it, we cannot but notice the stylistically impaired University of Tampere main building—the only excuse for it looking the way it does is that it was designed in the early 60s. Aesthetics notwithstanding, together these two institutions stand for the importance of culture and education to the city of Tampere.