Translation: Reija Kontio
The Market Hall is Hidden in the Center of the City
But Where is Jesus?
Chinatown
Rustic Romance at Telakka: Coffee and Culture
Genuine Locals at Tammelantori Market Place
Super NICE
Feeling the Quintessential Finland in Rajaportti Sauna
Sleddin' and Slidin'
Moominland Magic
The Arboretum in the Winter Time
Hear the Call of Window Shopping at Kehräsaari
Waffle for Dinner, Waffle for Dessert
People and Ducks – Welcome to Tampella
Culture for the People
The History of Tampere fits into a Chimney
Mustavuori Slopes Welcome Winter Athletes
Color and life in the Market Hall. Picture: Heidi Väärämäki.
Text: Heidi Väärämäki
Translation: Reija Kontio
The Market Hall is easy to miss. The main entrance on Hämeenkatu Street is so modest that it takes a very curious tourist to take a peek behind the wooden doors of the Market Hall archway.
The biggest Market Hall in the Nordic Countries is nevertheless worth a visit.
The Market Hall was opened in 1901 and has preserved that old-fashioned feeling of trade. You can do your shopping at traditional butchers' and greengrocers' or just sit down at a café and watch all the bustle. Although the hall has a strong early 20th century feeling to it, it still harbors a Japanese restaurant and even a pet shop.
The experience of the Market Hall is made complete by elderly gentlemen sitting side by side on threadbare benches, all wearing woolen hats and wondering at the world today.
Address: The Market Hall, Hämeenkatu 19
Text: Pauliina Toivanen
Translation: Reija Kontio
You can buy good brand clothes cheap in any metropolis. Whether you're in New York or Bangkok, the Mecca of cheap brand clothes tends to be Chinatown. The Chinatown of Tampere differs from its big sisters both in size and quality. The small boutique sells genuine brands from Calvin Klein t-shirts to Diesel jeans. The prizes are pretty much the same you pay for the copies in Chinatown. The boutique in question is Trendy People, the treasure trove of second hand brand clothing.
I addition to its stylish selection, Trendy People provides the possibility to trade and sell brand clothes. It is finally ok to give up quality clothes that got too small, and at the same time, you get something to fill the empty space that turned up in your closet.
My best buys were a Carhartt tricot shirt and a pair of Freesoul jeans.
Address: Trendy People, Aleksanterinkatu 24
Text: Hannu Kivimäki
Translation: Reija Kontio
The Finnish painter Hugo Simberg painted also typical Christian symbols, like the snake. Picture: Hannu Kivimäki.
On the rail of the gallery, twelve boys are carrying The Garland of Life. On the left side of the pulpit, you see Death in his garden. On the ceiling, a snake holds the fruit of sin in its mouth.
But where is Jesus? He is nowhere to be seen in the Cathedral of Tampere. The granite church was completed in 1907, and Hugo Simberg is the artist responsible for its extraordinary paintings. Simberg's art aroused great contradiction in his time. The group that inspected the artwork did not consider naked boys and a snake ecclesiastical art. But since the church had already come to cost a considerable sum of money, the paintings were not removed. Thank goodness.
Address: Tampere Cathedral, Tuomiokirkonkatu 3
Text: Ville Alén
Translation: Reija Kontio
The theater restaurant Telakka, in the city center, is both a restaurant and a versatile place of culture. Telakka stands in the premises of a century-old granary. A group of artists from different fields founded it in 1995 in order to finance theater and musical performances and art exhibitions.
The cozy décor of brick and wood creates a feeling of rustic romance - in contrast, the artwork adds a modern touch. The atmosphere is relaxed. The place is ideal for peaceful moments and conversation while listening to good music.
Address: Theater Restaurant Telakka, Tullikamarin aukio 3
Text: Emma Vehviläinen
Translation: Reija Kontio
You can get fresh mustamakkara even during winter time. Picture: Miisa Kaartinen.
Tammelantori is a busy market place just a little way from the city center. It is a must for any visitor, for there you are guaranteed the chance to taste the gastronomic specialty of Tampere: mustamakkara, the black sausage. These black blood sausages have been sold at Tammelantori since the 1920s.
The people of Tampere have bought groceries from Tammelantori for 105 years. It is a lively market place. The biggest bustle goes on in the summertime, when coffee booths are installed in addition to the stalls selling berries, mushrooms, fish, and arts and crafts. In the winters, a special coffee tent is set up, where the locals go to have their morning cup of coffee.
In its early days, Tammelantori was the center of the working class part of Tampere, and the spirit of those times still lingers. For many habitants of Tampere today, the market place is a place for both shopping and socializing. The stalls at Tammelantori are open on weekdays from 6.00 to 14.30, on winter Saturdays from 6.00 to 14.00, and on summer Saturdays from 6.00 to 15.00.
Tammelantori is situated by Tammelan puistokatu.
Text: Anna-Kaisa Niinikoski
Translation: Reija Kontio
The place lives up to its name. The comfortable atmosphere applies to the shop itself as well as the clothes. Super MUKA VA, "Super NICE", resembles more a living room than a clothes shop. Four students have created the Super MUKA VA brand, and are now selling their own brand of clothes in this lovely store, along with clothes designed by other Finns - some more famous than others.
The freshly graduated fashion designers make clothes that are comfortable to wear, and they don't feel tied to what's going on in the seasons of the fashion world. A large number of their customers are young women with their own, individual style.
In Super MUKA VA, it's possible to take a peek behind the scenes and see what a fashion designer's work is like. Downstairs, the fitting room and the sewing machines live in perfect harmony. And if you're lucky, you can even get glimpse of the new spring collection.
Address: Super MUKA VA, Näsilinnankatu 18
Text: Anna-Kaisa Niinikoski
Translation: Reija Kontio
Let the heat sooth your aching muscles. Let the warm steam wrap gently around your face, and relax. This is the Rajaportti sauna. The place has offered a genuine Finnish sauna experience since 1906. The building still looks almost exactly the way it did a hundred years ago, and is an inviting place for just sitting quietly and calming down while having a hot steam bath. And if you feel like conversation, you can always find someone to chat with at Rajaportti.
Rajaportti provides a good sauna bath, and at the same time, an opportunity to meet people - the quintessential experience of Finland.
Rajaportti is situated in Pispala.
Address: Rajaportti sauna, Pispalan valtatie 9
Text: Paula Ropponen
Translation: Reija Kontio
Sledding down snowy hills is a great winter sport for children and adults alike. It gives the cheeks a nice rosy glow and is a guaranteed good time. One place for sledding in Tampere is Pyynikki Ridge. After visiting the Pyynikki Observation Tower for its legendary coffee and donut, you can head toward the hill behind the Tower. Sledding downhill is good for keeping fit, because you work up a good sweat climbing back on top of a hill.
Sledding is a cheap hobby; all you need to slide downhill is a plastic bag to sit on. To make a plastic bag more bottom friendly, you can fill it with some snow. For those who are willing to spend a few euros for a smoother ride, shops sell sleds and sliders designed for the purpose.
Address: Pyynikki Ridge, Näkötornin tie (behind the Observation Tower)
Text: Ulpu-Maria Lehtinen
Translation: Reija Kontio
The ceiling is covered in green foliage, and the light plays as though filtered through branches, turning from bright to mysteriously dusky. It feels like entering a magical land. The well known as well as the less known habitants of Moominvalley reside in glass cabinets. The walls are decorated with cuddly drawings and paintings by Tove Jansson.
The miniature models are incredibly intriguing and full of fun details. They tell the tales of the Moominland Midwinter, Comet in Moominland and Moominpappa at Sea. You should be prepared for wanting to read all the Moomin books all over again after your visit to Moominvalley. The valley is also a great destination for adults who want to visit a more peaceful world.
Address: Moominvalley, Hämeenpuisto 20
Text: Miisa Kaartinen
Translation: Reija Kontio
Picture: Miisa Kaartinen.
The Tampere Arboretum, a botanical tree garden, offers a sight worth seeing all year round for tourists as well as long time residents of Tampere. The beautiful view giving to Lake Pyhäjärvi and the lit-up, well-maintained little roads offer a chance to relax and get away from the city bustle for a while. Different sorts of trees and bushes are grown in the Arboretum. In the winter time, the plants are frosted with snow and create a northern atmosphere. Entrance is free. In addition to the Arboretum, The Museum of Dolls and Costumes in Hatanpää Mansion is well worth a visit.
Address: The Hatanpää Mansion and Arboretum, Hatanpään puistokuja 1
Text: Hanna-Mari Tarvonen
Translation: Reija Kontio
In the heart of Tampere, by the Tammerkoski Rapids, nestles the little boutique center Kehräsaari. It brings to mind the narrow alleys and small inner yards of Central Europe. The old buildings built of red brick harbor handcraft shops, pubs and even a movie theater.
The rapids' waters are whispering and the hundred-year-old mills of Tako stand tall in the background. Kehräsaari, "the Wool-Spinning Island", was named after the wool-spinning mill of H. Liljeroos. Kehräsaari is at its best in the summer time. Just passing by and taking a look at the windows lifts your mood. It seems as though a piece of history from the Europe of the turn of the century resides in the middle of Tampere.
Address: Kehräsaari, between Laukontori Market Place and the Tammerkoski Rapids
Text: Mari Saarinen
Translation: Reija Kontio
The door is invitingly open. Picture: Mari Saarinen.
A tiny little stone house in the center of Tampere harbors the paradise of the sweet tooth: the Wafflecafé. The special thing about the café can be read in the name: they provide a variety of waffles, salty and sweet. It is a café of personality and pleasant atmosphere - a great place for a group of friends or two sweethearts to meet.
The delicious waffles alone are reason enough to drag all your friends, aunties and uncles over to the Café. For starters, you can try out the smoked salmon waffle, and - if there's room in your tummy - have the cinnamon apple waffle with whipped cream for dessert.
Address: The Tampere Wafflecafé, Ojakatu 2
The Tammerkoski Rapids run by red-brick factory buildings. In a nearby park, children are stumbling at a skating rink. The people and the running water have attracted some city wildlife, too: by the rapids, an enormous swarm of wild ducks are seeking warmth in their own feathers. The Tampella area smoothly combines history and modern day. The factories were built by the rapids in the 19th century. Tampella, and the Finlayson factories next to it, bear memory from a time when fabrics and kettles were still manufactured here. Nowadays, many enterprises function in the factory area, among others Museum Centre Vapriikki. Beautiful in a gloomy way, the factory area and the almost a century-old fire station blend in with an ordinary cityscape of homes, work places and cars. It is hard to describe the Tampella area without sounding like a travel agency commercial.
The Finns drink a lot. And often. When you get the fourth beer for free after having bought three cheap ones, that's what you call popular mathematics.
Semafori is a restaurant that offers cheap beer for the common people. Businessmen who just got off the train, local artists, and morning drinkers in white tennis socks on the way to their free beer all fit under the same roof. For visitors of the international Film Festival, Semafori is a window to Finnish every-day life.
There is almost always an available seat, and to accompany the cheap beer, you can have a bite of something warm to eat.
Address: Semafori, the Railway Station, entrance through Asematunneli
Text: Laura Lehtinen
Translation: Reija Kontio
Translation: Reija Kontio
The population of Tampere was still only 956 in 1829, according to church register. James Finlayson, of Scottish descent, founded a cotton factory in Tampere in the 1820s. In 1821, Tampere was given the rights of a free city, which improved the situation for industry. In the 1860s, over 2000 people worked at the cotton factory. It was the first factory in Finland to employ women. The Finlayson factories also used child labor. There was even a school in the factory area. Nowadays, the restored Finlayson factory buildings harbor enterprises, restaurants, museums, schools and a movie theater.
You can eye the Finlayson area at www.finlaysoninalue.fi. To get there, just head to the Tampere Central Square.
Text: Hanna Poikolainen
Translation: Reija Kontio
Picture: Hanna Poikolainen.
The Mustavuori Downhill Skiing Center, just outside the center of Tampere, attracts young skiers in particular. Street and halfpipe are the main attractions for snowboarders in Mustavuori. For very young sports men and women, the two-slope center also provides a hill for sledding.
If you don't happen to own the necessary equipment, it is possible to rent them at the center. The center also has a skiing school that can guide you into the world of downhill skiing or snowboarding. If you need a break from the crispy winter air, hot drinks are served at the café. The Paunu buses 70 and 71 will take you to Mustavuori. It is difficult to get there by your own car, since there are few road signs guiding the way.
Address: Mustavuori Downhill Skiing Center, Nokiantie 150
Updated16 March 2005 11:19
