Tampere City Hall

Tampere ( TAM-pər-ay, US also TAM-pər-ə, TAHM-pər-ay, Finnish: [ˈtɑmpere] ; Swedish: Tammerfors, Finland Swedish: [tɑmærˈforsː] ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 255,066; the urban area has a population of 341,696; and the metropolitan area, also known as the Tampere sub-region, has a population of 416,653 in an area of 4,970 km2 (1,920 sq mi). Tampere is the second largest urban area and the third most populous single municipality in Finland, after the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, and the most populous Finnish city outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Today, Tampere is one of the most important urban, economic and cultural centres in the entire inland region.Tampere and its surroundings are part of the historic province of Satakunta. The area belonged to the province of Häme from 1831 to 1997; over time, it has often been considered a province of Tavastia. For example, in Uusi tietosanakirja, published in the 1960s, the Tampere sub-region is presented as part of the then province of Tavastia. Around the 1950s, Tampere and its surroundings began to establish themselves as a separate province of Pirkanmaa. Tampere became the centre of Pirkanmaa, and Tammermaa was also used several times in the early days of the province, for example in the Suomi-käsikirja published in 1968.Tampere is wedged between two lakes, Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi, with an 18 m (59 ft) difference in water level, and the rapids that connect them, Tammerkoski, have been an important source of power throughout history, most recently for generating electricity. Tampere is known as the "Manchester of the North" because of its past as a centre of Finnish industry, which has given rise to its Finnish nickname "Manse" and terms such as "Manserock". Tampere has also been officially declared the "Sauna Capital of the World" because it has the most public saunas in the world.Helsinki is about 160 km (100 mi) south of Tampere and can be reached by Pendolino high-speed train in 1 hour 31 minutes and by car in 2 hours. The distance to Turku is about the same. The Tampere–Pirkkala Airport is the eighth busiest airport in Finland, with more than 230,000 passengers using it in 2017. Tampere is also an important transit route for three Finnish highways: Highway 3 (E12), Highway 9 (E63) and Highway 12. The Tampere light rail had two lines when it started operating in 2021.Tampere is ranked 26th in the list of 446 hipster cities in the world and is often rated as the most popular city in Finland. The positive development of Tampere and the Tampere metropolitan area has continued into the 21st century, largely due to the fact that Tampere is one of the most attractive cities in Finland.

The Commerce house is a five-floor residential and business building in Tampere, Finland, located along the Hämeenkatu street and the Tampere Central Square at the so-called Jugendtori square, built in 1899. The building represents the Art Nouveau style and was designed by the Helsinki-based architecture bureau Andersin, Jung ja Bomanson (architects Bertel Jung, Waldemar Andersin and Oscar Bomanson). The name of the building comes from the French word commerce, meaning business or commerce.For a long time, the building hosted the Hotel Central, founded in 1907. The hotel was later renamed Hotel Centrum. The corner business space of the building hosted the Ensimmäinen apteekki pharmacy ("first pharmacy", originally spelled Ensimäinen apteekki according to the spelling rules at the time) until 1983, after which it hosted Finland's first McDonald's hamburger restaurant on 14 December 1984. For a short time, from 1983 to 1984, the business space hosted a Burger King restaurant. In May 2010 the restaurant was threatened by a fire which had started from the fat fryer in the McDonald's restaurant. The repairs of the fire damage lasted for two years and the McDonald's restaurant was reopened in spring 2012. The McDonald's restaurant was closed down in autumn 2015 and was replaced by a restaurant of the Friends & Brgrs hamburger restaurant chain in early 2016.

The Tampere City Central Office Building (Finnish: Tampereen keskusvirastotalo; the so-called "White House") is an office building in Tampere, Finland, located on the edge of Tampere Central Square and the city's administrative center. Among other things, the council hall is located there. The office building was designed by architect Aarne Ervi. It was built in two phases: the first, the southern part was completed in 1967 and the northern extension in 1975. The building is protected cultural property by a town plan in 2009. Opposite the office building is Frenckell’s former factory property, which is also used by the city’s offices.The Central Office Building is one of the most significant representatives of modern architecture in the center of Tampere. The light color of the façade, the strip-like windows, the street-level pillars and the partial roof terrace are typical of functionalism. The layout is reminiscent of an ordinary office building, but the council hall, which protrudes from the façade, adds a distinctive character and feel to the administration building. The restaurant, lobby and public areas are spacious and bright. The exterior of the building is almost in its original appearance, but major alterations have been made to the interior. The original appearance of the council hall has been well preserved.

Hämeenkatu is the main street of Tampere, Finland, located in the city center. The boulevard is roughly a kilometre long, and 28.5 metres (94 ft) wide (driveway and sidewalk) at its widest point. Hämeenkatu is a boulevard, which begins from the east at the Tampere railway station, continues westward to the Hämeenpuisto park, and is covered with cobble stones for its entire length. The street also contains the Hämeensilta bridge crossing the Tammerkoski rapids with gorgeous views on both sides. The bridge that Hämeenkatu runs across Tammerkoski is decorated with four human statues, one at each corner of the bridge. Of these statues, three represent men and one represents a woman. Eastwards from the railway station, Hämeenkatu is followed by the 700-metre (2,300 ft)-long Itsenäisyydenkatu, which then diverges into Sammonkatu and Teiskontie. In the west, Hämeenkatu continues first as Pirkankatu and then as Pispalan valtatie. Construction of the Tampere light rail on the street started in 2017, and in connection to the work, the pedestrian walkways, trees along the street and lighting were renovated and the Hämeensilta bridge was repaired. The Tampere light rail will be finished in 2021.

Tampere Market Hall (Finnish: Tampereen kauppahalli; Swedish: Tammerfors saluhall) is one of the significant market places in Tampere, Finland. It is located in the center of city, between Hämeenkatu and Hallituskatu, and it was opened in 1901. It was decided to build the market in Tampere as a result of a large and unregulated market. It is the largest market hall in the Nordic countries. The floor area of the market hall is 2,100 m2 and the volume is about 18,500 m³. The market hall has 174 sales outlets and in 2013 there were 39 companies operating in them. 40 percent of the outlets are used in cafeterias and restaurants, which especially the restaurant 4 Vuodenaikaa ("Four Seasons") is very popular with both locals and tourists. The longest of the current stores in the mall have been Joenniemi Flower Shop (1940–) and Lindgren Bros. Meat Shop (1949–).

The Tampere Central Square (Finnish: Keskustori) is a public square in the centre of Tampere, Finland, along the main street Hämeenkatu. The Central Square is located on the western shore of Tammerkoski and many important buildings in Tampere are located near it. These include the Tampere City Hall, the Tampere City Central Office Building, the Old Church of Tampere and the Tampere Theatre. The Central Square was called Kauppatori ("Market Square") until 1936.

Keskusta ("City Centre") is a main district of the city of Tampere, Finland, formed by less than 20 suburbs in the city centre. Over 63,000 people live in Keskusta. It is located along the Tammerkoski rapids and its most important services include Tampere City Hall and the Market Hall.

Laukontori (or the Laukko Square, also known as Alaranta) is a market square in the southern part of the city center of Tampere, Finland, on the shores of Lake Pyhäjärvi. It is located just a few hundred meters from Tampere Central Square. Square's beach serves as a harbor for cruise ships to the Viikinsaari island and the city of Hämeenlinna in the summer. Laukontori got its name from the first steamboat sailing on Lake Pyhäjärvi, the Laukko paddle steamer, which was built in 1859 but scrapped as early as 1864. As such, the ship was so significant that the people of Tampere began to use the name Laukontori, or the square on which Laukko landed. The same berth was later used by another steamboat named Laukko. Alaranta and Alasatama have been used as parallel names for Laukontori, although on the other hand the port of the Mustalahti bay on the shores of Lake Näsijärvi has never been called Yläranta or Yläsatama. Laukontori has officially belonged to the Tampere street system in 1868–1886 and again since 1897. In the intervening years, the market was called Kalatori ("fish market square"). Residential apartment buildings were built on the outskirts of Laukontori in the early 20th century, and the area was a favorite residential area for wealthy city dwellers. In 1905, almost half of the residents of the entire Nalkala district were considered to belong to the highest social group. Until the 1950s, Laukontori was a lively trading place where rural residents who came to Tampere from the Lake Pyhäjärvi area sold their products on inland waterway vessels. In addition to Tammelantori, Laukontori is also a famous "original" place to enjoy the mustamakkara black sausage. The Laukontori is led across the Tammerkoski by the Vuolteensilta bridge, completed in 1985, and the Laukonsilta bridge, completed in the summer of 2010, connects Laukontori and the Ratina district.

The Tampere Theatre (Finnish: Tampereen Teatteri) is one of the two main active theatres in Tampere, Finland, along with the Tampere Workers' Theatre. The theatre was started in 1904 and the opening ceremony was held in 1913.The main location of the Tampere Theatre is located right in the centre of Tampere, opposite the municipality hall on the shore of Tammerkoski. The building was designed in the National Romantic architecture style. The second location, called the Frenckell Hall, is also on the Tammerkoski shore in an old brick building in the Frenckell quarter.

Plevna is a former industrial building located in the neighbourhood of Finlayson in central Tampere, Finland, hosting a Finnkino movie theatre, the brewery restaurant Plevna and the Koskipanimo microbrewery. The building was designed by architects Georg Gunliffe and F. L. Calonius for the textile manufacturer Finlayson Oy and built from 1876 to 1877. It housed the largest weaving hall in the Nordic countries upon completion, holding 1200 power looms. The red brick facade lacked windows and the weaving hall was illuminated through the ceiling windows.Plevna was the first building in the Nordic countries and the Russian Empire (which Finland was part of at the time) to be lit by electric lighting. The Thomas Edison electric light was first used in the building on 15 March 1882. A bridge was built in 1876 between the Plevna and Katuvapriikki buildings, which also served as the main entrance of the factory. The bridge has since been dismantled.The building is named after the city of Pleven, Bulgaria, and the 1877 siege of Plevna during the Russo-Turkish War, which also involved Finnish soldiers to commemorate it.

The Finlayson industrial area is a historic industrial area in the centre of Tampere, Finland. It is located in the Finlayson district to the west of the Tammerkoski rapids, north of the Satakunnankatu street. Opposite the area to the east of Tammerkoski is the Tampella former industrial area. Neither of the areas remain in industrial use today, but many of the old industrial buildings remain in their place. The Finlayson factory was founded in 1820 by Scottish industrialist James Finlayson. He commissioned a factory on the upper reaches of the Tammerkoski rapids. None of the original buildings commissioned by Finlayson remain to this day. Finlayson sold the factory to Carl Samuel Nottbeck and Georg Adolf Rauch in 1836. The new owners started to expand the factory. Nowadays the area is owned by the Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company.

The Spy Museum is the world's first public museum of international espionage, located in Tampere, Finland. The museum was founded in 1998. The idea of the museum was invented by Teppo Turja, who founded the museum. The museum is the only one of its kind in Europe, besides Spy Museum Berlin.