Finland Main Cities

By | September 29, 2021

Oulu

Oulu [ ɔ  lu], Swedish Uleåborg [u ː ləo b ɔ rj], capital of the Regional County northern Finland and Nord-Oesterbotten, Finland, on the delta mouth of Oulujoki in the Gulf of Bothnia (Baltic Sea), (2018) 203 500 residents.

Lutheran bishopric; University (since 1958); Botanical Garden; Information technology and telecommunications center, pulp mills, steel and paper industry, wood processing; Toppila deep water port, airport.

The cathedral from 1770–77 was renovated after a fire in 1828–32; Town house (1894) with festival and theater hall. In the cityscape there are still numerous residential buildings (especially 19th century) made of wood. Buildings of contemporary architecture include the city theater (1972) and the city and provincial library.

An important trading center since the Middle Ages, town in 1610.

Turku

Turku, Swedish Åbo [ o ː bu ː ], capital of the Regional County Southwest Finland and the region Southwest Finland, Finland, on Bothnia 183 800 residents (5.2% Swedish-); Lutheran Archbishop’s Seat; Higher Regional Court; Swedish-speaking university (Åbo Akademi, founded in 1918), Finnish-speaking university (founded in 1920), several vocational colleges; Provincial, art, craft, natural history, Sibelius, Väinö-Aaltonen museum, museum ship; Shipbuilding, metal, food and pharmaceutical industries; Tourism; Sea port, ferry connections to the Åland Islands and Stockholm, airport.

Cathedral Church (consecrated in 1300; damaged in the town fire in 1827; restored in 1929); Observatory (1818, by J. C. L. Engel); Town Hall (1885); Castle (around 1300; further construction phases 14th – 17th centuries). Classicist building on Cathedral Square (former building of the Åbo-Akademi, 1801–15) as well as today’s main building of the academy (1832–33), library of the Åbo-Akademi (1955–57), behind it the »book tower« by E. Bryggman (1935 -36); the new buildings of the university on a hill by A. Ervi (1956–59). Orthodox Church of St. Alexandra (1846) designed by Engel; Cemetery chapel (1938–41, by Bryggman). Culture and sports stadium »Typhoon« (1988–90).

The city, first mentioned in 1154, had been an important trading center and the most important fortress in Finland since the 13th century and the Finnish capital until 1812. In 1276 Turku (first Finnish) became a bishopric; he became Lutheran in 1528. From 1640 to 1828 Turku had a university (moved to Helsinki after the fire in 1827). With the connection to the railway network (1876) Turku developed into an important industrial and commercial city. In 2011 Turku was together with the Estonian capital Tallinn European Capital of Culture.

Vantaa

Vantaa [ v ɑ nt ɑ ː ], Swedish Vanda [v], city in the northern suburban area of Helsinki, Finland, (2018) 228 200 residents.

“Heureka” science center, two universities of applied sciences, aviation museum; Trade center, chemical industry, mechanical engineering, food industry, construction industry; international Airport.

Vantaa received city rights in 1974.

Tampere

Tampere, Swedish Tammerfors, industrial city in western Finland, capital of the Pirkanmaa region, between two lakes on the Tammer rapids, which have been developed for energy generation, (2018) 235 200 residents.

Evangelical Lutheran bishopric; University (founded in 1966 as a merger of three faculties), TU (founded in 1972), theater, museums. The economy is determined by information technology, chemical, food, paper, electrical industry, mechanical engineering, metal processing; Tourism; Transport hub, airport.

Factory buildings and the workers’ district of Amuri (around 1900) have been preserved; today, in addition to the cathedral built by Lars Sonck (* 1870, † 1956) in 1902–07 and the city theater (1913), buildings by R. Pietilä (Kaleva Church, 1964–66; library, 1986) shape the cityscape. 1987-89 the music and congress hall was built.

Tampere was founded in 1775 by King Gustav III. Founded by Sweden and developed into an important industrial location under Russian sovereignty after 1819.

Espoo

Espoo [ εspo ː ], Swedish Espoo, city (since 1963) in the Uusimaa region, Finland, in the western part of the agglomeration Helsinki, (2018) 283 600 residents.

Second largest city in Finland; Evangelical Lutheran bishopric; Main campus of Aalto University (founded in 2010), technical colleges, watch museum; major business enterprises from the fields of telecommunications, paper industry, energy industry, mechanical engineering, entertainment electronics. – The simple cathedral was completed in 1490.

Oulu

Oulu [ ɔ  lu], Swedish Uleåborg [u ː ləo b ɔ rj], capital of the Regional County northern Finland and Nord-Oesterbotten, Finland, on the delta mouth of Oulujoki in the Gulf of Bothnia (Baltic Sea), (2018) 203 500 residents.

Lutheran bishopric; University (since 1958); Botanical Garden; Information technology and telecommunications center, pulp mills, steel and paper industry, wood processing; Toppila deep water port, airport.

The cathedral from 1770–77 was renovated after a fire in 1828–32; Town house (1894) with festival and theater hall. In the cityscape there are still numerous residential buildings (especially 19th century) made of wood. Buildings of contemporary architecture include the city theater (1972) and the city and provincial library.

An important trading center since the Middle Ages, town in 1610.

Vantaa

Vantaa [ v ɑ nt ɑ ː ], Swedish Vanda [v], city in the northern suburban area of Helsinki, Finland, (2018) 228 200 residents. Visit sunglasseswill for Quick Facts About Finland.

“Heureka” science center, two universities of applied sciences, aviation museum; Trade center, chemical industry, mechanical engineering, food industry, construction industry; international Airport.

Vantaa received city rights in 1974.

Espoo

Espoo [ εspo ː ], Swedish Espoo, city (since 1963) in the Uusimaa region, Finland, in the western part of the agglomeration Helsinki, (2018) 283 600 residents.

Second largest city in Finland; Evangelical Lutheran bishopric; Main campus of Aalto University (founded in 2010), technical colleges, watch museum; major business enterprises from the fields of telecommunications, paper industry, energy industry, mechanical engineering, entertainment electronics. – The simple cathedral was completed in 1490.

Helsinki

Helsinki (Swedish Helsingfors) capital of Finland, located on a peninsula on the Gulf of Finland, (2018) 648,000 residents.

Numerous bays, peninsulas and small islands (skerries) determine the image of the “white city of the north”. The center is dominated by buildings from the classicism period, including Cathedral, government palace, university. The remains of the once mighty Suomenlinna fortress lie on the south-east coast.

Helsinki’s economic importance lies primarily in the areas of finance, media and information technology. As the headquarters of almost all Finnish industrial companies, Helsinki is an important meeting and convention city.

Finland Main Cities