Oulu

Oulu, the biggest city in northern Europe, is an excellent holiday destination, with entertainment, culture and shopping opportunities for every taste.

Oulu is an industrial city, a commercial city, a city of schools and a university, a city of high technology, a maritime city and also a city of tourism. Population of Oulu is over 130 000. Oulu has colourful pedestrian streets with department stores and boutiques, a lively market square, a large variety of events as well as excellent restaurants and cosy cafés. Located on a junction of a river and the sea, Oulu has magnificent waterways as well as beautiful old buildings and lush green parks. In the immediate area around the city, there are also several natural attractions that are perfect destinations for day-trips.

Oulu is situated at the mouth of the River Oulujoki. The locality is known as a very old market place, where tar was brought down the river from the hinterland in long tar boats, to be sold and exchanged for other commodities. In the 19th century Oulu was one of the world's most important tar export harbours. For this reason, Oulu used to be called the city of tar merchants.

During the war between Sweden's John III and the Russians in 1590, a castle was built on Linnansaari island in the Oulu area. In 1605 Charles IX of Sweden had the castle renovated and at the same time decreed that a town be established on the mainland just across the water from the island. In 1822 Oulu was almost totally destroyed by fire, but it was rebuilt fairly soon and economic progress was rapid. Ever since its foundation Oulu has also been the intellectual centre of its extensive province and of the whole of Northern Finland.