Oulu

Oulu Uleåborg
City
Oulun kaupunki Uleåborgs stad
Top: Rantakatu in downtown Oulu, Oulu City Hall Middle: Lyseo Upper Secondary School and the Oulu Cathedral Bottom: Shops along Kirkkokatu, Radisson Blu Hotel along Ojakatu
Coat of arms
Location of Oulu in Finland
Coordinates: 65°01′N 025°28′E / 65.017°N 25.467°E / 65.017; 25.467Coordinates: 65°01′N 025°28′E / 65.017°N 25.467°E / 65.017; 25.467
Country	Finland
Region	North Ostrobothnia
Sub-region	Oulu sub-region
Charter	1605-04-08
Government
• City manager	Päivi Laajala
Area  (2018-01-01)[1]
• City	3,817.52 km2 (1,473.95 sq mi)
• Land	1,410.17 km2 (544.47 sq mi)
• Water	103.2 km2 (39.8 sq mi)
• Urban	187.1 km2 (72.2 sq mi)
Area rank	17th largest in Finland
Population  (2019-01-31)[3]
• City	203,750
• Rank	5th largest in Finland
• Density	144.49/km2 (374.2/sq mi)
• Urban	200,071[2]
• Urban density	915.8/km2 (2,372/sq mi)
Population by native language [4]
• Finnish	97.3% (official)
• Swedish	0.2%
• Others	2.4%
Population by age [5]
• 0 to 14	17%
• 15 to 64	70.5%
• 65 or older	12.5%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Municipal tax rate[6]	19%
Website	www.ouka.fi

Oulu (/ˈaʊluː/,^[7] also US: /ˈoʊluː/,^[8][9] Finnish: [ˈou̯lu] (listen); Swedish: Uleåborg [ˌʉːlɛɔˈbɔrj] (listen)) is a city and municipality of 203,750 inhabitants (31 January 2019)^[3] in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the fifth most populous city in the country. There are no larger cities in the world, apart from Murmansk Russia, that are more northerly than Oulu, it is also considered one of Europe's "living labs", where residents experiment with new technology (such as NFC tags and ubi-screens) at a community-wide scale.^[10]

Etymology[edit]

The city is named after the river Oulujoki, which originates in the lake Oulujärvi. There have been a number of other theories for the origin of the name Oulu. One possible source for the name Oulu is a word in the Sami language meaning 'flood water', but there are other suggestions. At minimum, the structure of the word requires that, if originally given by speakers of a Uralic language, the name must be a derivative. In all likelihood, it also predates Finnish settlement and is thus a loanword from one of the now-extinct Saami languages once spoken in the area.

The most probable theory is that the name derives from the Finnish dialectal word oulu, meaning "floodwater", which is related to e.g. Southern Sami åulo, meaning "melted snow", åulot meaning "thaw" (of unknown ultimate origin). Two other word families have also been speculated to be related; the first is seen in the Northern Savo dialectal word uula and its Sami counterpart oalli, both meaning "river channel". The second is the Uralic root reconstructed as *uwa, meaning "river bed" (reflected as vuo in modern Finnish, also in derivatives such as vuolas "heavy-flowing"). To either of these roots, some Sami variety would have to be assumed having added further derivational suffixes.^[11]

History[edit]

Oulu was founded on 8 April 1605 by King Charles IX of Sweden, opposite the fort built on the island of Linnansaari; this took place after favourable peace settlements with Russia, which removed the threat of attack via the main east-west waterway, the river Oulu.^{[citation needed]} The surrounding areas were populated much earlier. Oulu is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of river Oulujoki, which is an ancient trading site. Oulu was the capital of the Province of Oulu from 1776 to 2009.

In 1822, a major fire destroyed much of the city.^{[citation needed]} The architect Carl Ludvig Engel, chiefly known for the neoclassical (empire style) buildings around Helsinki Senate Square, was enlisted to provide the plan for the rebuilding of the city. With minor changes, this plan remains the basis for the layout of Oulu's town center; the Oulu Cathedral was built in 1832 to his designs, with the spire being finished in 1844. During the Crimean War, Oulu's harbour was raided by the British fleet, destroying ships and burning tar houses, leading to international criticism.^{[citation needed]}

Once known for wood tar and salmon, Oulu has evolved into a major high-tech centre, particularly in IT and wellness technology. Other prominent industries include wood refining, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paper, and steel.^{[citation needed]}

The municipality of Ylikiiminki was merged with the city of Oulu on 1 January 2009. Oulu and the municipalities of Haukipudas, Kiiminki, Oulunsalo, and Yli-Ii were merged on 1 January 2013.^[12]

Oulu was the site of the 2018 Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä declared that “Sex crimes against children are inhumane acts of incomprehensible evil.”^[13]

Geography[edit]

Oulu is located in northern Finland, a considerable distance from the other cities in the country. Mainland Finland's northernmost and southernmost points are roughly equidistant from Oulu. Oulu's coast sits at the Bothnian Bay (Perämeri in Finnish) and the Swedish mainland is about 180 km directly west across the Bothnian Bay; the nearby island Hailuoto is just off the coast.

Subdivisions[edit]

Oulu is divided into 106 city districts; the largest of these are Haukipudas, Oulunsalo, Kaakkuri, Ritaharju, Tuira, and Kello.

Climate[edit]

Oulu has a subarctic continental climate (Köppen: Dfc), being the largest Finnish city entirely in this climatic zone as well as and one of the largest in the world; the features are cold and snowy winters with short and warm summers.^[14][15] Average annual temperature is 2.7 °C (36.9 °F). The average annual precipitation is 477 mm (18.78 in) falling 105 days per year, mostly in late summer and fall.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics[edit]

In 2008, there were 316 Swedish speaking inhabitants, which was 0.2% of the total population, making the city unilingual. In 2007, there were 2,417 foreign citizens living in the city, of whom 618 were from elsewhere in the EU. 51.1% of the population is female.

Population[edit]

The population growth of Oulu (and merged municipalities) 1980–2015 Year Population 1980   121 809 1985   128 869 1990   136 029 1995   146 395 2000   160 851 2005   173 436 2010   185 419 2015   196 956 Source: Tilastokeskus[18]

Culture[edit]

The best known cultural exports of the city of Oulu are Air Guitar World Championships held annually in August, Mieskuoro Huutajat (also known as Screaming Men), and the now defunct metal band Sentenced.

Many artists, writers, and musicians live in the city. A variety of concerts — rock, classical, and jazz — as well as other cultural events take place each year. Examples include the Oulu Music Video Festival, the Air Guitar World Championships, and the Musixine Music Film Competition, all in August. In July, the annual rock festival Qstock takes place; the Oulu Music Festival is held in winter and the Oulunsalo Music Festival in summer. The Irish Festival of Oulu takes place each October and the International Children's Film Festival each November.

Museums in Oulu include the Northern Ostrobothnia museum, the Oulu Museum of Art (OMA), the Tietomaa science center, and the Turkansaari open-air museum.

Notable statues and sculptures in Oulu include a sculpture of Frans Michael Franzén and The Bobby at the Market Place statue.

Kalmah is a melodic death metal-band from Oulu that formed in 1998.

Sights[edit]

• 

  Oulu City Hall.

• 

  Merikoski hydroelectric dam.

• 

  View over the river Oulu towards Tuira from Hupisaaret park; the water power plant can be seen on the right side. Tuira is one of the largest districts of Oulu with almost 7,000 inhabitants.

• 

  Rotuaari pedestrian street.

• 

  Oulu Cathedral.

• 

  Spa Hotel Eden and sand beach in Nallikari recreation and tourism area.

• 

  Mannerheim Park is a favourite hangout place for many.

• 

  Oulu Market Hall.

• 

  Oulu Museum of Art.

• 

  The old observatory in Linnansaari, it was built in 1875 on top of the ruins of the Castle of Oulu.

• 

  Snowy bicycles in front of library of architecture of Oulu University.

• 

  The church of the Holy Family of Nazareth Parish in Oulu, built by the Neocatechumenal Way. February 2006

• Tietomaa, a science center with over 150 exhibits
• The Rapids Center, the area in the estuary of the Oulu river consisting of small islands connected with bridges and fountains in the middle of the river, and including a housing area of building blocks planned by Alvar Aalto
• The Market Square with the City Library, the City Theatre and old salt and tar storehouses
• Hupisaaret Islands, a large park area located in the estuary of the Oulu river
• The F. M. Franzen memorial
• The Koitelinkoski rapids
• The Northern Ostrobothnia museum
• The Pateniemi Sawmill Museum
• The Vehicle Museum
• The University of Oulu Botanical Gardens (situated in Linnanmaa)
• The Arctic Gallery
• Technopolis, the technology village
• Turkansaari (historical open-air museum)

Churches[edit]

• Cathedral
• Haukipudas Church
• Holy Family of Nazareth Church
• Holy Trinity Cathedral of Oulu
• Kiiminki Church
• Oulujoki Church
• Oulunsalo Church
• St. Luke's Chapel
• Tuira Church
• Ylikiiminki Church

Other points of interest[edit]

• Oulu Music Video Festival
• Air Guitar World Championships
• Jalometalli Metal Music Festival
• The Irish Festival of Oulu
• Laitakari beacon tower
• Madetoja Hall, housing the Oulu Music Centre (website) the residence of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra
• Oulu Hall (a large indoor sports facility consisting of a low dome, which looks somewhat like a landed flying saucer)
• Terwa Marathon & Run event in late May (since 1989)
• The Terva-skiing event in early March (since 1889)
• The Winter Swimming World Championship^{[citation needed]}

Education[edit]

The University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences have their main campuses located in Oulu.

Oulu is home to the most northerly architecture school in the world; the school is best known for its strong regionalistic ideas for developing architecture. This movement is named "the Oulu school" ("Oulun koulu") of architecture.^{[citation needed]}

Oulu Vocational College has over 13 000 students, it houses several different study subjects in different units which are spread over Oulu and neighbouring municipalities. Oulu Vocational College School of Business Studies is one of the few vocational schools which has game programming in its curriculum.

Oulu International School is one of nine schools in Finland offering basic education in English.

Transport[edit]

Oulu is served by Oulu Airport, the second largest airport in Finland by passenger volume, it is located 15 kilometres (9 mi) south-west of the city centre.

The Port of Oulu is one of the busiest harbours on the Bothnian Bay, it includes four separate harbour areas: Vihreäsaari oil and bulk docks, Nuottasaari docks and Oritkari docks.

The shortest travel time from Oulu railway station to Helsinki Central railway station is 5 h 29 min, operated by VR. Other destinations include Kolari, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki and Tampere.

The most important road in Oulu is Highway 4 (E8/E75) that runs from Helsinki to Utsjoki via Lahti, Jyväskylä, Oulu, Kemi and Rovaniemi. Other highways running to and from Oulu are Highway 20 to Kuusamo and Highway 22 to Kajaani.^[19]

Oulu is notable for its transportation network dedicated to non-vehicular traffic including pedestrians and bicycles (termed "light" traffic in Finland). In 2010, the city contained more than 600 kilometres (370 mi) of pathways and more than 100 underpasses and bridges devoted exclusively to light traffic; the network is used year-round. The ratio of light traffic pathways to residents is the highest in Finland and the cycling mode share is 20 percent.^[20][21] Oulu is often touted as an excellent city for bicycling.

In 2015, a large underground parking facility Kivisydän (Heart of Stone) opened in the city center directly beneath main shopping streets; the network of parallel roads for cars and pedestrians was drilled in the rock at the depth of 30 meters. The parking facility includes two ramps, 900 visitor parking lots (expandable to 1500), six access points to the ground served by 19 elevators (expandable to nine and 25), a service facility for commercial delivery vehicles, and ubi-screens which guide the driver to the selected ground access point and help locate the parked car by its license number.^[22][23]

Employment[edit]

As of 31 December 2008, the active working population was employed as follows:^[24]

Industries	Working population
Services	43,049
Industry	11,111
Commerce	10,848
Construction	5,449
Transport	3,698
Farming, forestry and mining	582
Unknown	431
Unemployment rate	16.3% (2016)
Total	75,158

In 2011, the most important employers were:^[24]

Employer	No. of employees
City of Oulu	9,709
Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District	6,144
University of Oulu	3,045
Nokia Networks	2,100
Nokia Group	2,000
The Oulu Region Joint Authority for Vocational Training	1,955
Kesko Group	1,426
Cooperative Arina Group (S Group)	1,107
Stora Enso Group	1,155
Itella Corporation	780
ISS Palvelut Oy	730
ODL Group	653

Sports[edit]

Ice hockey is the most popular spectator sport in Oulu; the local club Kärpät has won the SM-liiga championship title eight times (1981, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015 and 2018). It has also twice been the runner-up in the IIHF European Champions Cup, in 2005 and in 2006.

In football AC Oulu plays in Ykkönen, the second tier of the Finnish league system. So far OPS has claimed the Finnish football championship only twice by winning Mestaruussarja in 1979 and in 1980. Other notable football clubs include OLS, OTP and JS Hercules.

Oulu has one well-known bandy club, OLS, which plays in Bandyliiga and has become Finnish champions 14 times, most recently in 2014; the other bandy club, OPS, with its 7 championships and a bronze medal as late as in 2009, announced it would be closing down after the 2009-10 season. In 2001 the city was the main venue for the Bandy World Championship.

Oulu is also home to several other sports clubs such as Oulu Northern Lights (American football), Oulun NMKY (Basketball), Oulun Lippo (Pesäpallo), Oulun Pyrintö (Track and field), OYUS (Rugby union), Oulu Irish Elks (Gaelic football) and ETTA (Volleyball).

Oulun Tervahiihto is an annual ski marathon event held since 1889.

Terwa Run & Marathon is an annual running event held since 1989 in late May.

Notable people from Oulu[edit]

• Saara Aalto, singer, X Factor UK finalist
• Peter von Bagh, film historian and director
• Vladislav Delay, electronic musician
• Lars Gallenius, 17th century painter
• Matti Hautamäki, ski jumper
• Aaro Hellaakoski, poet
• V.A. Koskenniemi, poet
• Leevi Madetoja, composer
• Frans Michael Franzén, poet
• Impaled Nazarene, nuclear metal band
• Iivo Niskanen, Olympic champion cross-country skier
• Kerttu Niskanen, cross-country skier
• Leena Peltonen-Palotie, geneticist
• Susanna Pöykiö, figure skater
• Mika Ronkainen, filmmaker
• Keke Rosberg, 1982 Formula One world champion
• Kauko Röyhkä, author and rock musician
• Sara Wacklin, teacher and writer
• Mikael Toppelius, church painter
• Three former Presidents of the country, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, Kyösti Kallio and Martti Ahtisaari, also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• Ice Hockey players, Kari Jalonen, Mikael Granlund, Markus Granlund, Joni Pitkänen, Reijo Ruotsalainen, Mika Pyörälä, Lasse Kukkonen, Sebastian Aho
• Football players, Aki Lahtinen, Seppo Pyykkö, Antti Niemi and Mika Nurmela

International relations[edit]

Twin towns and sister cities[edit]

Oulu is twinned with:^[25]

Partnership and twinning cities[edit]

In addition Oulu has eight 'Partnership & Twinning cities':^[30]

International municipal projects[edit]

The educational department takes part in Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland.

See also[edit]

• Laanila Highschool
• Toppila Power Station

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oulu (category)

• Official website
• Visitoulu.fi – VisitOulu.fi – Official tourism website of Oulu
• Oulu travel guide from Wikivoyage