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Oulu

Encyclopedia : O : OU : OUL : Oulu

(Uleåborg stad, City of Oulu)
Oulun kaupunki

City Oulu (1605)
Administrative Province Oulu province
Historical Province Ostrobothnia
Area (2004-01-01)
 – Total (excl. sea areas)
 – Land
 – Inland water

 Ranked 244th
384.99 km²
373.10 km²
11.89 km²
Population
 – Total (2005-08-31)
 – Density

 Ranked 6th
128,095
343.3/km²

This article is about the Finnish city; for other uses see Oulu (disambiguation).

Oulu ([listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info])) (Uleåborg in Swedish) (65°00'N 25°28'E) is a city and municipality of about 130,000 inhabitants in the province of Oulu and the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the largest and most important city in Northern Finland and the sixth biggest city in the country. Its population growth rate is almost comparable with that of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.

Oulu was founded on August 8 1605 by King Karl IX of Sweden opposite the castle built on the island of Linnansaari. This took place after favourable peace settlements with the Russians, which removed the threat of them attacking the region via the main east-west waterway, the river Oulu (the surrounding areas were populated much earlier). Oulu is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of Oulu River, which is an ancient trading site. One source for the name Oulu is a word in the Sami language meaning floodwater, but there are other suggestions. Oulu has been the capital of Oulu province since 1776. In 1822, there was a fire in the city.

From being a town known for wood tar and salmon, Oulu has evolved into a major centre of competence in the field of high technology, particularly IT and wellness technology. Other prominent industries are wood refining, paper and steel industry. The University of Oulu is located 6 km north of the city center. The Oulu Airport, located in neighbouring municipality of Oulunsalo, is the second busiest in Finland.

The best known cultural exports of the city of Oulu are Air guitar World Championships, Mieskuoro Huutajat (also known as the Screaming Men), and metal band Sentenced.

Contents

Sights

Image of Oulu, March 2004, showing the inlet of Pokkitörmä at the mouth of the Oulu River.
Enlarge
Image of Oulu, March 2004, showing the inlet of Pokkitörmä at the mouth of the Oulu River.

Other points of interest

Railway station area in Oulu, looking southwest along Hallituskatu.
Enlarge
Railway station area in Oulu, looking southwest along Hallituskatu.

Transportation

Air

Oulu is served by Oulu Airport with non-stop scheduled flights to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Stockholm-Arlanda Airport and Rovaniemi Airport as well as charter flights to Southern Europe and Canary Isles.

Rail

The shortest travel time from Oulu Railway Station to Helsinki Central Railway Station is 5 h 44 mins, operated by VR. There are also night trains with beds taking 8-11 hours; the newest night train cars are double deckers and have showers and toilets in the cabins. Other destinations include, for instance, Kolari, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki and Tampere.

Road

Trivia

An amusing feature of the downtown landscape has been, for years, a certain piece of graffiti. The words "paska kaupunni" have been repeatedly written on a wall on Uusikatu street, between the bars Linnankrouvi and Cuba (formerly Reidar). The graffito has survived countless overpaintings, sometimes appearing with an added N. The most recent variation reads "tiptopaskanbe kaupunni", as seen on [paskakaupunni.com].

Paska kaupunni means "shitty city" with the word kaupunni ("kaupunki") misspelt to make it sound like the local dialect, and is probably a reference to a song by Oulu-born Finnish rock musician and author Kauko Röyhkä.

External links

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