Information about Tampere

Tampere is the third largest city in Finland with over 230,000 inhabitants. Tampere is home to some 10,600 foreigners, who make up 4,6 % of the entire population. 7,4 % speak a language other than Finnish as their native tongue.

The city is located on a neck of land between two lakes. Lake Näsijärvi is located on the north side of the city while Lake Pyhäjärvi lies to the south.

Tampere has excellent traffic connections. The distance to Helsinki by land is 176 km, and Hämeenlinna and Turku are 75 km and 157 km away, respectively.

The City of Tampere has seven neighbours: Ylöjärvi, Nokia, Pirkkala, Lempäälä, Kangasala, Orivesi and Ruovesi.

The habitation on the narrow neck of land between Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi, at the junction of northern and southern water routes, dates back as far as the 7th century. In the 13th century, the location began to develop into an important place for commerce. The 18th century saw the discovery of the importance of the Tammerkoski rapids that connect the lakes as a source of hydroelectric power. By decision of King Gustav III of Sweden a new town by the name of Tampere was founded in the Swedish Kingdom in 1779.

Starting from the 1820s, Tampere began to grow into the first industrial town in Finland. The most notable of the first industrial facilities was the cotton factory, which was established by the Scottish-born James Finlayson and developed further by Wilhelm Nottbeck. Actual large-scale industry began to arrive in Tampere in the 1850s. The metal, iron and wood processing industries became the most prominent alongside the textile industry – the shoe and leather industry followed later.

The Power from the Rapids online publication tells the tale of how Tampere developed on the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids and was powered by them.

King Gustav III of Sweden signed the document declaring the founding of Tampere on 1 October 1779. To commemorate this occasion, Tampere Day is celebrated annually on the first day of October and at the closest weekend with a variety of events.

The public transport arrangements in the Tampere region, both within the city and between nearby municipalities, are excellent.

The bus traffic in Tampere is handled by Tampere City Transport (TKL). More information about intra-city transport, tickets and prices is available on the public transport website of Tampere. The Repa Journey Planner can advise you on how to get from place to place on a bus. The Journey Planner suggests routes between two selected locations using the bus routes of local bus traffic in Tampere.

There are railway stations in Tampere, Lempäälä, Nokia and Orivesi. Trains provide excellent access to the south, north, east and west. In addition, long-distance buses are an easy way to travel all over Finland.

Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is located in the municipality of Pirkkala, just south of Tampere.

Read more: Traffic

Several religious communities operate in Tampere. The largest is the Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Parishes in Tampere, which includes 5 parishes. The other churches and religious communities include the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Jehova's Witnesses, Evangelical Free Church of Finland, Church of Pentecost Finland, Finnish Methodist Church, Seventh-day Adventist Church in Finland, Finnish Baptist Church and Tampere Islam Society.

The Religions in Finland service provides you with the opportunity to search for information according to religious community or municipality.

Read more: Cultures and religions in Finland

The highest decision-making power in the City of Tampere is wielded by the City Council with 67 members. The council members and their deputy members are elected in the municipal election held every four years.

The City of Tampere website contains information about the City Council and its decisions. You can also listen to live broadcasts of City Council meetings on the Radio Moreeni frequencies 98.4 MHz and 101.5 MHz or online.

You can also come and see a City Council meeting first hand from the audience section of the city office building, the address is Aleksis Kiven katy 14-16.

The Mayor and City Council organise joint residents' evenings where city residents can pose questions and discuss current matters that concern the city. The residents’ evenings are held throughout the city.

Residents can affect the decision-making of the city organisation even at the preparation stage. Information about various channels for engagement is available on the city's website.

The Local Government Act stipulates that municipal residents are entitled to issue initiatives to the municipality in matters concerning its operations. Citizen's initiatives to the City of Tampere can be submitted electronically.