Tampere

Although the name Tampere derives from the Tammerkoski rapids (both the city and the rapids are called Tammerfors in Swedish), the origin and meaning of the Tammer- part of the name has been the subject of much debate. Linguist Ánte Aikio accepts the "straightforward" etymology of Rahkonen and Heikkilä in Proto-Samic , meaning "deep, slow part of a stream" and "rapids" (related to the Finnish koski), which has become the most accepted explanation in academia, according to the Institute for the Languages of Finland. Other theories are that it comes from the Swedish word damber, meaning milldam or that it comes from the ancient Scandinavian words þambr ("fat-bellied") and þambion ("swollen belly"), possibly referring to the rapids' shape. Another suggestion links the name to the Swedish word Kvatemberdagar, or more colloquially Tamperdagar, which refers to the Ember Days of the Western Christian liturgical calendar. The Finnish word for oak, tammi, has also been suggested, although Tampere is outside the natural range of the European oak. Heraldry Tampere's first coat of arms was designed by Arvid von Cederwald in 1838, while the current coat of arms, created in 1960, was designed by Olof Eriksson. Changing the coat of arms was controversial, and even after the change there were occasional calls for the old coat of arms to be restored. The new coat of arms was also described in letters to the editor as Soviet-style because of its colours. The blazon of the old coat of arms has either not survived or was never made, but the current coat of arms has been described as follows: "In the red field, a corrugated counter-bar, above which is accompanied by a piled hammer, and below a caduceus; all gold". Its colours are the same as in the coat of arms of Pirkanmaa. The hammer, which looks like the first letter of the city's name, T, symbolises Tampere's early industry, the caduceus its commercial activities, and the wavy counter-bar the Tammerkoski rapids that divide Tampere's industrial and commercial areas. The city received its first seal in 1803, depicting the city's buildings of the time and Tammerkoski. == History ==

Early history The earliest known permanent settlements around Tammerkoski were established in the 7th century, when settlers from the west of the region began to farm land in Takahuhti, Tampere was a Red stronghold during the war, commanded by Hugo Salmela. White forces led by General Mannerheim captured the city after the Battle of Tampere, taking about 10,000 Red prisoners on 6 April 1918. During the Winter War, Tampere was bombed several times by the Soviet Union. The reason for the bombing of Tampere was that the city was an important railway junction and was also home to the State Aircraft Factory and the Tampella Factory, which produced ammunition and weapons, including grenade launchers. The most devastating bombing took place on 2 March 1940, when nine people were killed and 30 wounded. In addition, ten buildings were destroyed and 30 damaged that day. Postwar period and modern day The dominant force in Tampere's municipal politics after the Second World War was the Brothers-in-Arms Axis (aseveliakseli), which consisted mainly of the National Coalition Party and the Social Democrats. While the Centre Party was the largest political force in the Finnish countryside, it had no practical relevance in Tampere. s film a television program at Frenckell's studio on 2 January 1965 in Tampere. After the Second World War, Tampere was enlarged by the incorporation of some neighbouring areas. Messukylä was incorporated in 1947, Lielahti in 1950, Aitolahti in 1966 and Teisko in 1972. Already in 1937 the most part of modern western Tampere, including Pispala, was annexed to the city from North Pirkkala (today Nokia). Tampere passed the 100,000 population mark in 1950. Tampere was long known for its textile and metal industries, but these were largely replaced by information technology and telecommunications in the 1990s. The Hermia technology centre in Hervanta is home to many companies in these fields. Yleisradio began broadcasting its second television channel, Yle TV2, from Ristimäki, Tampere, in 1965, making Finland the first of the Nordic countries to receive a second television channel, after Sweden's SVT2 began broadcasting four years later. Tampere became a university city when the Social University moved from Helsinki to Tampere in 1960, becoming the University of Tampere in 1966. In 1979, the Tampere-Pirkkala airport was opened from the centre of Tampere on the Pirkkala side of the city. At the turn of the 1990s, Tampere's industry underwent a major structural change, as the production of Tampella and Tampere's textile industry in particular was heavily focused on bilateral trade with the Soviet Union, but when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the companies lost their main customers. As a result of the sudden change and the depression of the early 1990s, Finlayson and Suomen Trikoo had to scale down their operations drastically. Tampella went bankrupt. But although the change left a huge amount of vacant industrial space in the city centre, in the early 2000s it was gradually put to other uses, and today's Tampere cityscape is mainly characterised by strong IT companies, most notably Nokia's Tampere R&D units. == Geography ==

at the Lake Pyhäjärvi Tampere is part of the Pirkanmaa region and is surrounded by the municipalities of Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Ruovesi and Ylöjärvi. Tampere has 180 lakes larger than , and freshwater bodies cover 24% of its area. The lakes formed as separate basins from Lake Ancylus about 7500–8000 years ago. Tampere's northernmost point is in the Vankavesi Fjard of Teisko, the southernmost at the eastern end of Lake Hervanta, the easternmost at the northeast corner of Lake Paalijärvi of Teisko, and the westernmost at the southeast corner of Lake Haukijärvi near the borders of Ylöjärvi and Nokia. The city centre is surrounded by three lakes, Näsijärvi, Pyhäjärvi, and the much smaller Iidesjärvi. The Tampere region lies in the basin of the Kokemäki River, which flows into the Bothnian Sea through Pori, the capital of the Satakunta region. Tampere's bedrock consists of mica schist and migmatite, and its building stone deposits are diverse: in addition to the traditional granite, there is an abundance of quartz diorite, tonalite, mica schist and mica gneiss. One of Tampere's most striking geographic features is the Pyynikki Ridge (Pyynikinharju), a large esker formed from moraine during the Weichselian glaciation. It rises above sea level and is said to be the largest gravel esker in the world. It is also part of Salpausselkä, a long ridge system left over from the Ice Age. (Keskusta) and the Tammerkoski rapids passing through it, The centre of Tampere (Keskusta) and the districts of Pyynikki, Ylä-Pispala and Ala-Pispala lie on the isthmus between Lakes Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi. The city's location on the edge of the Tammerkoski Rapids between two long waterways was one of the main reasons for its foundation in the 1770s. The streets of central Tampere form a typical grid pattern. On the western edge of the city centre is a north–south park road, Hämeenpuisto ("Häme Park" or "Tavastia Park"), which runs from the shore of Lake Pyhäjärvi near Lake Näsijärvi. The wide Hämeenkatu road runs east–west from Tampere Central Station to Hämeenpuisto and crosses Tammerkoski along the Hämeensilta bridge. Also along Hämeenkatu is the longest street in the city centre, Satakunnankatu, which runs from Rautatienkatu to Amuri and crosses Tammerkoski via the Satakunnansilta bridge. Tampere's central square is located on the western bank of Tammerkoski, near Hämeensilta. The traffic centre of Tampere is the junction of Itsenäisyydenkatu, Teiskontie, Sammonkatu, Kalevanpuisto park road and the Kaleva and Liisankallio districts. Neighbourhoods and other subdivisions The city of Tampere is divided into seven statistical areas, each of which includes the many districts and their suburbs. There are 111 statistical areas in Tampere, but the statistical areas created for Tampere's statistics do not fully correspond to the division of Tampere's districts or to the way residents perceive the districts. For example, the districts of Amuri, Kyttälä and Tammela are divided into two parts in accordance with the official district division, and Liisankallio and Kalevanrinne are often considered to belong to the district of Kaleva. Climate Tampere has a humid continental climate Dfb with clearly defined four seasons. The climate of Tampere-Pirkkala Airport, which is located away from the city centre, borders on the subarctic climate zone (Köppen climate classification Dfc). Winters are cold and the average temperature from December to February is below and it can reach to . Summers are cool to warm. The average snow cover lasts 4–5 months from late November to early April. Given the high latitude and inland location, winters are on average quite mild for the latitude, as is the average annual temperature. Temperature records of Tampere Temperature records of Tampere and the near-by Tampere–Pirkkala Airport: Temperature Records of Tampere Highest temperatures at the Tampere–Pirkkala Airport by month since 1980: Lowest temperatures in Pirkanmaa: Lowest temperatures at the Tampere–Pirkkala Airport by month since 1980: == Cityscape ==

Revival and nationalism , the Baroque Revival palace Tampere has buildings from many architectural periods. The Old Stone Church of Messukylä is the only example of medieval architecture. Neoclassicism from the early 19th century is represented by the Old Church of Tampere and its bell tower. The Gothic Revival buildings in Tampere that evolved from Neoclassicism are the New Church of Messukylä and the Alexander Church, while the Renaissance Revival buildings are Hatanpää Manor, Tampere City Hall, Ruuskanen House and Näsilinna. Romantic nationalism can be seen in the Commerce house, the Tirkkonen House, the Palander House, the Tampere Cathedral, the Tampere Central Fire Station and the Tampere National Bank building. The use of red brick as a building material in the industrial buildings along Tammerkoski, such as the Finlayson and Tampella factories, has left a strong imaginary mark on the city. Functionalism and modernism The Post-Art Nouveau was largely Nordic, with the Laikku House of Culture, the Hotel Tammer, the Tuulensuu House and the Viinikka Church built in Tampere. After Functionalism became the dominant style in the 1930s, Tampere Central Station, Tempo House, a bus station and Kauppi Hospital were built in Tampere. There is no single accepted term for the post-war style, but the main representatives of the reconstruction period are the Bank of Finland building, the Amurinlinna building and the Pyynikki swimming pool. The rationalist buildings of the modernist period are represented by the University of Tampere, Tampere Central Hospital, Sampola, the School of Economics, Ratina Stadium and Kaleva Church. The modernist buildings include the Metso Main Library, the Hervanta Operations Centre, the Tampere Hall, the university extension and the Nokia office building in Hatanpää. in November 2021. The centre of Tampere and its western parts have been developed in a more modern direction since the 2010s, and the city aims to have the centre in its future form by the 2030s. In particular, plans have been drawn up for the area around the central railway station in the form of the "Tampere Deck" project, which includes a new multi-purpose arena and high-rise buildings in the area. A light rail network has also recently been built in the city centre. Artificial island projects are planned on the shores of the lakes, which would create new residential areas for several thousand people. The projects are estimated to cost several billion euros. == Economy ==

The Tampere region, Pirkanmaa, which includes outlying municipalities, has around 509,000 residents, 244,000 employed people, and a turnover of €28 billion . According to the Tampere International Business Office, the area is strong in mechanical engineering and automation, information and communication technologies, and health and biotechnology, as well as pulp and paper industry education. Unemployment rate was 9.2% in September 2023. 70% of the areas jobs are in the service sector. Less than 20% are in the manufacturing sector. 34.5% of employed people live outside the Tampere municipality and commute to Tampere for work. Meanwhile, 15.6% of Tampere's residents work outside Tampere. In 2014 the largest employers were Kesko, Pirkanmaan Osuuskauppa, Alma Media and Posti Group. Tampere is headquarters for Bronto Skylift, an aerial rescue and aerial work platform manufacturer. , the tallest hotel in Finland amusement park is the most popular tourist destination of Tampere. According to a study carried out by the TAK Research, the total impact of tourism in the Tampere region in 2022 was more than €562 million. Tourism also brought 4,805 person-years to the region. Tampere's biggest single attraction is the Särkänniemi amusement park, which had about 552,000 visitors in 2023. That year, 1.4 million overnight stays were made in Tampere hotels and 300,000 in other commercial accommodations. The number exceeded the previous record year 2022 by seven percent. Tampere has Finland's second-most hotel stays. Leisure tourism accounted for 865,000 overnight stays and occupational tourism for 551,000. Income from accommodations was €116.9 million in 2023 (up 7.2 million from 2022). Tampere's financial result in 2023 was €55.3 million. The result was heavily affected by one-off payments . In the city's economy, the largest revenues come from taxes and government contributions. In 2023, the city received €477.8 million in municipal tax revenue. In addition, €98 million came from corporate taxes and €105.3 million from property taxes. Increase in municipal tax revenue was 6.9 percent, the highest amount among big cities. Government contributions were €58.3 million. Due to the health and social services reform, the statements of municipal and corporation tax revenue or state contributions are not comparable with previous years. Tampere municipal tax rate in 2024 is 7.6%. == Energy ==

In 2013, Tampereen Energiantuotanto, which is part of the Tampereen Energia (formerly Tampereen Sähkölaitos Group), generated 1,254 GWh of electricity and 2,184 GWh of district heating. The two units of the Naistenlahti power station accounted for about 65% of the total electricity production and the Lielahti power station for about 30%. The Naistenlahti and Lielahti units accounted for 57% and 23% of district heating production, respectively. The ten heating centres in Tampere accounted for 21%. In 2023, the share of renewable energy in the district heating production was around 80%. The goal was to end the use of peat completely during that year. Hydropower, wood and nuclear power were used as well as mixed waste, of which 50% is considered renewable. Emissions from energy production have decreased in the 21st century due to the growth of renewable forms of production and the modernisation of the Naistenlahti power plant. In 2013, about 669,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and 297 tonnes of sulphur dioxide were emitted. == Water and waste management ==

75% of Tampere's domestic water is surface water and 25% groundwater. 58% of the water is diverted to economic use and 13% to industrial use. In addition to Tampere, Tampereen Vesi manages water in Pirkkala. Almost all surface water comes from Lake Roine. In addition, Tampereen Vesi has three surface water plants in Lake Näsijärvi and five groundwater intakes. Tampereen Vesi is responsible for 96% of wastewater from Tampere, Kangasala, Pirkkala and Ylöjärvi. In 2023, a total of 33 million cubic meters of wastewater was treated in Tampere. The Viinikanlahti treatment plant treats more than 75% of wastewater. The new central treatment plant in Sulkavuori will open in 2025. It is a joint project of Tampere, Kangasala, Pirkkala, Ylöjärvi, Lempäälä and Vesilahti, with a treatment capacity of 100 000 cubic metres of wastewater per day. Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto handles waste management in Tampere. It has waste treatment facilities in Nokia's Lake Koukkujärvi and Tampere's Lake Tarastenjärvi. == Demographics ==

Population The city of Tampere has inhabitants, making it the most populous municipality in Finland and the tenth in the Nordics. The Tampere region, with people, is the second largest after the Helsinki metropolitan area. Tampere is home to 5% of Finland's population. 12% of the population has a foreign background, which is above the national average. However, it is lower than in the major Finnish cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa or Turku. The demographic structure of Tampere shows that the city is a very popular place to study, as the number of young adults is significantly higher than in other municipalities in the region. At the end of 2012, the old-age dependency ratio was 45. 19.2% of the population was over the age of 64 in 2024. == Education ==

, Festia building The comprehensive education is given mainly in Finnish but the city has special bilingual groups where students study in Finnish and a second language (English, French or German). There are three institutions of higher education in the Tampere area totaling 40,000 students: the university and two polytechnic institutions (). Tampere University (TUNI) has over 20,000 students and two campuses, one in the Kalevanharju district, close to the city centre, and one in Hervanta, in the southern part of the city. The institution was formed in 2019 as a result of the merge of University of Tampere (UTA) and Tampere University of Technology (TUT). TUNI is also the major shareholder of the Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu, TAMK), a polytechnic with about 10,000 students. The Police University College, the polytechnic institution serving all of Finland in its field of specialization, is also in Tampere. Tampere University Hospital (Tampereen yliopistollinen sairaala, TAYS) in the Kauppi district, one of the main hospitals in Finland, is affiliated with Tampere University. It is a teaching hospital with 34 medical specializations. The Nurmi district in the northern part of city also houses the (Tampereen kristillinen koulu), which operates on a co-Christian basis and is maintained by the Adventist Church of Finland, offering free basic education based on Christian basic values and outlook on life for all grades of primary school. == Arts and culture ==

Tampere is known for its active cultural life. Some of Finland's most popular writers, such as Väinö Linna, Kalle Päätalo, and Hannu Salama, hail from Tampere. They are known particularly for depicting the lives of working-class people, thanks to their backgrounds as members of the working class. Also from such a background was the poet Lauri Viita of the Pispala district, which was also Salama's original home. On 1 October, Tampere celebrates Tampere Day (), which hosts a variety of public events. Today, Yle operates as a tenant in its old premises, which in 2013 was transformed into a hub for visual media production companies and training institutes called Mediapolis. The Ruutu+ streaming service's popular crime drama television series Lakeside Murders (), based on the Koskinen book series by Seppo Jokinen, is also produced and filmed in Tampere. and the 2022 American sci-fi film Dual. In 2014, Aamulehti, which was published in Tampere and was founded in 1881, Cities: Skylines II also features the city's geography as an in-game map for those who pre-ordered the game. Iceflake Studios, the studio working on Cities: Skylines II since 2026, is also headquartered in Tampere. Food '' ("black sausage"), a speciality food from Tampere, is typically consumed with lingonberry jam. in Finland. The restaurant chain Siipiweikot originates from Tampere. Almost half of the chicken wings sold in Finland are eaten exclusively in Pirkanmaa. the first capital of Finland, and they tend to compete for the title of being the "second grand city of Finland" after Helsinki. == Main sights ==

and Näsijärvi seen from Näsinneula , designed by Reima and Raili Pietilä, in Liisankallio One of the main tourist attractions is the Särkänniemi amusement park, which includes the landmark Näsinneula tower, topped by a revolving restaurant. In addition to these, it used to house an aquarium. Other sites of interest are Tampere Cathedral, Tampere City Hall, Tampere Central Library Metso ("Capercaillie"), Kaleva Church (both designed by Reima Pietilä), the Tampere Hall for conferences and concerts, the Tampere Market Hall (along Hämeenkatu) and historical Pyynikki observation tower. Tampere has at least seven hotels, the most noteworthy of which are Hotel Tammer, Hotel Ilves, and Hotel Torni, the tallest hotel building in Finland. The Holiday Club Tampere spa is also located in the Lapinniemi district on the shores of Lake Näsijärvi. There are also many significant shopping centers in the city center of Tampere and its suburbs; the most notable shopping centers are Ratina, Koskikeskus, DUO, Like, and Tullintori. Tampere is also home to one of the last museums in the world dedicated to Vladimir Lenin. The museum is housed in the Tampere Workers' Hall (along Hallituskatu) where during a subsequent Bolshevik conference in the city, Lenin met Joseph Stalin for the first time. Lenin moved to Tampere in August 1905, but eventually fled for Sweden in November 1907 when being pursued by the Russian Okhrana. Lenin did not return to any part of the Russian Empire until ten years later, when he heard of the start of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Tampere Lenin-museum closed on 3 November 2024 and reopened under the name Nootti (Note) in February 2025. There are many museums and galleries, including: • The Vapriikki Museum Centre which includes the Natural History Museum of Tampere, Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame, Finnish Museum of Games, Post Museum and the Shoe Museum • Hatanpää Manor and Hatanpää Arboretum • The Näsilinna Palace • Tampere Art Museum • Tampere Lenin Museum • The Moomin Museum, about Moomins • Rupriikki Media Museum • Spy Museum in Siperia • Workers' housing museum in Amuri. • Finland's largest glass sculpture, owned by the City of Tampere, "Pack Ice / The Mirror of the Sea" by the artist Timo Sarpaneva, was installed in the entrance lobby of the downtown shopping mall KoskiKeskus until it was moved to a warehouse. Pispala Pispala is a ridge between the two lakes. It is divided into Ylä-Pispala ("Upper Pispala") and Ala-Pispala ("Lower Pispala"). It's the highest gravel ridge in the world, raising above Lake Pyhäjärvi and around above sea level. It housed the majority of industrial labour in the late 19th and early 20th century, when it was part of Suur-Pirkkala and its successor Pohjois-Pirkkala. It was a free area to be built upon by the working-class people working in Tampere factories. It joined Tampere in 1937. It is now a residential area undergoing significant redevelopment and together with neighbouring Pyynikki forms an important historical area of Tampere. == Events ==

Concerts Ratina Stadium of Tampere, in the district by the same name, has served as the venue for many of the most significant concerts, most notably in connection with the Endless Forms Most Beautiful World Tour in 2015 by the band Nightwish. Other noteworthy tours from other bands held at Ratina Stadium include Iron Maiden (Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, 2008), Bruce Springsteen (Working on a Dream Tour, 2009), AC/DC (Black Ice World Tour, 2010), Red Hot Chili Peppers (''I'm with You World Tour, 2012), Bon Jovi (Because We Can World Tour, 2013), Robbie Williams (The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour, 2017) and Rammstein (Rammstein Stadium Tour'', 2019). Tammerfest, Tampere's urban rock festival, is held every July. The Blockfest, which also takes place in Tampere in the summer, is the largest hip hop event in the Nordic countries. == Sport ==

Ice hockey : Tappara vs Ilves Tampere's sporting scene is mainly driven by ice hockey. Construction of a new main ice hockey arena, Tampere Deck Arena, Football Like ice hockey, football is also a popular sport in Tampere. Ilves, the professional football club of Tampere, and was an important venue for competitions, hosting the Nordic Final as part of the qualifying for the Speedway World Championship and the Scandinavian round of the Speedway World Team Cup. In addition, it hosted the final of the Finnish Individual Speedway Championship. When it closed the speedway moved to the Kaanaa track, out of the city to the village of Velaatta by Teisko Airfield. More recently the Ratina Stadium held various speedway meetings from 1995 to 2015, including the Speedway Grand Prix of Finland in 2014 and 2015. Gymnastics Tampere has long tradition in various fields of gymnastics. Finnish Gymnastics Federation office is located in Kauppi Sports Centre. Local clubs include Tampereen Voimistelijat, Elixiria Sport, Rantaperkiön Isku, TTNV. Ikuri Gymnatics centre is the main training location. Large competitions are organized in Tampere Fair Centre. Gymnaestrada Finland was held in Tampere in 2022. Other sports In addition to all of the above, volleyball, wrestling and boxing are also among Tampere's best-known sports. and the 2010 World Ringette Championships on 1–6 November at Hakametsä arena. Tampere hosted the 2023 European Masters Games from 26 June to 9 July. == Transport ==

to Kolari stopping at Tampere . This photo was taken during COVID-19 pandemic, when the airport was nearly empty. () in Hämeenkatu, Tampere Roads To the south of Tampere, there is the Tampere Ring Road, which is important for car traffic and which is part of Finnish highways number 3 (on the west side) and number 9 (on the east side). The main stretch of the ring road sees over 50,000 vehicles per day, and, according to the ELY Centre of Pirkanmaa, the western part of the ring road is the busiest road in Finland, if highway and ring road connections in the Helsinki metropolitan area are excluded. There are also plans for another ring road project that would run from Pirkkala to Tampere's Hervanta and possibly in the future to Kangasala. Teiskontie, which runs east of the city center, is part of Highway 12 in the direction of Lahti. This highway also runs through the center of Tampere under the name Paasikiven–Kekkosentie, below the downtown as the Tampere Tunnel, which is the longest road tunnel built in Finland for car traffic. Rail Tampere is an important railroad hub in Finland and there are direct railroad connections to, for example, Helsinki, Turku and the Port of Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, and Pori. Every day about 150 trains with an annual total of 8 million passengers arrive and depart in the Tampere Central Railway Station, which is located in the city center. There are also frequent bus connections to destinations around Finland. Aviation Tampere is served by Tampere–Pirkkala Airport, located in neighboring municipality Pirkkala some southwest of the city, and it replaced the former Härmälä Airport, which was closed in 1979. The current airport is connected to the city centre of Tampere by bus route 103, and to that of Pirkkala by bus route 39. Sea transport In 2015, the Port of Tampere, the charter port area carrying passengers on the shores of Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi, was the busiest inland waterway in Finland in terms of the number of passengers (71,750). A partial explanation for the high number of passengers can be found in the summer traffic to the Viikinsaari island in Lake Pyhäjärvi, where people travel for an excursion or various cultural events such as watching a summer theater. Domestic passenger and connecting vessel traffic was only busier in the Finnish sea area in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, between mainland Finland and Åland in the Archipelago Sea. Urban transport The public transport network in Tampere currently consists of a bus network and two lines of city's light rail, operating from 9 August 2021. The Tampere Bus Station, designed by Jaakko Laaksovirta and Bertel Strömmer, representing functionalist architecture, was completed in 1938, being the largest bus station in the Nordic countries at the time, and between 1948 and 1976, the city also had an extensive trolleybus network, which was also the largest trolleybus system in Finland. As of 2017, commuter rail service on the railroad lines connecting Tampere to the neighbouring towns of Nokia and Lempäälä is being established. In the 2010s, Tampere has made efforts to invest in the smooth running of cycling and walkability. Thanks to it, the city was awarded the title of "Cycling Municipality of the Year" in 2013. According to a survey conducted in 2015, the attractiveness of both cycling and walking had increased during 2014 and 2015. In any case, during the 21st century, the growth of bicycle traffic has been clearly faster than the growth of the city's population, and the number of cycles has increased by an average of about 2% per year. Distances to other cities • Helsinki – • Hämeenlinna – • Joensuu – • Jyväskylä – • Kuopio – • Lahti – • Lappeenranta – • Oulu – • Pori – • Seinäjoki – • Turku – • Vaasa – == Government ==

(Tampereen keskusvirastotalo), an administrative building of the City Council of Tampere along the Aleksis Kiven katu street In 2007, Tampere switched to a new model of government. Since then, a mayor and four deputy mayors have been chosen for a period of four years by the city council. The mayor also becomes the seat of the city council for the duration of the tenure. Tampere was the first Finnish municipality to have an elected mayor. == Notable people ==

Born before 1900 , Scottish Quaker and industrialist best known for founding the Finlayson company , the Prime Minister of Finland and later the 7th President of Finland • Emil Aaltonen (1869–1949), industrialist and philanthropist • Emanuel Aromaa (1873–1933), politician • Eero Berg (1898–1969), long-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist • Minna Canth (1844–1897), author and social activist • Rosa Clay (1875–1959), a Namibian-born Finnish American teacher, singer and choral conductor • Minna Craucher (1891–1932), socialite and spy • James Finlayson (1772–1852), Scottish Quaker and industrialist • Väinö Hakkila (1882–1958), politician • Gustaf Idman (1885–1961), diplomat and a non-partisan Minister of Foreign Affairs • Alma Jokinen (1882–1939), politician • Feliks Kellosalmi (1877–1939), politician • Augusta Laine (1867–1949), teacher of home economics and politician • Frans Oskar Lilius (1871–1928), politician • Wivi Lönn (1872–1966), architect • Kaapo Murros (1875–1951), journalist, lawyer, writer and politician • Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1870–1956), the Prime Minister of Finland and the 7th President of Finland • Aaro Pajari (1897–1949), Major General and the Knight of the Mannerheim Cross • Arvo Pohjannoro (1893–1963), Lutheran clergyman and politician • Anders Rajala (1891–1957), wrestler • Julius Saaristo (1891–1969) track and field athlete and Olympic gold medalist • Matti Schreck (1897–1946), banker and film producer • Frans Eemil Sillanpää (1888–1964), author and Nobel laureate • Bertel Strömmer (1890–1962), architect • Vilho Tuulos (1895–1967), triple jumper, long jumper and Olympic gold medalist • August Wesley (1887–?), journalist, trade unionist and revolutionary Born after 1900 , ice hockey player , author of The Unknown Soldier and Under the North Star trilogy , Prime Minister of Finland from 2019 to 2023. • Jonne Aaron (born 1983), singer • Sinikka Antila (born 1960), lawyer and diplomat • Aleksander Barkov (born 1995), Finnish-Russian professional ice hockey player • Anu Bradford (born 1975), Finnish-American author and law professor • Johanna Debreczeni (born 1980), singer • Henrik Otto Donner (1939–2013), composer and music personality • Anna Falchi (born 1972), Finnish-Italian model and film actress • Mauri Favén (1920–2006), painter • Matti Haahti (born 1936), footballer • Jussi Halla-aho (born 1971), politician and former leader of the Finns Party • Roope Hintz (born 1996), professional ice hockey player • Anja Ignatius (1911–1995), violinist and music educator • Seppo Jokinen (born 1949), author • Viljo Kajava (1909–1998), author and poet • Tapani Kalliomäki (born 1970), stage and film actor • Glen Kamara (born 1995), professional footballer • Jorma Karhunen (1913–2002), Finnish Air Force ace and the Knight of the Mannerheim Cross • Leo Kinnunen (1943–2017), Formula One driver • Urpo Lahtinen (1931–1994), journalist and magazine publisher, founder of Tamperelainen • Kimmo Leinonen (born 1949), ice hockey executive and writer • Mika Koivuniemi (born 1967), bowling coach and professional ten-pin bowler • Kiira Korpi (born 1988), figure skater • Patrik Laine (born 1998), professional ice hockey player • Väinö Linna (1920–1992), author • Jyrki Lumme (born 1966), professional hockey player • Tiina Lymi (born 1971), actress, director, screenwriter and author • Taru Mäkelä (born 1959), film director and screenwriter • Eeva-Liisa Manner (1921–1995), poet, playwright and translator • Sanna Marin (born 1985), Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023) • Sakari Mattila (born 1989), professional footballer • Matthau Mikojan (born 1982), rock musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter • Pate Mustajärvi (1956–2025), rock singer • Mikko Nousiainen (born 1975), actor • Teppo Numminen (born 1968), professional ice hockey player • Luka Nurmi (born 2004), racing driver • Erno Paasilinna (1935–2000), author and journalist • Pekka Paavola (1933–2023), politician and Minister of Justice • Tero Palmroth (born 1953), racing driver • Oiva Paloheimo (1910–1973), author, poet and aphorist • Veijo Pasanen (1930–1988), actor • Aku Pellinen (born 1993), racing driver • Sakari Puisto (born 1976), politician • Raisa Räisänen (1983–?), still missing 16-year-old girl, who was declared dead in absentia in 2007 • Matti Ranin (1926–2013), actor • Leo Riuttu (1913–1989), actor • Seela Sella (born 1936), actress • Heikki Silvennoinen (1954-2024), musician and actor • Kikka (1964–2005), pop and schlager singer • Jukka Tapanimäki (1961–2000), software developer and game programmer • Armi Toivanen (born 1980), actress • Jussi Välimäki (born 1974), rally driver • Lauri Viita (1916–1965), poet • Erika Vikman (born 1993), singer • Sofia Vikman (born 1983), politician • Olavi Virta (1915–1972), singer • Hans Wind (1919–1995), fighter pilot, flying ace and the Knight of the Mannerheim Cross • Aki Yli-Salomäki (born 1972), composer, music critic and music journalist == International relations ==

Tampere is twinned with: • Chemnitz, Germany Tampere has two additional "friendship cities": • León, Nicaragua • Mwanza, Tanzania == See also ==