Located on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia in northwest Finland, Oulu sounds more like an exclamation in Finnish than a city name. The name's roots go back to the Sámi word (the indigenous people of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and parts of Russia) meaning flood. Named after the river that runs through it, Oulu is Finland's fifth-largest city with a population of just over 200,000. Oulu is affectionately known as the “20-minute city” because it's relatively flat, much of the center is within walking distance, and you can get around both the historical and commercial areas in a maximum of 20 minutes.
Located on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia in northwest Finland, Oulu sounds more like an exclamation in Finnish than a city name. The name's roots go back to the Sámi word (the indigenous people of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and parts of Russia) meaning flood. Named after the river that runs through it, Oulu is Finland's fifth-largest city with a population of just over 200,000. Oulu is affectionately known as the “20-minute city” because it's relatively flat, much of the center is within walking distance, and you can get around both the historical and commercial areas in a maximum of 20 minutes.
Oulu's history dates back to 1605, when Swedish King Charles IX founded it as a trading post around its rich reserves of timber tar. As expected, Oulu has been attacked and burned down many times, earning it the nickname “the city that burned ten times”. However, the people of Oulu are not only tenacious, but also forward-thinking and tech-savvy. The city is one of the bases for Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, and its residents are known for experimenting and testing new technologies such as NFC tags and ubiquitous computing (seamless interaction between multiple devices), earning it the title of a “living laboratory”. The city is also known as the “quirky city” because the prestigious Air Guitar World Championships have been held there every August since 1996, attracting participants from all over the world. The city takes this moniker and event very seriously. It is rumored that there is an air guitar repair shop, but its location is an inside secret.
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Oulu's history dates back to 1605, when Swedish King Charles IX founded it as a trading post around its rich reserves of timber tar. As expected, Oulu has been attacked and burned down many times, earning it the nickname “the city that burned ten times”. However, the people of Oulu are not only tenacious, but also forward-thinking and tech-savvy. The city is one of the bases for Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, and its residents are known for experimenting and testing new technologies such as NFC tags and ubiquitous computing (seamless interaction between multiple devices), earning it the title of a “living laboratory”. The city is also known as the “quirky city” because the prestigious Air Guitar World Championships have been held there every August since 1996, attracting participants from all over the world. The city takes this moniker and event very seriously. It is rumored that there is an air guitar repair shop, but its location is an inside secret.
All this has contributed to Oulu's membership in the UNESCO Media Arts Creative Cities Network in 2023, which “highlights the connections between arts, science, technology and digital media.” This rich mix has been further recognised with its designation as European Capital of Culture for 2026, showcasing all the creative aspects that make Oulu unique all year round.
Spread across several square kilometres, Hupisaaret Islands City Park is Oulu's largest open space and is made up of dozens of islands formed by babbling brooks and streams, connected by beautiful white wooden bridges.
But when I'm there early in the morning, something else catches my attention. To the north of Oulu, the Hupisaaret Islands Municipal Park stretches over several square kilometers and is the city's largest lung. It is made up of dozens of islands formed by babbling streams and flowing creeks, connected by clean white wooden bridges. Some of the land is paved with asphalt, others with compacted earth, and I walk through vast spaces with velvety green grass, towering groves of trees and bushes bursting with colorful flowers. In the silence of the morning, the birds are loud and melodious, playing their own symphony, broken only by the scrape of bicycle tires on the gravel road and the occasional soft thud of shoes. I wander around and sit on a bench facing a small body of water that the birds often visit. It's the perfect start to a day where mindfulness comes effortlessly.
The faint chime of the church clock tempts me to leave the park through the main entrance. I follow the path that leads into the city center, which is less than a 10-minute walk. Along the way, I pass perhaps Oulu's most prominent landmark, Oulu Cathedral, whose clock is what draws me out of the park. As the city is flat, the cathedral's towering bell tower is the perfect landmark to orient yourself anywhere in the city. Dating back to the late 18th century, the part-wood, part-stone building was destroyed in a fire that marked the city's history. It was rebuilt in the early 19th century and designed by architect Carl Ludwig Engel, who also designed the magnificent Helsinki Cathedral. Inside, the building isn't very large, but its intricate stained-glass details, huge central dome, and beautiful organ catch my eye.
In the morning, the city center is completely pedestrianized, with cobbled streets laid out like a checkerboard, not noisy or crowded. It's full of shops, boutiques, pubs, restaurants, and polished granite fountains. I cross it and pass a series of streets lined with beautiful pre-war buildings. Next to one of them, I stop to stare at a work of art consisting of 32 small bronze metal sculptures set in an arch. It's called Ajan Kulk (The Flow of Time). Each one is an anonymous representative recalling a particular event in Oulu's history. It starts with King Karl and continues with people from various professions: pastors, farmers, fishermen, captains, elegant ladies, soldiers, businesswomen, mothers, female doctors, each symbolizing Oulu's progress through the centuries. A few minutes from here, in the market square, I come across the statue of Toripolissi, the symbol of Oulu. It's a lovely statue of a plump police officer carved in black stone, dedicated to the officers who patrolled the area after the practice ended.
The Market Square is home to Oulu's emblem, Toripollissi, a charming, chubby statue of a policeman carved in black stone, dedicated to the officers who once patrolled the area.
A 10-minute walk west across the bridge from the marketplace brings you to the tiny island of Pikisaari, which means “Pitch Island.” Half of the island is lined with neat grid-like roads and cute gabled houses. The oldest building, from the late 19th century, on the main road houses a seasonal seafaring museum. The rest of the island is densely forested with tall grasses, dense shrubs and towering trees.
As darkness falls over Pikisaari, I head back to Oulu city centre. It truly is a 20-minute journey, and even less to the city centre. Once back, I have my choice of nearly a dozen museums, the seaside resort of Narikali and several churches, but I feel the need for light and noise. Shops hum with activity, music fills the streets. People greet each other and move about with a cheerful, lively attitude. Kids run about, a few rollerbladers come and go… I sit in a café and watch the scene change. In the shadows of night, the cathedral chimes the hours with a deep, beautiful tone that stays in my ears long after I leave Oulu.
Anita Rao Kashi is an independent journalist based in Bangalore.
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