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Tampere is located on a narrow isthmus between two Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi. The Tammer River flow through the city centre, forming a scenic spot with a background of old industrial buildings, which nowadays host a local brewery, restaurants, clubs, museums and even a cinema.
Tampere is to Finnish industrialism what Manchester is to the UK. Actually, the first use of electricity in Finland happened in the Finlayson cotton mill when they turned on a lightbulb. On the neighbour city of Nokia, a former paper mill factory became the seed of one of the most famous Finnish global companies.
Tampere is also known as the “theatre capital” of Finland. The city has always offered a wide variety of culture from festivals to concert venues, over 20 public saunas, and some of the quirkiest museums in the world, like the Lenin Museum.
Just 2.5km away from Tampere sits the Pyynikki ridge, the world’s biggest gravel ridge formed at the Ice Age. Near the highest point of the ridge there is a monument to the Finnish poet Lauri Viita as well as the famous Shot Tower landmark, which attracts those looking for a fantastic view over the two lakes that encapsulate the city as well as the wooden-houses of Pispala.
Pispala, was once a humble neighbourhood for artists and factory workers, and now has become a residential area where many well-known Finnish artists and celebrities have lived. It also hosts the oldest public sauna in Finland, built in 1906 and still in use: Rajaportti Sauna.