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OULO |
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OULU with its renowned technical college is now a leading light in
Finland's burgeoning computing and microchip industries. During the last
century it was the centre of the world's tar industry and the city's
affluence and vibrant cultural scene date from that time, though the old
buildings clustered around the river bank are now somewhat overshadowed
by the faceless office blocks of the past twenty years. In the centre of
town on Kirkkokatu, the City Hall retains some of the grandeur of the
late nineteenth century, when it was built as a luxury hotel, and you
can peek in at the wall paintings and enclosed gardens. Further along
Kirkkokatu, the copper-domed and stuccoed Tuomiokirkko (daily: summer
10am-7pm; rest of year noon-1pm), seems anachronistic amid the bulky
blocks of modern Oulu. Inside the vestry, open on request, is a portrait
of Johannes Messinius, the Swedish historian, supposedly painted by
Cornelius Arenditz in 1611 and believed to be the oldest surviving oil
portrait in Finland. Across the small canal just north of the cathedral,
the North Ostrobothnia Museum (Mon, Tues & Thurs 10am-6pm, Wed 10am-8pm,
Sat & Sun 11am-5pm; ¬17), packed with tar-stained remnants from Oulu's
past, is a large regional collection with a good Sami section.
The connected train and bus station are linked to the city centre by
several parallel streets feeding to the kauppatori and kauppahalli (
markets ) by the water beyond. The tourist office is at Torikatu 10 (July
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm; rest of year Mon-Fri 9am-4pm; tel 08/5584
1330, www.ouka.fi ). Bikes can be rented from Jussin Pyöräpiste,
Albertinkatu 11 (tel 08/3114983). Low-cost accommodation in the centre
is available at the Hotel Turisti , opposite the train station at
Rautatienkatu 9 (tel 08/375233; £20-25/$32-40/¬36-45), which provides
hostel-type accommodation during summer, when it takes the overspill
from the official hostel at Kajaanintie 36 (tel 08/880 3311;
£10-15/$16-24/¬18-27; June-Aug), a fifteen-minute walk from the train
station. There's a campsite (tel 08/5586 1351) with cabins on Hietasaari
Island, 4km from town; take bus #5 from outside the tourist office. Oulu
boasts some charming cafés including Sokeri Jussi in an old salt
warehouse on Pikisaanie just over the bridge from the mainland, while
Katri Antell on Rotuaari (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat 9am-2.30pm) is justly
famed for its luscious, but expensive, cakes. Cheapest meals are at the
numerous pizzerias - Fantasia serves the best and also has a selection
of Finnish dishes - while Oskarin Kellari just opposite the train
station serves a stuff-your-face lunch buffet for about ¬7.50. For
extravagant waterside dining, try Neptunus which serves fish and meat in
a boat moored by the market square. For nightlife try the eclectic Foxia
, Pakkohuoneenkatu 19, a nightclub with varying musical fare depending
which evening you go.
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