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Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere and Vantaa, and the fourth largest urban area in the country after Helsinki, Tampere and Turku. Oulu's neighbouring municipalities are: Hailuoto, Ii, Kempele, Liminka, Lumijoki, Muhos, Pudasjärvi,
Tyrnävä Tyrnävä () is a municipality in the North Ostrobothnia region of Finland with a population of (). It covers an area of , of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. The city of Oulu is located about ...
and
Utajärvi Utajärvi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region next to the border of the Kainuu region, and is part of the former province of Oulu. It is from Utajärvi to Oulu and to Kajaani. The municipality has a pop ...
. Due to its large population and geopolitically economic and cultural-historical location, Oulu has been called the "capital of Northern Finland".Oulu Information – City of Oulu
/ref> Oulu is also considered one of Europe's "living labs", where residents experiment with new technology (such as NFC tags and ubi-screens) on a community-wide scale. Despite only ranking in the top 2% universities, the University of Oulu is regionally known in the field of information technology. Oulu has also been very successful in recent urban image surveys; in a study published by the Finnish Economic Survey in 2008, it received the best ranking of large cities in image ratings across the country, including ratings from respondents in all provinces. Once known for wood tar and salmon, Oulu has evolved into a major high-tech centre, particularly in IT and wellness technology. Other prominent industries include wood refining, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paper, and steel. Oulu has been chosen as the European Capital of Culture for 2026.


Etymology

The city is named after the river
Oulujoki Oulujoki is a river in Oulu province, Finland. Its name in Finnish means literally "Oulu River" ( sv, Ule älv), originally in old Northern Ostrobothnian dialect literally "Flood River". Its origin is Oulujärvi and its watershed area covers a ...
, which originates in the lake Oulujärvi. There have been a number of other theories for the origin of the name ''Oulu''. One possible source is a word in the Sami language meaning 'flood water', but there are other suggestions. At minimum, the structure of the word requires that, if originally given by speakers of a
Uralic The Uralic languages (; sometimes called Uralian languages ) form a language family of 38 languages spoken by approximately 25million people, predominantly in Northern Eurasia. The Uralic languages with the most native speakers are Hungarian (w ...
language, the name must be a derivative. In all likelihood, it also predates Finnish settlement and is thus a loanword from one of the now-extinct
Saami languages The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several Americ ...
once spoken in the area. The most probable theory is that the name derives from the Finnish dialectal word ''oulu'', meaning "
floodwater A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
", which is related to e.g.
Southern Sami Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
''åulo'', meaning "melted snow", ''åulot'' meaning "thaw" (of unknown ultimate origin). Two other word families have also been speculated to be related. The first is seen in the Northern Savo dialectal word ''uula'' and its Sami counterpart ''oalli'', both meaning "river channel". The second is the Uralic root reconstructed as *''uwa'', meaning "river bed" (reflected as ''vuo'' in modern Finnish, also in derivatives such as ''vuolas'' "heavy-flowing"). To either of these roots, some Sami variety would have to be assumed having added further derivational suffixes.


History

Oulu is situated by the
Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast (West ...
, at the mouth of river
Oulujoki Oulujoki is a river in Oulu province, Finland. Its name in Finnish means literally "Oulu River" ( sv, Ule älv), originally in old Northern Ostrobothnian dialect literally "Flood River". Its origin is Oulujärvi and its watershed area covers a ...
, which is an ancient trading site. The city proper was founded on 8 April 1605 by King
Charles IX of Sweden Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric X ...
, opposite the fort built on the island of Linnansaari. This took place after favourable peace settlements with Russia, which removed the threat of attack via the main east–west waterway, the river Oulu. The surrounding areas were populated much earlier. Oulu was the capital of the Province of Oulu from 1776 to 2009. In 1822, a major fire destroyed much of the city. The architect Carl Ludvig Engel, chiefly known for the neoclassical (empire style) buildings around Helsinki Senate Square, was enlisted to provide the plan for its rebuilding. With minor changes, this plan remains the basis for the layout of Oulu's town center. The
Oulu Cathedral Oulu Cathedral ( fi, Oulun tuomiokirkko, sv, Uleåborgs domkyrka) is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral and the seat of the Diocese of Oulu, located in the centre of Oulu, Finland. The church was built in 1777 as a tribute to the King of Sweden ...
was built in 1832 to his designs, with the spire being finished in 1844. During the Åland War, part of the Crimean War, Oulu's harbour was raided by the British fleet, who destroyed ships and burned tar houses, leading to international criticism.


Geography

Oulu is located in northern Finland, a considerable distance from the other cities in the country. It is located north of the capital city Helsinki. Mainland Finland's northernmost and southernmost points are roughly equidistant from Oulu. Oulu's coast sits at the Bothnian Bay (''Perämeri'' in Finnish) and the Swedish mainland is about 180 km directly west across the Bothnian Bay. From the center of Oulu in the direction of Oulunsalo, there is , a smaller but wide, meadow-belted bay, and part of it has been listed as a nature
conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
. The nearby island Hailuoto is just off the coast, away in the Bothnian Bay.


Subdivisions

Oulu is divided into 106 city districts. The largest of these are Haukipudas, Oulunsalo, Kaakkuri, Ritaharju, Tuira, and . The municipality of
Ylikiiminki Ylikiiminki ( sv, Överkiminge) is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the city of Oulu on 1 January 2009. It was located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality had a popul ...
was merged with the city of Oulu on 1 January 2009. Oulu and the municipalities of Haukipudas,
Kiiminki Kiiminki ( sv, Kiminge) was a municipality of Finland. Along with Haukipudas, Oulunsalo and Yli-Ii municipalities it was merged with the city of Oulu on 1 January 2013. Kiiminki municipality was part of the Oulu province in the Northern Ostrobo ...
, Oulunsalo, and Yli-Ii were merged on 1 January 2013.


Climate

Oulu has a subarctic continental climate ( Köppen ''Dfc''). It is the largest Finnish city entirely in this climatic zone as well as one of the largest such in the world. The typical features are cold and snowy winters with short and warm summers. Average annual temperature is . The average annual precipitation is falling 105 days per year, mostly in late summer and fall. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Oulu was in July 1957, while the coldest temperature on record was in February 1966. Due to Oulu's far northern location, and its frequent overcast skies, it only sees on average 15 minutes of sunlight in December. During the winter solstice days only last 3 hours and 34 minutes with the sun rising 1.9 degrees over the horizon. On the other hand, during the
summer solstice The summer solstice, also called the estival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer ...
days last 22 hours and 3 minutes, with the sun dipping 1 degree below the horizon. This gives Oulu white nights during the summer.
On June 21, 2021, Oulu was struck by the Ahti thunderstorm, causing flooding and fall of trees with the wind blowing at more than 30 meters per second. The storm is known to have killed one person and injured two people.


Demographics

In 2008, there were 316
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
-speaking inhabitants as mother tongue, which was 0.2% of the total population, making the city unilingually Finnish-speaking similar to other areas in Northern Finland. With English and Swedish being compulsory school subjects, functional bi- or trilingualism acquired through language studies is not uncommon. In 2007, there were 2,417 foreign citizens living in the city, of whom 618 were from elsewhere in the EU. 51.1% of the population is female. Oulu, as well as other parts of North Ostrobothnia, is well-known as a strong support area of the Conservative Laestadianism revival movement. A Laestadian background has been estimated to be common in construction sector management. In 2017, the population grew to over 200,000 inhabitants, making Oulu the fourth Finnish locality with at least 200,000 inhabitants after Helsinki, Tampere and Turku. Oulu was the site of the 2018 Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä declared that “Sex crimes against children are inhumane acts of incomprehensible evil.”


Population


Economy

As of 31 December 2008, the active working population was employed as follows: In 2011, the most important employers were:


Culture

The best known cultural exports of the city of Oulu are the
Air Guitar World Championships Air Guitar World Championships (AGWC) is an annual event taking place in Oulu, Finland. AGWC was arranged for the first time in 1996. Today, national championships are held all around the world. Playing air guitar is based on mimicking guitar playi ...
held annually in August,
Mieskuoro Huutajat Mieskuoro Huutajat (Men's Choir Shouters) is an internationally famous shouting choir from Oulu, Finland. They were established in 1987 and originally comprised 20 shouting men, since expanded to 30. Led by conductor Petri Sirviö, the choir is ...
(also known as ''Screaming Men''), the now defunct metal band
Sentenced Sentenced was a Finnish gothic metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years. The band formed in 1989 in the town of Muhos and broke up in 2005. History Early years (1988–1991) Sentenced started in 1988 as Deformity and c ...
, and one of the best ice hockey teams in Europe,
Oulun Kärpät Oulun Kärpät (Finnish for "Oulu Ermines", sometimes referred to as Kärpät Oulu) is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Oulu and playing in the top-tier Finnish Liiga. Kärpät have won the Finnish championship title eight times ...
. Many artists, writers, and musicians live in the city. A variety of concerts — rock, classical, and jazz — as well as other cultural events take place each year. Examples include the
Oulu Music Video Festival Oulu Music Video Festival was founded in 1994 by students of the Oulu School of Arts and Crafts. The festival's back bone is the Finnish Music Video Contest. The best Finnish music video is awarded with The Golden Pumpeli Award and the most promisi ...
, the
Air Guitar World Championships Air Guitar World Championships (AGWC) is an annual event taking place in Oulu, Finland. AGWC was arranged for the first time in 1996. Today, national championships are held all around the world. Playing air guitar is based on mimicking guitar playi ...
, and the Musixine Music Film Competition, all in August. In July, the annual rock festival
Qstock Qstock is an annual two-day rock festival held at the end of July in Oulu, Finland. The festival lineup includes some of the biggest names in both domestic and international music scene, regardless of the genre. The first Qstock festival was orga ...
takes place. The Oulu Music Festival is held in winter and the Oulunsalo Music Festival in summer.
The Irish Festival of Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after ...
takes place each October, and the International Children's Film Festival each November. Museums in Oulu include the Northern Ostrobothnia museum, the
Oulu Museum of Art The Oulu Museum of Art (OMA) is an art museum in the Myllytulli neighbourhood in Oulu. It is located on the edge of the Hupisaaret Islands park. The museum was opened to the public on October 12, 1963. The first premises were in the so-called ''Ko ...
(OMA), the
Tietomaa Tietomaa is a science centre in Oulu, Finland. It is located in Myllytulli Myllytulli is a district of the city centre area of Oulu, Finland. Myllytulli was mostly industrial area, which was rezoned mostly for residential use in 1984. Some of ...
science center, and the
Turkansaari Turkansaari is an island in the Oulujoki river with an open-air museum in the Madekoski district in Oulu, Finland. The museum is run by the Northern Ostrobothnia museum. Turkansaari island was a marketplace for Russian traders in the Oulujoki ri ...
open-air museum. Notable statues and sculptures in Oulu include a sculpture of Frans Michael Franzén and '' The Bobby at the Market Place'' statue. Finlands' Eurovision representatives 2021 rock band Blind Channel are from Oulu. They placed 6th in the competition. Kalmah is a melodic death metal-band from Oulu that formed in 1998.


Food

In the 1980s, ''
rössypottu Rössypottu is a traditional Finland, Finnish dish which originates from the Oulu region yet is very much unknown in the southern parts of the country. Essentially a very simple dish, it is a stew made using potatoes (pottu, peruna), some pork a ...
'', salmon
soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...
and
sweet cheese Juhannusjuusto or makiajuusto (lit. Midsummer cheese or sweet cheese) is an Ostrobothnian dish which is also called red whey and cheese soup. Like the name suggests it is eaten during Midsummer and more widely in the summer season. The sweet ch ...
(''juhannusjuusto'') were named Oulu's traditional parish dishes.


Sights

*
Tietomaa Tietomaa is a science centre in Oulu, Finland. It is located in Myllytulli Myllytulli is a district of the city centre area of Oulu, Finland. Myllytulli was mostly industrial area, which was rezoned mostly for residential use in 1984. Some of ...
, a science center with over 150 exhibits *The Rapids Center, the area in the estuary of the Oulu river consisting of small islands connected with bridges and fountains in the middle of the river, and including a housing area of building blocks planned by
Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...
* The Market Square with the
City Library A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, the City Theatre and old salt and tar storehouses *
Hupisaaret Islands The Hupisaaret Islands City Park is a public urban park in the Myllytulli district in central Oulu, Finland. The park is located in the delta of the River Oulu. The area was built as a public park in the 1860s, the first white wooden bridges that ...
, a large park area located in the estuary of the Oulu river *The F. M. Franzen memorial *The
Koitelinkoski Koitelinkoski (i.e. ''Koiteli rapids'') is an outdoor recreation area located along the Kiiminkijoki river in the Kiiminki district in Oulu, Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a No ...
rapids *The Northern Ostrobothnia museum *The Pateniemi Sawmill Museum *The Vehicle Museum *The
University of Oulu Botanical Gardens The Botanical Garden of the University of Oulu is one of the northernmost scientific gardens in the world. Botanical Garden collection of plants is maintained for teaching and research purposes and it is open to the public. Collections include mo ...
(situated in
Linnanmaa Linnanmaa is a district of the Kaijonharju area of Oulu, Finland. The district is located about five kilometers north of the city centre. The main campus of the University of Oulu is located in Linnanmaa occupying most of the area of the district ...
) *The Arctic Gallery *
Technopolis Technopolis or variants may refer to: *Technopolis or Technology Park are synonyms for science park *Technopolis (Belgium), a Flemish science center and activity museum in Mechelen, Belgium *Technopolis (Gazi), a City of Athens enterprise to protec ...
, the technology village *
Turkansaari Turkansaari is an island in the Oulujoki river with an open-air museum in the Madekoski district in Oulu, Finland. The museum is run by the Northern Ostrobothnia museum. Turkansaari island was a marketplace for Russian traders in the Oulujoki ri ...
(historical open-air museum) * Spa Hotel Eden and sand beach in Nallikari recreation and tourism area *
Mannerheim Park Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867–1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. Mannerheim may also refer to: Surname * Mannerheim (family), a noble family ** Carl Erik Mannerheim (1759–1837), Finnish vice chairman and statesman ** ...
*Old observatory in Linnansaari, built in 1875 on top of the ruins of the Castle of Oulu *
Oulu Museum of Art The Oulu Museum of Art (OMA) is an art museum in the Myllytulli neighbourhood in Oulu. It is located on the edge of the Hupisaaret Islands park. The museum was opened to the public on October 12, 1963. The first premises were in the so-called ''Ko ...


Churches

* Cathedral *
Haukipudas Church The Haukipudas Church is an evangelical Lutheran church in Haukipudas, Oulu. The church building has been designed by Matti Honka, an Ostrobothnian builder of churches in the 18th century. The church was completed in 1762. Major renovations were ...
* Holy Family of Nazareth Church *
Holy Trinity Cathedral of Oulu sv, Heliga Treenighetens katedral , native_name_lang = , image = Holy Trinity Oulu 20100110.JPG , coordinates = , location = Oulu , country = Finland , denomination = ...
*
Kiiminki Church The Kiiminki Church is an Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, evangelical Lutheran church in the Kiiminki (district), Kiiminki district of the Finland, Finnish city of Oulu. It was part of the town of Kiiminki until 2013 when that town was mer ...
*
Oulujoki Church The Oulujoki Church is an evangelical Lutheran church in Kirkkokangas neighbourhood in Oulu, Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land ...
*
Oulunsalo Church The Oulunsalo Church is an evangelical Lutheran church in the Finnish city of Oulu. It was part of the town of Oulunsalo Oulunsalo ( sv, Oulunsalo, also formerly ) is former municipality in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. Along ...
* St. Luke's Chapel * Tuira Church *
Ylikiiminki Church The Ylikiiminki Church ( fi, Ylikiimingin kirkko, sv, Överkiminge kyrka) is an evangelical Lutheran church in Ylikiiminki, Oulu. The wooden cruciform church has been designed by Jacob Rijf Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, ...


Other points of interest

*
Oulu Music Video Festival Oulu Music Video Festival was founded in 1994 by students of the Oulu School of Arts and Crafts. The festival's back bone is the Finnish Music Video Contest. The best Finnish music video is awarded with The Golden Pumpeli Award and the most promisi ...
*
Air Guitar World Championships Air Guitar World Championships (AGWC) is an annual event taking place in Oulu, Finland. AGWC was arranged for the first time in 1996. Today, national championships are held all around the world. Playing air guitar is based on mimicking guitar playi ...
* Jalometalli Metal Music Festival *The Irish Festival of Oulu *
Laitakari beacon tower Laitakari beacon tower is a daymark (navigational aid) located on the island of Laitakari in the Gulf of Bothnia in Finland. The island is located east-northeast of Hailuoto and is within the municipal boundaries of the City of Oulu. There has ...
*Madetoja Hall, housing the Oulu Music Centre, the residence of the
Oulu Symphony Orchestra The Oulu Symphony Orchestra ( fi, Oulu Sinfonia or ') is a Finnish orchestra based in Oulu, Finland. Oulu Sinfonia gives concerts primarily at the Oulu Music Centre, in the ''Madetojan sali'' (Madetoja Concert Hall), located in the Karjasilta dis ...
*Oulu Hall (a large indoor sports facility consisting of a low dome, which looks somewhat like a landed flying saucer) *Terwa Marathon & Run, event in late May (since 1989) *The Terva-skiing event in early March (since 1889) *The Winter Swimming World Championship


Transport

Oulu is served by Oulu Airport, the second largest airport in Finland by passenger volume. It is located south-west of the city centre. The Port of Oulu is one of the busiest
harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
s on the Bothnian Bay. It includes four separate harbour areas: Vihreäsaari oil and bulk docks, Nuottasaari docks and Oritkari docks. There is also a
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
service in Oulu, which is mostly used between Oulunsalo and the
Hailuoto Island Hailuoto (; sv, Karlö) is a Finnish island in the northern Baltic Sea and a municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia region. The population of Hailuoto is (), which make it the smallest municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia and the former Oulu P ...
. The shortest travel time from
Oulu railway station The Oulu Railway Station is located in the centre of Oulu, Finland, in the city district of Vaara. All trains are operated by VR. Nearby is the Oulu bus station for long-distance buses. The railway station was built in 1886 when the Ostrobothn ...
to Helsinki Central railway station is 5 h 34 min, operated by VR. Other destinations include Kolari, Rovaniemi,
Seinäjoki Seinäjoki (; "Wall River"; la, Wegelia, formerly sv, Östermyra) is a city located in South Ostrobothnia, Finland; east of Vaasa, north of Tampere, west of Jyväskylä and southwest of Oulu. Seinäjoki originated around the Östermyra bru ...
and Tampere. The most important road in Oulu is
Highway 4 Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries: International * AH4, Asian Highway 4 * European route E04 * European route E004 * Cairo – Cape Town Highway Albania * SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...
( E8/ E75) that runs from Helsinki to Utsjoki via Lahti, Jyväskylä, Oulu,
Kemi Kemi (; sme, Giepma ; smn, Kiemâ; sms, Ǩeeʹmm; Swedish (historically): ''Kiemi'') is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is to the south and to Rovani ...
and Rovaniemi. Other highways running to and from Oulu are Highway 20 to
Kuusamo Kuusamo ( sme, Guossán; smn, Kuáccám) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . T ...
and Highway 22 to Kajaani. Oulu is notable for its transportation network dedicated to non-motor vehicular traffic, including pedestrians and bicycles (termed "light" traffic in Finland). In 2010, the city contained more than of pathways and more than 100 underpasses and bridges devoted exclusively to light traffic. The network is used year-round. The ratio of light traffic pathways to residents is the highest in Finland and the cycling mode share is 20 percent. Oulu is often touted as an excellent city for bicycling. In 2015, a large underground parking facility, Kivisydän (''Stone Heart''), opened in the city center directly beneath main shopping streets. The network of parallel roads for cars and pedestrians was drilled in the rock at the depth of . The parking facility includes two ramps, 900 visitor parking lots (expandable to 1500), six access points to the ground served by 19 elevators (expandable to nine and 25), a service facility for commercial delivery vehicles, and ubi-screens that guide the driver to the selected ground access point and help locate the parked car by its license number.


Solar power

In 2015, the Kaleva Media printing plant in Oulu became the most powerful photovoltaic solar plant in Finland, with 1,604 solar photovoltaic (PV) units on its roof. Although the city of Oulu, located near the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
, has only two hours of weak sunlight in December, the photovoltaic cells work almost around the clock in the summer. The cold climate means the PV panels can get up to a 25% boost per hour, as they don't overheat. Because the sun is quite low in the sky at this latitude, vertical PV installations are popular on the sides of buildings. These solar walls also capture light reflected from snow. Snow is not necessarily cleared from rooftop solar installations. The local utility, Oulun Energia, is owned by the city of Oulu. The
energy mix The energy mix is a group of different primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and should not be c ...
it receives from the Nordic-wide grid includes wood pellets, waste incineration, bioenergy, hydro-electric, geothermal, wind, nuclear, peat, natural gas and coal.


Sports

Ice hockey is the most popular spectator sport in Oulu. The local club Kärpät has won the SM-liiga championship title eight times (
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
,
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
and
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
). It has also twice been the runner-up in the IIHF European Champions Cup, in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
and in
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
. In
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
AC Oulu AC Oulu (ACO) is a Finnish football club based in Oulu. Formed in 2002, the club have played two seasons in Finland's highest football league Veikkausliiga and seven seasons in the second highest league Ykkönen. The club are currently playing ...
plays in Veikkausliiga, the premier division of Finnish football. So far
OPS In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...
has claimed the Finnish football championship only twice by winning Mestaruussarja in
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
and in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
. Other notable football clubs include
OLS OLS or Ols may refer to: * Oleśnica (German: Öls), Poland * Optical landing system * Order of Luthuli in Silver, a South African honour * Ordinary least squares, a method used in regression analysis for estimating linear models * Ottawa Linux Sy ...
, OTP and
JS Hercules JS Hercules is an association football club established in Oulu, Finland, in 1998. The team started at the lowest level of the Finnish league system and was playing in the Third Division until promoted to Finnish Second Division, Kakkonen, for ...
. Oulu has one well-known
bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...
club,
OLS OLS or Ols may refer to: * Oleśnica (German: Öls), Poland * Optical landing system * Order of Luthuli in Silver, a South African honour * Ordinary least squares, a method used in regression analysis for estimating linear models * Ottawa Linux Sy ...
, which plays in
Bandyliiga The Bandyliiga (; 'Bandy League') is the top level of men's bandy in Finland. The league was founded in 1908 as the Jääpallon SM-sarja ('Bandy Finnish Championship Series') and the present name has been used since the 1991–92 season. Bandyl ...
and has become Finnish champions 14 times, most recently in 2014. The other bandy club,
OPS In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...
, with its 7 championships and a bronze medal as late as in 2009, announced it would be closing down after the 2009–10 season. In
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
the city was the main venue for the Bandy World Championship. Oulu is also home to several other sports clubs such as Oulu Northern Lights ( American football),
Oulun NMKY Oulun may refer to: *Oulun Energia Areena, arena in the Raksila district of Oulu, in Finland *Oulun Kärpät, ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland *Oulun Luistinseura (or OLS), Finnish multi-sports club, based in Oulu *Oulun Lyseo ...
( Basketball),
Oulun Lippo Oulun may refer to: *Oulun Energia Areena, arena in the Raksila district of Oulu, in Finland *Oulun Kärpät, ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland *Oulun Luistinseura (or OLS), Finnish multi-sports club, based in Oulu *Oulun Lyseo ...
( Pesäpallo),
Oulun Pyrintö Oulun may refer to: *Oulun Energia Areena, arena in the Raksila district of Oulu, in Finland *Oulun Kärpät, ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland *Oulun Luistinseura (or OLS), Finnish multi-sports club, based in Oulu *Oulun Lyseo ...
( Track and field),
SK Pohjantähti SK Pohjantähi is a Finnish orienteering club in Oulu. It won bronze in the Venla relay in 2016 with , , Sofia Haajanen and Marika Teini Marika Teini (born 31 January 1989) is a Finnish orienteering competitor. At the 2016 World Orienteering C ...
(
Orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...
)), OYUS ( Rugby union),
Oulu Irish Elks Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...
(
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
) and
ETTA Etta may refer to: Places in the United States *Etta, Mississippi, an unincorporated community *Etta, Oklahoma, a census-designated place *Etta, South Dakota, a ghost town *Etta, Virginia, an unincorporated community Other uses *Etta (name), a lis ...
( Volleyball).
Oulun Tervahiihto Oulun Tervahiihto or Tervahiihto is an annual ski marathon held in Oulu, Finland. Held since 1889, it is the longest-running annual long-distance ski race in the world. Races include 40km and 70km in both traditional and skating styles, and the terr ...
is an annual ski marathon event held since 1889. Terwa Run & Marathon is an annual running event held since 1989 in late May.


Education

The University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences have their main campuses located in Oulu. Oulu is home to the most northerly architecture school in the world. The school is best known for its strong regionalistic ideas for developing architecture. This movement is named "the Oulu school" ("Oulun koulu") of architecture. Oulu Vocational College has over 13 000 students. It houses several different study subjects in different units which are spread over Oulu and neighbouring municipalities. Oulu Vocational College School of Business Studies is one of the few vocational schools which has game programming in its curriculum.
Oulu International School Oulu International School (OIS) is a public, not-for-profit, co-educational international school in the Myllytulli district in Oulu, Finland. The school was founded in 2001. It is one of nine English-speaking schools in Finland that offer basic edu ...
is one of nine schools in Finland offering basic education in English. There's also a Swedish-speaking private school (Swedish
Svenska Privatskolan i Uleåborg Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
) for students up until high school. The school is the northernmost Swedish-speaking school in Finland.


Notable people

* Saara Aalto, singer,
X Factor UK ''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Thames and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulc ...
finalist *
Marcus Amand Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
, French racing driver *
Peter von Bagh Kari Peter Conrad von Bagh (29 August 1943 – 17 September 2014) was a Finnish film historian and director. Von Bagh worked as the head of the Finnish Film Archive. He was the editor-in-chief of ''Filmihullu'' magazine and co-founder and direct ...
, film historian and director * Blind Channel, a
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
and
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
band *
Vladislav Delay Vladislav Delay is the most frequently used pseudonym of Sasu Ripatti (born 1976), a Finnish electronic musician. He has also recorded as Luomo, Sistol, Uusitalo, Conoco, and Ripatti, working in styles such as minimal techno, glitch, and house. ...
, electronic musician *
Lars Gallenius Lars Gallenius (circa 1658 Oulu – 25 March 1753 Jakobstad) was a Finnish painter. He was the first "free art person" in Finland. He received the bourgeois rights of the city of Oulu for painting in 1688. He primarily painted religious-themed mu ...
, 17th century painter *
Matti Hautamäki Matti Antero Hautamäki (; born 14 July 1981) is a Finnish former ski jumper who competed from 1997 to 2012. He is one of Finland's most successful ski jumpers, having won sixteen individual World Cup competitions; multiple medals at the Winter ...
, ski jumper *
Aaro Hellaakoski Aaro Hellaakoski (June 22, 1893 – November 23, 1952) was a Finnish poet whose work includes some of the earliest examples of modernism in Finnish literature. Hellaakoski was born in Oulu. By profession he was a geographer conducting studies in ...
, poet * John von Julin, pharmacist, factory owner and '' vuorineuvos'' *
V.A. Koskenniemi Veikko Antero Koskenniemi (8 July 1885 – 4 August 1962) was a Finnish poet born in Oulu. From 1921 to 1948, Koskenniemi served as Professor of Literary History at the University of Turku. He was the university's rector from 1924 to 1932. ...
, poet *
Taavetti Lukkarinen Taavetti Lukkarinen (8 November 1884 in Nilsiä – 2 October 1916 in Oulu) was a former Kemi Oy's foreman from Keminmaa, Finland, who was sentenced to death for treason after helping German prisoners of war who had fled the Kirov Railway construc ...
, former foreman of Kemi Oy; man who convicted to death and hanged of treason *
Fanni Luukkonen Fanni Luukkonen (13 March 1882 – 27 October 1947) was the longtime leader of the Finnish Lotta Svärd, a voluntary auxiliary organisation for women. Fanni Luukkonen was born in Oulu. She was chosen as the leader of Lotta Svärd in 1929. During ...
, the leader of Lotta Svärd *
Leevi Madetoja Leevi Antti Madetoja (; 17 February 1887 – 6 October 1947) was a Finnish composer, music critic, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as one of the most significant Finnish ...
, composer * Frans Michael Franzén, poet *
Impaled Nazarene Impaled Nazarene is a Finnish extreme metal band that started as black metal but have incorporated elements of grindcore, thrash metal and death metal, and have grown more towards hardcore punk. History The band formed in November 1990, with fo ...
, nuclear metal band *
Iivo Niskanen Iivo Henrik Niskanen (born 12 January 1992) is a Finnish cross-country skier who has competed in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup since 2011. He is a three-time Olympic champion. Career Iivo Niskanen made his individual World Cup debut on 12 Marc ...
, Olympic champion cross-country skier * Kerttu Niskanen, cross-country skier *
Patrik Pasma Patrik Pasma (born 2 March 2000) is a Finnish racing driver who last competed for Evans Grand Prix in the Formula Regional Asian Championship for Evans Grand Prix. Career Formula Ford Pasma started his single seater career in an array of differ ...
, racing driver * Leena Peltonen-Palotie, geneticist *
Susanna Pöykiö Susanna Pöykiö (born 22 February 1982) is a Finnish former figure skater. She is a two-time European medalist (silver in 2005, bronze in 2009) and a five-time (2000, 2002, 2005–2007) Finnish national champion. Career Pöykiö began ska ...
, figure skater * Ville Ranta, comic artist * Mika Ronkainen, filmmaker * Keke Rosberg, 1982 Formula One world champion * Kauko Röyhkä, author and rock musician *
Sara Wacklin Sara Elizabeth Wacklin (26 May 1790 – 28 January 1846) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish educator and writer. She was a pioneer in educating girls, and can be regarded as the first female university graduate in Finland. She can also be regarded ...
, teacher and writer * Mikael Toppelius, church painter * Three former presidents of the country
Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (, ; 28 January 1865 – 22 September 1952) was a Finnish jurist and academic, which was one of the most important pioneers of republicanism in the country. He was the first president of Finland (1919–1925) and a libera ...
, Kyösti Kallio and Martti Ahtisaari, also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate * Ice Hockey players:
Kari Jalonen Kari Jalonen (born January 6, 1960) is a Finnish professional ice hockey coach and former player. Currently he is the head coach of Czech national team. He is not related to Finnish ice hockey coach Jukka Jalonen. Playing career A pro ...
,
Mikael Granlund Mikael Antero Granlund (born 26 February 1992) is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played professionally in Finland with Oulun Kärpät a ...
,
Markus Granlund Kari Markus Granlund (born 16 April 1993) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward, who most recently played for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he elected to leave the t ...
,
Joni Pitkänen Joni Pitkänen (born 19 September 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, and Carolina Hurricanes. Playing career Pitkänen starte ...
,
Reijo Ruotsalainen Reijo Ruotsalainen (born April 1, 1960) is a Finnish former ice hockey defenceman. He was twice named Finland's top defenceman, and won two Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, in 1987 and 1990. Playing career Ruotsalainen started his career ...
,
Mika Pyörälä Mika Pyörälä (born 13 July 1981) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), Timrå IK and Frölunda HC of the Swedish Elitserien, and Amur Khabarovsk of the ...
,
Lasse Kukkonen Lasse Juhani Kukkonen (born 18 September 1981) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He last played for Oulun Kärpät of the Finnish Liiga. Earlier in his career, he had a four-year stint in the National Hockey League (NHL) w ...
,
Markus Nutivaara Markus Nutivaara (born 6 June 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nutivaara was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 7th round (189th overal ...
and
Sebastian Aho Sebastian Antero Aho (born 26 July 1997) is a Finns, Finnish professional ice hockey player and Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains, alternate captain for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Aho formerly played with ...
* Football/soccer players:
Niko Heiskanen Niko Heiskanen (born 11 March 1989 in Oulu) is a Finnish footballer who played as a defender for AC Oulu AC Oulu (ACO) is a Finnish football club based in Oulu. Formed in 2002, the club have played two seasons in Finland's highest football ...
,
Aki Lahtinen Aki Lahtinen (born 31 October 1958) is a Finnish former footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football ...
, Antti Niemi and
Mika Nurmela Mika Nurmela (born 26 December 1971) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the sporting director of Finnish Ykkönen club AC Oulu. His son Anselmi Nurmela is also a professional footballer. Internation ...
,
Seppo Pyykkö Seppo Pyykkö (born 24 December 1955) is a retired Finnish footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American footbal ...


International relations


Twin towns and sister cities

Oulu is twinned with: * Alta, Norway ''(since 1948)'' * Arkhangelsk, Russia ''(since 1993)'' * Astana, Kazakhstan ''(since 2013)'' * Boden, Sweden ''(since 1948)'' *
Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
, Turkey ''(since 1978)'' *
Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hall ...
, Germany ''(since 1968)'' * Leverkusen, Germany ''(since 1968)'' *
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
, Ukraine ''(since 1957)'' * Siófok, Hungary ''(since 1978)'' * Hangzhou,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
''(since 2010)'' Oulu also maintains relationships with cities twinned to
former municipalities A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of th ...
merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
with Oulu in 2013: *
Matera Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...
, Italy ''(twinned with Oulunsalo since 2010)'' * Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary ''(twinned with Haukipudas since 1992)'' * Kronstadt, Russia ''(twinned with Haukipudas,
Kiiminki Kiiminki ( sv, Kiminge) was a municipality of Finland. Along with Haukipudas, Oulunsalo and Yli-Ii municipalities it was merged with the city of Oulu on 1 January 2013. Kiiminki municipality was part of the Oulu province in the Northern Ostrobo ...
, and Yli-Ii since 1991)''


Partnership and twinning cities

In addition Oulu has eight 'Partnership & Twinning cities': * Glasgow, UK *
Ilembula Ilembula is a town and ward in Wanging'ombe district in the Njombe Region of the Tanzanian Southern Highlands. Its population according to the 2002 Tanzanian census is 18,126. International relations Twin towns, Sister cities & Partnership citie ...
, Tanzania * Karlsruhe, Germany *
Luleå Luleå ( , , locally ; smj, Luleju; fi, Luulaja) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core (2018) and is the seat of Lu ...
, Sweden * Matagalpa, Nicaragua *
Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
, Japan (since 2005) * Umeå, Sweden * Vienne, France


International municipal projects

The educational department was a part of the
Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland consisted of the Finnish participation in the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 of the European Union. The program was coordinated by a unit of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Fin ...
.


See also


References


External links

*
Visitoulu.fi
– VisitOulu.fi – Official tourism website of Oulu * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Finland Grand Duchy of Finland Seaside resorts in Finland Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea 1605 establishments in Sweden Populated places established in 1605