Oulu
Oulu (Swedish: Uleåborg) is a major port city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the north-western coast of the country at the mouth of the River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately 217,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 265,000. It is the 5th most populous municipality in Finland, and the fourth most populous urban area in the country. Oulu is also the most populous city in Northern Finland.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
2winter
cold, snowy, very dark (latitude 65°N — polar night period); mean −10.6 to 7.1 °C across the range; January mean min −13.3 °C; Bothnian Bay freezes; reliable snow cover
- indoor cultural season: the Oulu City Theatre, the Northern Ostrobothnia Museum, the Oulu Museum of Art
- the Air Guitar World Championships (late August) closes the summer; ice fishing and cross-country skiing in Hupisaaret park activate
- 24/7 grocery stores (S-Market Tuira, Kastelli, Kaakkuri, Ritaharju) — a winter-civic affordance rare in Europe
- the polar-night period suppresses outdoor life; the bars and fast-food places downtown are open until 4-5am on weekends
summer
short, mild, near-white nights (latitude 65°N — sun barely sets in late June); mean 9.2-16.0 °C, July mean max 19.2 °C; precipitation peaks late summer (Jul-Sep 2.3-2.9 mm/day)
- the market square (Kauppatori) fills with fried vendace (muikku) and salmon stalls — a defining summer civic ritual
- the Hupisaaret islands park system between the river mouths activates
- Air Guitar World Championships (late August) — a world-unique event that draws international participants
- the Bothnian Bay thaws; the Hailuoto ferry and 8.4 km causeway become recreational
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Air Guitar World Championships
- world-unique event since 1996
- international crowds
- absurdist civic ritual
Oulu Music Video Festival
- Oulu Music Video Festival — Finnish music film showcase, pairs with Air Guitar
Pikkujoulut / Little Christmas
- workplace and student pre-Christmas parties — a Finnish civic ritual
Oulu Markets
- Kauppatori market stalls with muikku and local produce
On the record
source-trackedOulu is the third northernmost city in the world with a population of over 100,000, after Murmansk and Norilsk in Russia.
Due to its large population and geopolitical, economic and cultural-historical position, Oulu has been called the "capital of Northern Finland".
Oulu is also considered one of Europe's "living labs", where residents experiment with new technologies (such as NFC tags and ubi-screens) on a community-wide scale.
Oulu has a subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc, Trewartha Eolo), bordering a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb, Trewartha Dclo).
It [Oulu] is the largest Finnish city entirely in this climatic zone as well as one of the largest such in the world.
One of Oulu's most internationally recognised cultural events is the Air Guitar World Championships, held annually in August since 1996.
For being the fifth largest city in Finland the city centre is small compared to, say, Tampere or Turku. The whole of the city centre is easily walkable, and the walking conditions are good.
Oulu is a place for eating pizza and other fast foods. For €10–15 you can get a pizza with your choice of (usually three) toppings.
Stalls on the Market Place have local delicacies such as fried vendace (muikku) or salmon.
If you need to get somewhere warm in the middle of the night in the winter, other place that is open 24/7 is the "summer street" of the shopping centre Valkea.
If you are in desperate need of something from the grocery store late at night (which means after 22:00 for Finns) or early morning, the options are narrowed down to four grocery stores: S-Market Tuira, Kastelli, Kaakkuri and Ritaharju. They are open 24/7.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.