Oulu

Oulu is a Finnish city and municipality in the Oulu Province. It was founded on April 8 1605 by King Karl IX of Sweden. The city became the capital of Oulu province since 1776. Although a major fire destroyed much of the city in 1822, it was rebuilt and became the largest and most important city in Northern Finland and the sixth largest city in the country.

Area & Population: Situated by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of Oulu River, Oulu is located at 65º00' Latitude North and 25º28' Longitude East. The city covers an area of 384.99 sq. km with 373.10 sq. km of land and 11.89 sq. km of water. Around 128,095 people reside in the city with a density of 343.3 per sq. km.

Tourist Attractions: The city has many entertainment places that entertain the visitors. It also has several nightclubs that make the city awake all throughout the night.

Transportation: Oulu Airport, the second biggest airport in the country in terms of passenger traffic serves the city. Oulu railway station handles trains that link the city with other parts of the country. There is an extensive road network in the city that makes it easy to travel to other areas from the city. Buses and taxis add to the public transport system in the country.

Hotels:The attractive locations of the Oulu hotels give a spectacular view of the city's landscape. The comfy rooms and mouth-watering dishes attract the people to it. Sokos Hotel Arina, Best Western Hotel Apollo, Cumulus Oulu Hotel, Summer Hotel Oppimestari, Ramada Oulu, Radisson SAS Hotel Oulu, Holiday Inn Oulu, Hotel Rantakalla and Scandic Oulu are the famous hotels in the city. Besides this, the city also has a number of rock clubs, pubs and tex-mex restaurants with discotheque.

Places of Attraction:Tietomaa, Ainola Park- a former University botanical garden, Rotuaari Pedestrian Street, the Market Square with the City Library, the City Theatre and old salt storehouses, Mannerheim Park, The Linnanmaa University Botanical Garden and Hupisaaret are the main entertainment places in the city. The F.M. Franzen memorial, The North-Ostrobothnia Museum, The Pateniemi Sawmill Museum, The Vehicle Museum, The Oulu Art Museum, The Arctic Gallery and Technopolis- the technology village are the places where the historical as well as cultural artifacts can be seen. The city also offers many festivals and shows that entice the tourists. Oulu Music Video Festival, Air Guitar World Championships, Qstock Rock Festival, Oulu City Theatre, Oulu Children's Theatre Festival, The Oulu Horse Show, The American Car Show and The Winter Swimming World Championship are some of them.