Tampere (Finland)

Tampere is situated in the south-west of Finland and is the third-largest city in the country.

Its favourable geographical location by the Tammerkoski Rapids provided excellent conditions for rapid industrial development. The textiles industry, mechanical engineering and vehicle manufacture made Tampere one of the most important industrial cities in Scandinavia over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Due to the diversity of its industries, Tampere is also frequently called the Manchester of the North.

The lively university city is today amongst the most important intellectual and economic centres in the Nordic countries. The vibrant hub offers visitors two theatres and numerous museums and galleries. With Tampere Hall, the city has the largest concert and congress centre in Northern Europe. The most famous open-air theatre in Finland is also located in Tampere.

Tampere has two ports for passenger vessels, recreational and sailing boats. Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is located to the south-west of the city in Pirkkala.

The city partnership between Chemnitz and Tampere is Chemnitz’s longest. The parallels in the historical development of the cities made for an ideal starting point as the textiles industry and mechanical engineering have also shaped the city of Tampere over recent decades.

The Chemnitz–Tampere city partnership provides the framework for extremely lively exchanges between sportspeople, artists and specialists from the most diverse fields (administration, transport, social work with older people) as well as for joint EU projects. Diverse and lively relationships are also maintained between Chemnitz and Tampere Universities of Technology.