Startups and Moomin beat Lenin in the industrial city of Tampere

Tampere is Finland’s first and biggest industrial city, and today the country’s third city with around 260,000 inhabitants. It is situated 170 kilometres north of Helsinki.

An important trading post since the 13th century, Tampere was officially founded by Gustav III in 1779 when Finland was still part of Sweden.

A flourishing industrial city since the early 19th century, also called Finland’s Manchester, with a textile industry but also metal, iron and wood processing, and later shoe and leather industries. 

Today, unemployment is rising and currently stands at 13 per cent. The city is investing heavily in tourism and encourages startup entrepreneurship. 

The history of workers and industry is presented at the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas. It is similar to the Workers’ Museum in Copenhagen and the Museum of Work in Norrköping, Tampere’s sister city.