The
gateway to northern Finland
Life
sparkles in the far north
Founded on natural
resources
Founded on natural resources
TRADING activities on the River Oulujoki - at the place which would later become the Port of Oulu - were recorded as early as the 14th century. But it was not until September 1531 that the port itself was formally established. Later, in 1605, the city of Oulu was founded by King Charles IX of Sweden as a trading post on the Gulf of Bothnia.
Tar
The wooden sailing ships of the 17th and 18th centuries used tar as a coating in their hulls and Oulu soon became a major producer of wood distilled tar thanks to the enormous timber resources if northern Finland. The tar was brought down from the hinterland by river barge and gathered in storehouses by the harbour. The port of Oulu was a natural gateway for the export of tar, a product that was much in demand by the merchant fleets and navies throughout the world and in particular was supplied to the merchant fleets of France and the Netherlands.
By the 18th and 19th centuries Oulu had become one of the most important tar exporters in the world. It was hardly suprising, therefore, that during the Crimean War 300 British warships were sent to Oulu to ensure that the Russians were deprived of their tar supplies.
Development
Life was tough in Oulu, located only 200 km from the Arctic Circle. Local conditions, in which the sea is frozen for months at a time in winter and temperatures can drop to 30 degrees below, created a rugged people who were used to working hard and creating ingenious solutions for challenging prblems.
After Oulu´s emergence as an important maritime centre thanks to the tar industry, it also became one of Finland´s two largest shipbuilding centres along with Turku. A maritime school was opened in 1863 to supply officers and crew to the merchant fleet of Oulu and this continued to operate until 1910.
Oulu developed strong international connections and became a rich and prosperous city. But, like many cities in this timber based region, Oulu has been reshaped many times by fire, notably the great fire of 1822, of which the renovated cathedral still bears the scars.
Timber
Iron hulled ships all but killed off the tar industry, so the city´s industry changed direction and became a major exporter of timber and timber related products. More recently, woodpulp has become a major export and in 1991 Oulu´s first paper mil was opened. This industry is now one of the port´s main sources of cargo.
Since the 16th century Oulu has also been famous for its salmon industry. Caught in the River Oulu, this local delicacy is still supplied to markets in Finland as well as being exported overseas. The municipal coat-of-arms, featuring the image of a salmon, bears witness to the importance of this product in the commercial life of the region.
Capital
The oldest part of the port is Toppila Harbour, which was bought by the city of Oulu in 1910. Nuottasaari Harbour, completed in 1953, was built to handle imports of salt and exports of pulp, while the oil harbour at Vihreäsaari was built in 1963. Oritkari is a deepwater harbour built in 1970 to handle the growing number of large vessels serving the paper industry. Since 1971 the harbours of oulu have been kept open all year round using icebreakers.
For many years Oulu has been the administrative capital of northern Finland and in 1965 it became Finland´s largest city in terms of area when part of the municipality of Oulujoki was joined to Oulu. Today, Oulu is regocnised for its innovation in technology, originally in telephone communications, but since the early 1980s in electronics and telecommunications.
The city of Oulu has developed from a medieval town into a centre of tehnology and commerce, but it still has a strong maritime heritage. It is currently the fastest growing city in Finland, in which the thriving maritime base is complemented by the expanding technological sector. Today the people of Oulu are following in the footsteps of their ancestors and continuing to use the sea as a bridge to the world´s markets.
