Pyynikki is a cultural and heritage attraction in Tampere

Tampere

Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

.

History

Pyynikki started as a park and place of natural beauty since the 1830s and the first cafe within Pyynikki was opened in 1868. The first observation tower was built in 1888, but it was damaged in the 1918 civil war. Rebuilding plans started from 1925 and the new tower and cafe was opened in 1929 for the city's 150th anniversary.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, the city of Tampere built the more modern and commercial Särkänniemi

Särkänniemi

Särkänniemi is an adventure park in Tampere, Finland. The park features an aquarium, a planetarium, a children's zoo, an art museum, an observation tower , an amusement park and the world's northernmost dolphinarium. Särkänniemi is the most popular amusement park in Finland...

 which replaced Pyynikki's role as a tourist attraction aimed at foreign tourists, leaving Pyynikki mostly for local visitors and other Finns and as a hidden gem for foreign tourists.

Observation Tower and Cafe

This current tower was designed by architect Vilho Kolho and built using local red granite. The 26-meter tower stands 152 meters above sea level on the Pyynikki ridge crest. The top can be reached by a lift, but walking up the stairs offers various observation windows. The open top offers a clear view of the city of Tampere as well as Lake Näsijärvi on the north and Lake Pyhäjärvi in the south.

Entrance to the park and cafe is free but climbing the tower costs 50 cents for children or 2 euros for adults. The Cafe has its own historic donut recipe which has remained unchanged for 80 years.

Pyynikki is Tampere's official destination for motorcyclist tourists, other areas of the city may not be so welcoming. Tuesday especially is dedicated to motorcyclists.

Pyynikki Summer Theatre

Pyynikki also contains a summer theatre

Pyynikin kesäteatteri

Pyynikin Kesäteatteri is an open-air theatre operating in Tampere, Finland, known especially for its revolving auditorium...

within the park.