Oulu

Finland

Oulu is a city on the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Finland, at the mouth of the Oulujoki river. Founded as a tar-trading port in 1605, it became a university and technology city. Attractions include the market square and its polar bear statue, the Tietomaa science center — among the world's first — the Northern Ostrobothnia museum, the riverside market halls and Pikisaari's artists' island, Nallikari beach, and the gateway to Finnish Lapland.