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 With
more than a hundred thousand inhabitants, Oulu is the largest city in
northern Scandinavia,
the sixth largest city in Finland,
the fastest growing region of the country and
the most active centre of business.
It is the capital of Oulu
province, west-central Finland.
The city is situated on the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of Oulu River. Already
during the European Middle Ages a trading post was located on the site. In
1590 the prospering settlement was fortified.
It was founded by decree of King Karl IX of Sweden in 1605, on the shore
opposite Oulu Castle, which had been built on an island in the
mouth
of the river of the same name.
The town rights were granted in
1610. It
was one of the great
maritime cities of Finland during the era
of the sailing ships.
An
explosion in 1793 destroyed the fortress, and the city was almost
completely destroyed by fire in 1822; but it became one of Finland's major
commercial centres in the 19th century. The city specialized in
the export of wood tar. During World War II, many sections of the city
were destroyed, and post-war building has modernized it considerably.
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