Espoo tourist information
Espoo Finland
Its archipelago, seaside and the Nuuksio wildlife area, offer splendid surroundings for refreshing nature trips.
In many respects, Espoo is unique among Finnish cities. During the last few decades the city has grown faster than any other city in Finland. Now a big city of more than 215,000 people, 50 years ago, Espoo was a rural municipality with no more than 30,000 residents.
The rapid changes began in the 1950's, when the Helsinki University of Technology moved to Otaniemi in Espoo. Over the following years
Espoo became a large centre of technology. Today, tens of thousands of residents work for high tech businesses.
Espoo is indeed a city of expertise. The network of expertise surrounding the Otaniemi scientific community is outstanding, even from an international viewpoint. In Espoo, expertise is a recognised value. It is widely understood that knowledge and expertise are the keys to future success.
The residents of Espoo are generally well educated, with no less than 39 per cent of the population educated to university, or other higher education level. The local government of Espoo makes a determined contribution to educational development. At present, we run a large investment program focussing on children and young people. As a result, within a few years there will be about 8,500 new pupil places. The residents of Espoo are generally well educated, with no less than 39 per cent of the population educated to university, or other higher education level. The local government of Espoo makes a determined contribution to educational development. At present, we run a large investment program focussing on children and young people. As a result, within a few years there will be about 8,500 new pupil places.
However, the picture of Espoo would not be complete without mentioning its vital and multi-faceted cultural life. Espoo is particularly renowned for its many choirs and its outstanding chamber orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta. Each year, a number of high-quality and widely popular cultural festivals are held, such as April Jazz and Espoo Ciné.
Espoo is also a city of outstanding architecture. Our best-known architectural works internationally are the garden city of Tapiola, and the exclusive campus area of Otaniemi, the latter designed by architect Alvar Aalto.
As well as its cultural activities, the city structure makes Espoo a special kind of city. Instead of having a traditional city centre, it is built around five district centres: Tapiola, Leppävaara, Espoonlahti, Matinkylä-Olari and the centre of Espoo. Each of these is as large as a medium-sized Finnish town. This kind of city structure has proved successful in a variety of ways. According to recent research, Espoo is the safest of Finland's largest cities in Finland.
Despite of its rapid growth, Espoo has remained a city close to nature, from the archipelago down south to the large forests up north. Espoo's best example of outdoor life is the Nuuksio National Park, which offers a unique opportunity to experience the essence of Finnish wildlife in close proximity to the Capital City.
Espoo aerial map
Please click on any icon on the Espoo aerial tourist map, to find close by places, offering hotels and tourist information. You can zoom in and zoom out our touristical map as well as switch between satelite and map view of Espoo.
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