Tampere is situated between two lakes

Tampere, Finland’s second biggest city, is home to the Nokia empire.

The city is situated between two lakes (Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi), one of which is 18 metres higher than the other, so that the river connecting the two lakes forms a series of rapids (the Tammerkoski Rapids) as it flows through the centre of Tampere.

A more spectacular setting for a city would be difficult to find anywhere. Along the park-lined riverbanks, people fish for the clear-water trout that thrive here. Gone are the smoke-spewing mills that in the 19th Century lined the rapids, where Scottish industrialists originally set up shop to take advantage of cheap hydro-power. Today, many of the old mills have been converted to boutiques, craft workshops, restaurants and cafés.

Also in Tampere, the Lenin Museum is a strange tribute to one of the city’s most notorious former residents. If you manage to plod your way through a whole array of display cases featuring nothing but Soviet memorabilia, then you’ve passed the boredom test with flying colours. Had Lenin succeeded in his designs for Tampere, then it is certain that the latest Nokia phone would weigh at least 10kg and have a battery life of three minutes.