Oulu Castle was a late defense castle in Oulu, Finland. It was built on an island in the delta of Oulu River in 1590. The castle was mostly made of wood and earth walls. There probably was an earlier medieval castle on the same site latest by 1375. The Russian Sophia Chronicle has recorded that men from Novgorod tried to conquer a new castle in the Oulu River delta in 1377 but were unsuccessful.
The present-day ruins on the Linnansaari island remain from an even later castle, which was built in 1605. The castle was badly damaged in 1715, when Russian forces burned it. Final destruction took place in 1793, when lightning set the other one of the powder magazines on fire.
Wooden constructions on the remaining powder magazine date from 1875 when the Oulu School of Sea Captains built their observatory on the site. The building was designed by architect Wolmar Westling. The building has been a cafeteria since 1912 with a small exhibition on the...
   Read moreThere's not much left from the casle, built in 1592 for fighting the Karelians. Only the (pretty small) basement still exists. On the basement there is a very nice cafe where you can get all possible kinds of icecream (alas with no cream on it ;-). The cafe is in a sailor' s school, probably From the late 18th Century ; it looks great, like a kind of lighthouse building. It has a very nice "garden" where you can sit down and enjoy the landscape and the food or drinks. The peninsula on which it is, Linnansaari, is very popular among motorcyclists (male as well as female) and there is a sort of "lift" for waterskiing at the edge of Linnansaari. For the "castle" 4/10, for...
   Read moreErittĂ€in inspiroiva ja kaunis suomalainen ympĂ€ristö â niin sisĂ€ltĂ€ kuin pihaltakin. Jo pelkkĂ€ tilojen tutkiminen on viihtyisĂ€ seikkailu: tauluja, kirjoja, rappusia â ja jopa torni, jonka huipulta voi ihailla ympĂ€röivÀÀ vehreÀÀ puistoa.
SisĂ€ltĂ€ saa jÀÀtelöÀ, herkkuja ja kahvia, ja valikoima on monipuolinen. Monessa muussa paikassa nĂ€in komeasta nĂ€htĂ€vyydestĂ€ veloitettaisiin sisÀÀnpÀÀsymaksu, mutta tÀÀllĂ€ ei. Sen sijaan voit ostaa tyyristĂ€, erittĂ€in tummaa kahvia. (KĂ€vin kokeilemassa kahvia uudelleen toisena pĂ€ivĂ€nĂ€ varmistaakseni vaikutelmani â ongelma oli sama.) Kahvi maistui siltĂ€, ettĂ€ keitintĂ€ ei ole pesty kunnolla, se on seissyt liian kauan kuumalla levyllĂ€ tai siinĂ€ on liikaa puruja.
Onneksi hyllyistĂ€ löytyy kotimaisia pienyrittĂ€jien tuotteita, jotka pelastavat tilanteen â esimerkiksi erinomainen havaijinlimppari.
Kakkupala 2/5. Pettymys. Kakku oli sekava yhdistelmĂ€: mutakakkua, vadelman ja suklaan yhdistelmĂ€, pÀÀllĂ€ mauton ja veltto valkoinen vaahto sekĂ€ tummaa suklaarouhetta. Maku ja koostumus olivat epĂ€tasapainossa. Kuten joku viisas on sanonut: âYksinkertainen on kaunista.â (Tosin nykyÀÀn saa myös burgerpitsaa, jonka pÀÀllĂ€ on ranskalaisia ja ketsuppia.)
Onneksi paikka tarjoaa paljon muutakin kuin kahvia ja kakkua. En halua olla ilkeĂ€ â ympĂ€ristö ja tunnelma ovat aidosti miellyttĂ€viĂ€. Jos kahvin maku saadaan kuntoon ja valikoimaan lisĂ€tÀÀn kohtuuhintainen, yksinkertainen ja kaunis leivos, voisin helposti poiketa tĂ€nne pĂ€ivĂ€kahville aina ohikulkumatkalla.
Kaiken kaikkiaan hieno kokemus....
   Read more