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Pori

Pori, Finland

Pori offers every traveller plenty to see, experience and enjoy. The seaside city by the Kokemäenjoki River, founded in 1558, boasts a colourful history. In the earlier days, European cultural influences and luxury items, such as spices, fine wines and fabrics, arrived to Western Finland via Pori.

During its history, Pori has burnt down nine times. The latest fire, in 1852, destroyed three quarters of the city’s buildings. The wide avenues that intersect the city date from this time. Their purpose was to prevent fires from spreading from one part of the city to the next. Today, Pori is a lively city with a relaxed atmosphere that is perfect for energetic leisure activities and family holidays as well as pampering and quieting down, either alone or with company. Experiences in the peaceful nature and in the vicinity of water can easily be combined with cultural events in the vibrant city centre.

The most significant building surviving the last fire is the Pori city hall, of which only a tower was destroyed. The neoclassical building, completed in 1841, was designed by the famous architect Carl Ludvig Engel. The building’s value is emphasised by the historically beautiful Raatihuone Park, spreading out right in front of the building.

In the years following the fire, the wealthy bourgeois paid for the construction of valuable stone houses in Eteläranta by the Kokemäenjoki River. This paved way for Kivi-Pori, a district of buildings constructed in the Neo-Renaissance style, its magnificent architecture still adorning the shores of the city’s river.

The most well-known event in the city is Pori Jazz Festival, one of Europe’s largest jazz festivals and one of the best summer events in Finland. For decades, Pori Jazz has drawn international stars to perform in Kirjurinluoto’s idyllic park environment every July.

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