Linnansaari
Listen to Tales of Tar-Linnansaari
Legend has it that supernatural things happen here: you might hear a woman’s screams or the clacking of heels, or catch a glimpse of the restless figure of a desperate student.
The old observatory (Tähtitorni), which now houses a well-known café, was built on the ruins of the cellar of the former Oulu Castle’s chancellery. In the nineteenth century, the cellar was used to store gunpowder; later, it provided cold storage for salmon caught in the Oulujoki river. In its darkest days, the cellar was a damp and dark dungeon, whose prisoners included Matti Montonen, condemned to be burnt at the stake for witchcraft in the late 1600s.
The Linnansaari (“Castle Island”) district used to be home to merchants’ storehouses, as well as a spa at the Lammassaari end. In the early twentieth century, there was a public sauna and wash house named Paati, which advertised itself as having three changing rooms for women and five for men. Known as a “gentlemen’s sauna”, Paati had traditional wood saunas, as well as bathtubs and steam rooms.
The sweet, pastel-pink Tähtitorni building was originally built in the 1800s as the observatory tower for a maritime academy (Oulun Merikoulu). The academy itself was located on the site of what is now the gym of Oulun Lyseo upper secondary school. It provided studies leading to the titles of sea captain and coxswain. There was great demand for these, as Oulu had a huge mercantile fleet – the largest in the entire Grand Duchy of Finland during the time of Russian rule in the nineteenth century.
So what was taught at the maritime academy and its observatory? Navigation, astronomy, commercial correspondence, shipbuilding and sail design, steam engine mechanics, foreign languages and even medicine, as medical care – even amputations – must occasionally be administered on the open seas. Naturally geography was also taught, to show where Oulu’s ships were sailing to. Two of the academy’s students were Jaakko Haataja of Kakaravaara, who became known as a maritime poet, and Henrik Wilhelm Snellman, son of the tar baron J. W. Snellman, who later became captain of the frigate Toivo built on Toppilansaari.
Once out of school with the necessary papers, graduates would wait for a white flag to be hoisted onto the Sailors’ House (Merimieshuone): it meant that a shipping company in Oulu was looking for crew members. Soon another Oulu-based ship loaded with tar, pitch, lumber and a lust for adventure would set sail.
Sources:
“Saunalaitos vuokrattavana”. Kaiku 15/4/1927
Kaukiainen, Yrjö: Laiva Toivo, Oulu. SKS Kirjat.
Korhonen, Markus H. 2001: Tervakaupungin tarinoita II osa. Radioasema Q.
Panu: “Linnansaaren saunan alku ja loppu”. Oulun Sanomat 19/12/2001
Pihlajaniemi, Janne & al. 2018: Tähtitornin kahvila. Rakennushistoriaselvitys. City of Oulu.
Viinikkala, Saana 2017: “Tähtitornin kahvilassa tapahtuu outoja”. Oamk journalism student publication, Vinkka.
Photo: Finnish Heritage Agency. A summery view from Oulu's Linnansaari in 1935.
Address
Oulun Linna/ Tähtitornin kahvila - opaskyltti. Linnasaari 1, 90100, Oulu
Tales of Tar
Welcome to the golden era of the tar trade!
Tales of Tar from Oulu
The cultural-historical Tales of Tar route takes you to authentic tar trade locations in different parts of Oulu through the short stories written by author Katariina Vuori. The stories are based on authentic locations, events and persons from the golden era of the tar trade in Oulu. You can listen to or read the fascinating stories on your phone.
In the 1800s tar export made Oulu a buzzing international seaside market town. Tar produced in Finland, and mostly shipped from Oulu, kept most of the sailing boats floating in Europe and beyond. This significant time in Oulu history is filled with stories, events, and destinies.
Katariina Vuori, the author of the stories, says she loves the waterways and the maritime feel of Oulu and Northern Ostrobothnia – the coast is unique, unassuming and slightly rag-ged, often hidden behind shrubbery along the waterline.
“It was fascinating to get to explore, through these tar-scented stories, the way in which waterways have influenced local history, the city’s growth and people’s lives, everyone from commoners to the high and mighty. The tar hegemony involved much more than mere glamour and oriental spices – there was pain, disappointment, and even personal tragedies in the mix,” says the author about the project.
The Tales of Tar route starts from the boundary of Leveri and ends in Toppila harbour. However, each story is independent and can be experienced in any order.
Stories: Katariina Vuori
Translation in English: Eva Malkki
Voice: Sami Lalou
Sound design: Pasi Alatalo
Photos: Finnish Agency of Heritage
Production and implementation: Oulu Culture Foundation
The main funder: Council of Oulu Region
© Oulu Culture Foundation
Tales of Tar from around the Oulujoki river
The Tales of Tar route continues along the Oulujoki river with three stories centred around the events that took place in Muhos, Utajärvi and Vaala. You can find the stories by following the digital map of the Tales of Tar route. You can also read the stories on this website.
The Oulujoki river stories have been realised by Rokua UNESCO Global Geopark/Humanpolis Oy as part of the project “Geoparks – attractive sustainable travel destinations”, which is funded by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund and the Finnish Government.
Photos: Finnish Agency of Heritage
The stories are available in English, Finnish, Easy Finnish, and Swedish.