If you understand Finnish and are interested in old Tampere, the books that Tampere-Seura / Society publishes are just for you. I have lived in different parts of the city and Tampere-Seura has made books about most of these areas and their history.

It is interesting to look at the old photos and read how it was years ago when you are currently living in the same area. There are also postcards, pillowcases & bags with old views of the city that make a nice gift. In the pictures, you can see what the places used to look like and go back in time. My mom worked as a pharmacist in the very first pharmacy in Tampere; now there is a hamburger restaurant on that spot, but on the pillow I gave her for Christmas, the pharmacy is still there!

Even for the Finns living in other parts of the country, the dialect and some words used in Tampere are funny, and Tampere-Seura makes cotton items that have words like ”moro, rotvalli, pipa” printed on them: towels, pencil cases etc. This is something I wanted to give to my sister who’s lived in Spain for some years (to make her homesick?)

The little shop is located in our beautiful city hall, which is really worth visiting if you ever get a chance. The birthday of Tampere is on October 1st and every year around that time the building is open to public at certain times.