Hotel Ilves
Encyclopedia
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It was designed by architect Maunu Kitunen and was completed in 1986. The hotel has a total of 336 guest rooms and five restaurants. At 63 metres tall, the hotel is one of the tallest buildings in Finland outside Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
metropolitan area. Hotel Ilves is part of the S Groups Sokos Hotels chain.
History
The S Group, a large Finnish co-operative company, first proposed the idea of building a new hotel in central TampereTampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
in the 1970s. The site chosen was an old redbrick baize-factory situated near the Tammerkoski
Tammerkoski
Tammerkoski is a channel of rapids in Tampere, Finland. The city of Tampere is located between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. The difference in altitude between these two is 18 metres and the water flows from Näsijärvi to Pyhäjärvi through the Tammerkoski rapids.The banks of the Tammerkoski...
rapids. Two redbrick buildings and the base of an old factory chimney next to the hotel are the only surviving remnants of the large industrial premises.
In 1983 the S-group's design team travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to see how some of the world's most famous hotels, such as the Grand Hyatt, Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
and Hilton, were built. The project architect Maunu Kitunen completed the design in March 1983, creating a highly visible landmark in the centre of the city. The architect's idea for the shape of the building came from a matchbox.
