Puijo tower
Encyclopedia
The Puijo tower is a 75 metre high observation tower
in Kuopio
, Eastern Finland
. The tower has a revolving restaurant
with 100 seats, which has worked flawlessly since its opening in 1963. It was the first tower with a revolving restaurant in the Nordic countries
. The restaurant was an inspiration to Erkki Lindfors, the mayor
of Tampere
, who got the idea to build a similar one in his home town, resulting in the Näsinneula tower
, which opened in 1971. The current Puijo tower has been visited by over 5.5 million tourists.
The current tower is the third overall. When it was completed in 1963 the second was dismantled (it was built in 1906 (see the Finnish- and German-language Wikipedia articles on Puijo and the Puijo tower)). The first tower was built in 1856. On the western side of the tower there are three ski jumping hills. An FIS Ski Jumping World Cup
event is held yearly in Puijo along with many smaller events. The event is hosted by a local ski jumping club, Puijon Hiihtoseura. Most of the Puijo hills area is preserved as a nature park in which there are excellent hiking and skiing routes that are popular with the inhabitants of Kuopio.
See also: List of towers
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
in Kuopio
Kuopio
Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest...
, Eastern 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...
. The tower has a revolving restaurant
Revolving restaurant
A revolving restaurant is a usually tower restaurant eating space designed to rest atop a broad circular revolving platform that operates as a large turntable. The building remains stationary and the diners are carried on the revolving floor. The revolving rate varies between one and three times...
with 100 seats, which has worked flawlessly since its opening in 1963. It was the first tower with a revolving restaurant in the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
. The restaurant was an inspiration to Erkki Lindfors, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Tampere
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...
, who got the idea to build a similar one in his home town, resulting in the Näsinneula tower
Näsinneula tower
Näsinneula is an observation tower in Tampere, Finland, overseeing Lake Näsijärvi. It was built in 1970–1971 and was designed by Pekka Ilveskoski. It is the tallest free-standing structure in Finland and the tallest observation tower in the Nordic countries at a height of . The tower opened in 1971...
, which opened in 1971. The current Puijo tower has been visited by over 5.5 million tourists.
The current tower is the third overall. When it was completed in 1963 the second was dismantled (it was built in 1906 (see the Finnish- and German-language Wikipedia articles on Puijo and the Puijo tower)). The first tower was built in 1856. On the western side of the tower there are three ski jumping hills. An FIS Ski Jumping World Cup
Ski jumping World Cup
The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup is a ski jumping tournament held yearly by the International Ski Federation since 1979–80 season.- World Cup points :...
event is held yearly in Puijo along with many smaller events. The event is hosted by a local ski jumping club, Puijon Hiihtoseura. Most of the Puijo hills area is preserved as a nature park in which there are excellent hiking and skiing routes that are popular with the inhabitants of Kuopio.
Puijo (Kuopio) based skijumpers
- Janne HapponenJanne HapponenJanne Mikael Happonen is a Finnish ski jumper who has competed since 2002. He represents Puijon Hiihtoseura as his ski club....
- Matti HautamäkiMatti HautamäkiMatti Antero Hautamäki is a Finnish ski jumper.-Biography:Matti made his first ski-jumping attempts at the age of seven near his home town of Oulu. When his older brother Jussi and his friend Lauri Hakola moved to Kuopio, Matti followed them...
- Jussi HautamäkiJussi HautamäkiJussi Hautamäki is a former Finnish ski jumper.-Personal life:Hautamäki is married and has two children, a daughter and a son...
- Risto LaakkonenRisto LaakkonenRisto Laakkonen is a Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1986 to 1993. He won a gold medal in the team large hill competition at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville....
- Arttu LappiArttu LappiArttu Ville Eemeli Lappi is a Finnish ski jumper who has competed since 2002. He won a gold medal in the team large event at the 2003 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme and finished 6th in the individual normal hill at those same championships.Lappi's two individual victories were...
- Mika LaitinenMika LaitinenMika Antero Laitinen is Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1990 to 2000. He won a gold medal in the Team large hill competition at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville....
(former) - Ari-Pekka NikkolaAri-Pekka NikkolaAri-Pekka Nikkola is a former Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1986 to 1998. He won two gold medals in the Team large hill competition at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville...
(former)
See also: List of towers