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Empowering Peace: The role of civil society in peacebuilding and conflict transformation

EuPRA Conference Tampere 2022

Dates

-

Location

Tampere
Finland
    Introduction

     

    In the last months, we have faced a global challenge, which has forced all of us to think about the fragility of human lives and our social relationships. The Covid19 pandemic has tested economies and societies and in many cases, exacerbated inequalities and social injustices all around the world.

    Unfortunately, we have been witnessing serious cases of violence, although civil society has reacted to this with strong peaceful determination. In such threatening and fragile times, voices have been raised worldwide in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has provided an exemplary case of global activism and support for human rights.

    Borders in Europe were closed for the first time after many decades of free mobility within its territories. Nationalisms raised their voices once again, trying to create more confusion in such a delicate and vulnerable period. But solidarity resisted and showed up through innovative communication channels, such as social media and online platforms.

    We are resilient, we can adapt to difficult situations and find new solutions to problems. The development of technologies has been crucial in these challenging times, also as a tool for supporting, promoting and making peace.

    What are the lessons we have learnt from this pandemic situation? How can peace research contribute to understanding and transforming the new conflicts we are facing? What are the new power structures which are challenging peace in Europe? What is the role of civil society in relation to them? What are the obstacles to a more inclusive and diverse society, and in which ways can peace research contributes to understanding and removing them? How are new generations of scholars and activists tackling the challenges of our contemporary times?

     

     

     

    The programme is open to last-minute changes. Please check the programme regularly.  
    Updates to the programme will also be announced on Twitter @euprapeace #EuPRA2022

    To save paper, no copies of the programme or abstracts will be handed out at the conference.
    Hybrid sessions can be followed on Zoom. The Zoom links have been sent ahead of the conference to the email address you registered with. You can download Zoom here.

     

    1 June 2022
    12:00 - 12:30
    Main Building
    Main Entrance

    REGISTRATION

    12:30 - 13:30
    Main Building A210

    OPENING STATEMENTS


    Opening statements by:
    • Tarja Väyrynen (TAPRI)
    • Unto Vesa (EuPRA)
    • Anitta Kynsilehto (Finnish Peace Research Association)
    • Matt Meyer (IPRA)
    13:30 - 14:00
    Main Building

    COFFEE BREAK

    14:00 - 15:00
    Main Building A210

    KEYNOTE


    Matt Meyer, Secretary General of International Peace Research Association (IPRA): "Decolonizing Peace Research: Reports from a Field on the Verge of Expansion"
    15:30 - 17:00
    Main Building A210

    PEACE AND ARTS – WORKSHOP


    Hanne Tjersland and Ilaria Tucci – The Body as Resource for Peace Facilitators
    15:30 - 17:00
    Main Building A05

    DISARMAMENT AND PEACE


    Chairs: Unto Vesa, Emeritus Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University and Maria Mekri, Executive Director, Safer Globe
    • Marzhan Nurzhan – The role of expertise in shaping politics of nuclear knowledge. A case study of think tanks
    • Unto Vesa – The present security situation in Europe
    • Rony Matti Ojajärvi – The Social Struggle between Finnish Peace Movements and the Lutheran State Church in Finland 1919–1932
    15:30 - 17:00
    Main Building A06

    METHODS AND APPROACHES TO PEACE RESEARCH – Factors Influencing War and Peace


    Chairs: Bayan Arouri, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI and Bram J. De Smet, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Nenad Stekić – Concealed Armed Conflicts Transformation: Excerpt From a Delphi Study
    • Katariina Harjunpää – A linguistic and interactional approach to distributed agency in mediation
    15:30 - 17:00
    Main Building A07

    ONLINE SESSION 1 – Aspects of Overlooked Civil Societies


    Chair: Marko Lehti, Senior Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • oyce Apsel – Bonds that Hold; Bonds that Break: Teaching Albert Camus’ The Plague during Covid-19 – Insights, New Vocabularies and Critiques
    • Eva Segura – After totalitarian thinking: what thinking can d
    • Tae-Kyung Kim and EJR Cho – Characteristics of Disaster Risk Reduction Governance Under the Kim Jong Un Regime and Implications for Policies toward North Korea
    • Ria Chae (Yale University Council on East Asian Studies) – Imagining the Future of Korea in the 1970s — The Genealogy of Korean Intellectual Discourse on Peaceful Reunification
    15:30 - 17:00
    Main Building A08

    ONLINE SESSION 2 – Security and Gender


    Chair: Annick Wibben, Professor, Swedish Defence University
    • José-Manuel Moreno-Mercado, Óscar G. Luengo and Javier García-Marín – Current challenges of Media and Conflict Studies: Securitization as a Media Frame in Spanish Press Portrayal of Syrian War
    • Natasha Singh Raghuvanshi & Jenna Sapiano – Rethinking the role of the Security Council for feminist activism: The WPS agenda after 20 years (preferably 1.6)
    • Jussi Heikkilä – Patrimony of Brothers in Arms: Comment on “Introducing the Historical Gender Equality Index
    15:30 - 17:00
    Main Building A31

    ACTIVISM, RIGHTS AND PEACE


    Chair: Angel Iglesias Ortiz, Post-Doctoral Researcher, SPARG/TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Anitta Kynsilehto and Camilla Marucco – Access to rights regardless of one’s status: Steps towards enhancing social justice
    • Elisabeth Olivius – “On the Border, I Learned How to Advocate”: Borderlands as Enabling Political Spaces for Myanmar Women’s Activism
    5:30 - 17:00
    Main Building A32

    FEMINIST PEACE RESEARCH – UN WOMEN, PEACE & SECURITY


    Chair: Tarja Väyrynen, Director Professor, TAPRI, Tampere Universit
    • Bénédicte Santoire – Between War, Militarization, and Nationalism: The Necessity of Feminist Peace Research for/in post-Soviet Europe
    • Nora O Stenius – Counting Mothers, Monsters and Whores: Indicators Constructing the Ideal Wo(men), Peace and Security Actant
    • Laura Sulin – The UN Women, Peace and Security Agenda – a conceptually challenged framework
    2 June 2022
    TIME
    Main Building A1

    HYBRID – WELCOMING GREETINGS


    Daniela Irrera, President of EuPRA (Associate Professor, University of Catania)

    KEYNOTE


    Annick Wibben, Professor, Swedish Defence University: “Peace research in times of nearby war: Feminist perspectives on peace and war”
    10:30 - 11:00
    Main Building

    COFFEE BREAK

    11:00 - 12:30
    Main Building A1

    HYBRID SESSION – ROUNDTABLE – REVISITING THE MOTHERHOOD MYTH


    Chairs: Leena Vastapuu, Associate Senior Lecturer, Swedish Defence University and Annick Wibben, Professor, Swedish Defence University
    • Priscyll Anctil Avoine
    • Yael Gappel
    • Marie Migeon
    • Elina Penttinen
    • Elena Spasovska
    13:00 - 14:00
    Linna Building

    LUNCH BREAK

    14:00 - 15:30
    Linna Building 5014

    METHODS AND APPROACHES TO PEACE RESEARCH – The Role of Narrative


    Chair: Cæcile Jensen, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Emma Fredriksson – The politics of imagination: analysing security expertise in the Swedish rearmament as fiction
    • Ihntaek Hwang – Imagining national security differently through the South Korean military refusers: the potential of our human bodies and aesthetics
    • Roy Tamashiro – Survivor-Witness Narratives for Empowering Peace in Troubling Times
    14:00 - 15:30
    Linna Building 6042

    ONLINE SESSION 3 – Indigenous Resistance and decolonization


    Chair: Camilla Marucco, Doctoral Researcher, University of Turku
    • Stellan Vinthagen: A territorial rebellion – the case of the Zapatista communities of autonomy
    • Dorian Williams and Stellan Vinthagen: Resistance to contemporary military occupation and colonization: An overview of the existing literature
    • Brandon Swann: Bottom-up pedagogies of activist-schools as part of laboratory social movements
    • Jess Notwell: Decolonising Peace: Lessons in Co-Resistance
    14:00 - 15:30
    Linna Building 5027

    ONLINE SESSION 4 – Crisis, Peace and Conflicts


    Chair: Unto Vesa, Emeritus Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Itır Toksöz – The Role of non-State Actors in Peaceful Use of Outer Space
    • Fatemeh Shayan (University of Isfahan) – Conflict and Terrorism: Case Study of Jundallah and Jeish ul-Adl in Iran
    • Gianmarco Pisa: In time of crisis, in search for peace
    14:00 - 15:30
    Linna Building 5026

    METHODS AND APPROACHES TO PEACE RESEARCH – Challenging dominant discourses in peace research


    Chair: Bram J. De Smet, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Sofie Rose – Continuums of Violence: How Stigmatization against Children Born of War affects Sustainable Peace
    • Selina Gallo-Cruz: Feminism, Power, and Empowerment in Nonviolent Studies
    • Maisa Borg – Destination vaccination? Emotions, visuality, and securitization in social media videos for and against the COVID-19 vaccine
    • Jenny Hedström and Elisabeth Olivius – Tracing temporal conflicts in transitional Myanmar: life history diagrams as methodological tool
    14:00 - 15:30
    Linna Building 6017

    PEACE EDUCATION – Contemporary Challenges for Peace Education


    Chair: Marko Lehti, Senior Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Crispin Michael Cole Hemson – Educating teachers for peace and justice in a context of violence and oppression
    • Nils Vidar Vambheim – Inter-group boundaries, prejudice, and conflict. Do Educational interventions work?
    • Maarten van Alstein – Peace Education in Times of Polarization
    14:00 - 15:30
    Linna Building 6031

    HYBRID SESSION -ARTS AND PEACE – Transformative Power of Arts


    Chairs: Angel Iglesias Ortiz, Post-Doctoral Researcher, SPARG/TAPRI and Ilaria Tucci, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Nicole Fox – Memorializing A Global Pandemic: Honoring Loss and Collective Trauma
    • Yelyzaveta Glybchenko – Coloring Outside the Lines: Imaginary Reconstitution of Security in Yemen through Image Transformations
    • Ilaria Tucci & Hanne Tjersland – The Body as Resource for Peace Facilitators – reflections
    14:00 to 15:30
    Linna Building 6032

    Chair: Vadim Romashov, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University


    • Jack Shepherd – Exploring a unifying approach to peace through tourism: The Case of Abraham in Israel-Palestine
    • Stephanie Thiel – Countering Right-Wing Violence and Group-Related Enmity: A Civil Society Approach
    • Šárka Kolmašová: “If not now, then when?” – R2P advocates and the crisis in Myanmar
    15:30 – 15:45
    Linna Building Floor 6

    COFFEE BREAK

    15:45 to 17:15
    Linna Building 5026

    PEACE AND TECHNOLOGY


    Chair: Bram J. De Smet, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Maria Mekri – Digital Peacemaking and Innovation: AI, Data and Beyond
    • Yelyzaveta (Lisa) Glybchenko – Virtual Peacetech: Designing VR Pieces as Tools for Grassroots Peacework
    15:45 to 17:15
    Linna Building 5027

    MOBILITY, SECURITY AND BORDERS – Global Institutional Responses


    Chair: Nils Vidar Vambheim, Associate Professor, University of Tromso
    • Lena Merkle – Cross-border Cosmopolitanism in Times of Conflict
    • Ville Savoranta – Whose security does the Common Security and Defence Policy support?
    15:45 to 17:15
    Linna Building 6017

    FEMINIST PEACE RESEARCH – Intersectionality and Peace


    Chair: Daniela Irrera, Associate Professor, University of Catania
    • Tiina Vaittinen – The unspoken yet prevalent leakages in spaces of exception: Incontinence care in humanitarian emergencies
    • Berg Elin – From Silence to Pride: Re-imaginations of Gender and Sexuality in the Swedish Armed Forces
    • Carrie Reiling & Leena Vastapuu – Intersectionality in Feminist Peace Research: One Discipline, Multiple Lifeworlds
    15:45 to 17:15
    Linna Building 6031

    HYBRID SESSION – PEACE PERSPECTIVES


    Chairs: Angel Iglesias Ortiz, Post-Doctoral Researcher, SPARG/TAPRI and Ebru Sevik, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Victor Nascimento-Miyano – Ranking on the wall, which university is the best of all? Global South universities’ domestication of higher education rankings
    • Ana Maria Tarazona Galvis – The co-existence of peace and violence as part of the everyday in Cauca, Colombia: Dynamics of peace promoted by local agents after the peace agreement of 2016
    • Karoliina Lehtola – That One Case I Will Never Forget: Refugee Law Project in Tackling Conflict-related Sexual Violence Against Men in Uganda
    • Anton Stalchenko – The Use of Geopolitical tools to achieve geoeconomic means: Case study Russia-Ukraine Interactions in January 2022
    • Nina Kolarzik and Eva Holzinger – People’s Experiences of Climate Change and Changing Climates throughout Europe
    15:45 to 17:15
    Linna Building 6042

    ONLINE SESSION 5 – Citizenships across the borders


    Chair: Stephanie Thiel, Doctoral Researcher, University of Konstanz
    • Saila Heinikoski – Pandemic responses in the North: How did Nordic countries approach European rules and recommendations in the Covid-19 crisis?
    • Stella Cheong – Reinventing Peacebuilding Citizenship Education in a post-COVID era
    • Faouzia Zeraoulia – Civil Society Organizations, Peacebuilding Process, and Reconciliation in Algeria: Strategies, Mechanisms, and Constraints
    • Mohammadamin Alboghobaysh – Peaceful Immigration: The Role of Afghan Immigrants in Expanding Inter-Regional Cooperation
    15:45 to 17:15
    Linna Building 6032

    CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION – Emerging concepts and approaches in conflict transformation and peacebuilding


    Chair: Vadim Romashov, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Natalia Djandjgava – Promotion of Good Governance: Essential Prerequisite for Social Peace
    • Tanja Tamminen – Problem finding dialogue: the concept of “meaning” and the fusion of horizons
    • Antonella Cariello and Gentiana Susaj – Empowerment Self Defense as A Sustainable Peace-Building Approach: The Impact of Delivering ESD Trainings to Young People in Albania
    17:20 - 18.30
    Linna Building

    HYBRID – EuPRA BOARD ELECTIONS

    19:00 - 20:30
    Old City Hall

    CITY RECEPTION


    Old City Hall – Keskustori 10, 33210 Tampere
    3 June 2022
    09:00 to 10:00
    Linna Room K104

    HYBRID – KEYNOTE


    Helga West, Doctoral Researcher, University of Helsinki: “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People - Structural Justice or Threat?
    10:00 to 10:30
    Linna Building

    COFFEE BREAK

    10:30 to 12:00
    Linna Room K108

    ARTS AND PEACE - Images, Bodies and Borders


    Chair: Tarja Väyrynen, Professor Director, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Angel Iglesias Ortiz & Ilaria Tucci - Humanizing the border through art expression: Everyday actions and everyday items as artistic threshold of peace at the border
    • Eleonora Marzani - Transforming reality through art: exploring the concept of monstrosity
    • Hanne Tjersland - Dance as an Embodied and Relational Means to Unfold Peace
    TIME
    LOCATION

    HYBRID SESSION – DIASPORA AND PECE – Identities and Diaspora


    Chair: Élise Féron, Senior Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Zahra Edalati – The Experience of being a Muslim woman in a so-called country of "gender equality", Finland; "Am I a 'good' woman?"
    • Bruno Lefort – Conflicted identities: negotiating alterity and belonging among young people from the Lebanese diasporas in Montreal
    10:30 to 12:00
    Linna Room K110

    ONLINE SESSION 6 – Historical perspectives in peace and conflict studies


    Chair: Daniela Irrera, Associate Professor, University of Catania
    • EJR Cho – The politics of red: challenging Cold War taboos during the 2002 Football World Cup in South Korea
    • Bahar Baser and Shivan Fazil – "They Hear Us but They Do not Listen to Us": Youth Narratives on Hope and Despair in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
    • Ane Marie Ørbø Kirkegaard – In search of Peace beyond the Enlightenment, the Spanish Golden Age and the consequences of the Reconquista
    • Hendrik Bullens – Paradise Lost: how (non-)violent were our ancient forebears? And what it means for Peace Research
    10:30 to 12:00
    Linna Room K112

    FEMINIST PEACE RESEARCH – Women’s Roles and Peace


    Chairs: Bayan Arouri, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University and Camilla Marucco, Doctoral Researcher, University of Turku
    • Jusaima Moaid-azm Peregrina – Understanding the Complexities of Women’s Inclusion in the Syrian Peace Process
    • Annick Wibben – Women’s Participation in War; Feminist Frames
    • Marjaana Jauhola & Minna Lyytikäinen – At the new feminist dawn? Revisiting the Decade for Women (1975-1985) and alternative visions for peace in the work of Hilkka Pietilä
    12:00 to 13:30
    Linna Building

    LUNCH BREAK

    13:30 to 15:00
    Linna Building K108

    HYBRID SESSION – SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENT AND PEACE – Activism, Policy-making and Environmental Peacebuilding


    Chair: Ebru Sevik, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Eva Wissenz – Global warming pressure: each one of us is a peace make
    • Tae-Kyung Kim & Haein Cho – Exploring Common Ground for SDGs Implementation Toward Peacebuilding: Text Mining Analysis of VNRs and Implications for Sustainable Peace on the Korean Peninsula
    • Ariadna Romans i Torrent – The Advocacy Trap – What struggles will the green youth activism face in the 21st century?
    13:30 to 15:00
    Linna Building K109

    HYBRID SESSION – DIASPORA AND PEACE – Everyday Peace, Resilience and Diasporas


    Chair: Élise Féron, Senior Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Cæcilie Svop Jensen – Second and 1,5 generation Somalis in Finland: Exploring perceptions of ‘homeland’ conflict
    • Anna Kreikemeyer and Vadim Romashov – International organizations’ misinterpretation of local peace processes: The case of everyday cooperation of Armenians and Azerbaijanis in a borderland of Georgia
    • Élise Féron and Bahar Başer – Nagorno-Karabakh and Diasporic Discursive Wars
    13:30 to 15:00
    Linna Building K110

    CIVIL SOCIETY AND PEACE – The Multi-Faceted Role of Civil Society in Peace and Conflict


    Chairs: Nils Vidar Vambheim, Associate Professor, University of Tromso and Ihntaek Hwang, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Arsalan Bilal – Post-2001 Afghanistan War and the Role of Civilians: A Study of How Civilians Function as Active Agents in Shaping and Reshaping Conflicts
    • Ole Martin Gaasholt – The many faces of civil society in Northern Mali
    • Tonny Kirabira – Peace vs Justice? Civil Society influence on Post-Conflict reconciliation and transitional justice in Uganda
    • Md Aslam Hossain – Civil Society Movement for Rohingya Integration in Bangladesh
    TIME
    LOCATION

    ONLINE SESSION 7 – Interdisciplinary approach to coexistence, nonviolence and conflict


    Chairs: Craig Brown, Affiliate Researcher, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Anna Sofia Suoranta, Doctoral Researcher, TAPRI, Tampere University
    • Esin Düzel – Theoretical Remarks about Everyday Peace and Challenges of Intersectionality
    • Samia Chabouni – The role of Rwandan women in peacebuilding and the state-reconstruction after genocide
    • Fatemeh Shayan (University of Isfahan) – Migration from Yemen to Europe and the Related Threat
    15:00 to 16:30
    Linna Building

    OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY SESSION

    17:00 onward
    All around Tampere

    LEISURE WITH LOCALS

    4 June 2022
    10:00 to 12:30
    Linna Room K104

    Hybrid Closing Session

    Tampere Train & Bus Stations and Tampere University

    Tampere Map

     

    Tampere University Grounds

    All events will take place in the Main Building (1) and the Linna Building (5).

     

    Practicalities about getting to Tampere and your stay here

    Grants and financial support

    In case you need support for funding your travel and accommodation costs, you can look through the following funding option that could cover up to €1,000 of the expenses: https://applytelepart.com/about/

    How to get to Tampere

    Reaching Tampere from Finnish cities and abroad is easy thanks to the wide range of transportation options available. In this section, you can find information about transportation and infrastructures that would safely bring you to Tampere.

    You can arrive in Tampere by taking a flight to Tampere-Pirkkala airport or by bus or train if your flight arrives at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, which is the more popular airport for international travel.

    From Tampere Pirkkala Airport

    Visit Tampere, Laura Vanzo

    The Tampere-Pirkkala airport is located 17 kilometers from the city centre. You can reach the city centre of Tampere by bus and taxi (airport taxi or normal taxi). There is also a car rental available.

    Address of the airport: Tornikaari 50, 33960 Pirkkala

    Bus 103

    Bus 103 runs daily between Tampere-Pirkkala Airport and Tampere and stops and picks up passengers in front of terminals 1 and 2. The route passes through the train station and bus station in the city centre. The line has connections for both departing and arriving flights. You can learn more about the schedule of the bus through the following link: Schedule of Bus 103.

    Taxi

    At the airport, there is a taxi rank in front of Terminal 1 and a free phone for calling a taxi (in case there are no taxis available). The trip to/from the centre costs approximately 50 euros, somewhat more at weekends and nights.

    There are several companies in Tampere offering taxi services:

    Taksi Tampere is the biggest taxi operator in the Pirkanmaa region – taksitampere.fi
    Liuttu Logistics offers logistic services that combine both person and parcel transport – http://www.liuttu.com/en/front-page/
    02 Taxi is a fast and easy way to order a taxi – 02taksi.fi

    Car rental

    There are car rental services available at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport (terminal 1). Below you can find the websites of those car rentals linked for your convenience:

    • Europcar
    • Hertz
    • Sixt

    From Helsinki Vantaa Airport

    If your flight arrives at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, you can continue your travel to Tampere from there by bus or train. The distance between the airport and Tampere is approximately 170km.

    From Helsinki Vantaa Airport to Tampere by train

    To travel easily from the Helsinki airport, we recommend taking a train to Tampere via Tikkurila. At the airport, the train station is located in connection with the hall of arrivals. You can take an elevator or an escalator to the lower floor of the train station.

    Visit Tampere, Laura Vanzo

    You can get train tickets directly through the website of VR Ltd Finnish Railways ahead of your travel or use vending machines inside the airport. Please make sure to book tickets from and to Helsinki Airport and not Helsinki, if you want to take a train directly from the airport. The Railway Waiting Room is open 24h daily.

    From Helsinki Vantaa Airport to Tampere by bus

    If you prefer travelling by bus, there are versatile connection options available.

    One of the inter-city bus operators in Finland is OnniBus.com. You can find tickets available on their website www.onnibus.com.

    For bus and coach services in Finland, you can also look into the website of Oy Matkahuolto Ab.  Single tickets can be purchased quickly and easily from the online shop, mobile app and Matkahuolto service outlets.

    Your stay in Tampere

    Below we are offering a list of recommended hotels and sites where you can search for accommodation in Tampere.


    You can also look through the following websites to assist your search for accommodation in Tampere:

    Explore Tampere Online

    To get acquainted with the city of Tampere, we suggest you look through the Visit Tampere official webpage, which will help you explore the city online from wherever you are and get acquainted with what the city has to offer prior to your arrival. It can also serve as a guide for you during your stay in Tampere as it gives important tips and guidance from practical issues such as transportation matters to cultural activities, and from questions related to accommodation in Tampere to suggestions of activities in the nature.

    Moving around in Tampere

    Going to places and finding your way in Tampere is not a difficult task. Most of the places are located within walking distance of the city, but if you prefer to get to your destination faster, there are alternative means of transportation. The infrastructure is well planned, and transportation functions smoothly in Tampere. Public transportation is run by Nysse, which has a comprehensive selection of bus lines and a newly built tram line, which started functioning in August 2021. There are a variety of ways of paying for your trip: mobile ticket, contactless payment on the bus/tram and travel card. You can also buy a ticket at the sales point 90 minutes before your trip.

    Visit Tampere Hämeenpuisto Tramway Drone Views, Laura Vanzo

    Nysse also offers a rental of city bikes, which can ease getting around in Tampere, at the same time allowing you to breathe fresh air and enjoy the summer warmth of the city. Tampere is a bike-friendly city with special lanes for cycling alongside the sidewalk. Registration and payment for the city bikes are handled through the Tampereen kaupunkipyörät application, which you can download either on Google Play or App Store.

    There is also a possibility of renting scooters in Tampere, which is becoming more and more popular every year. You can rent scooters either via Tier or Voi scooter apps.

    If you are looking for taxi services to get around in Tampere, we suggest looking into the following options:

    Car rental services are also available in Tampere if you want to make the logistics of moving around easier. For car rentals, check the websites below.

    • Europcar
    • Hertz
    • Sixt

    Parking in Tampere might be troublesome in areas where major constructions are ongoing. You can use the parking map of Tampere to ease the search for parking spaces.

    After productive and intensive panels and discussions in EuPRA, we know that you might want to explore the Finnish leisure activities. Have you also been wondering what Tampere has to offer in your free time?

    On this page, we have compiled and categorized the most well-known leisure activities and attractions in Tampere that might help you get a better understanding of how one can pause and recharge in Finland.

    While exploring your options for leisure, please keep in mind that we will have a group of locals in Tampere who will guide you one of the evenings here, about which we will update you later as part of the programme.

    Nature

    As you might have heard, Finland is a country of a thousand lakes. Moreover, Finland is the world’s most forested country as about 70% of the land is covered with trees. You might be correct now by guessing that nature plays a huge role in the everyday lives of those residing in Finland. Here, everyone is free to roam and should have access to the pearls of nature regardless of who owns the area.

    Besides the two biggest lakes in Tampere, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, there are also hundreds of smaller lakes, and almost on every lake, you can find a beach to swim in. Here are our picks for lakes and beaches that we suggest you try out.

    Visit Tampere Tampereen Kaupunki Reuharinsaaret Drone View, Laura Vanzo

     

    Lakes

    PYYNIKKI AND TAHMELA

    The Pyynikki swimming beach is on the shore of Pyhäjärvi lake. It is in the middle of the beautiful Pyynikki forest, one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It is not far from the centre, easily accessible by local transportation, but you can also walk there. While the Pyynikki beach is more known as a destination for young people, if you are coming with families and children, we recommend checking out the Tahmela beach, which is more considered and widely attended by families. To get to Tahmela beach, you can take bus N10.

    Addresses: Pyynikki beach is in Jalkasaarentie 7 – Tahmela beach is in Tahmelankatu 25

    RAUHANIEMI

    One of the other well-known beaches in Tampere is Rauhaniemi swimming beach, which is located on the shore of Lake Näsijärvi. The Rauhaniemi beach is also known because of the public sauna that many locals use to relax. This part of the city is well-known for its harmonious and peaceful energy, as is reflected in the name of the neighbourhood. Rauhaniemi is the peninsula of peace, with rauha meaning peace and niemi translating into English as peninsula.

    Address: Rauhaniementie 23 (you can reach here by bus N2)

    KAUPINOJA

    The beach in Kaupinoja, not too far from the centre, is another worthwhile option to consider if you are looking for a smaller and quieter spot in town. Kaupinoja is part of the beautiful forest of Kauppi, where in winter, many sports are organized. This beach is also recommended because there is a public sauna that could keep you warm if the weather gets cooler.

    Address: Kaupinpuistokatu 2

    VIIKINSAARI ISLAND

    The Viikinsaari Island is only a 20-minute boat ride away from the Tampere city centre. It is a perfect destination for spending a summer day away from the city. A boat service to the island is available at the beginning of June, and departures take place from Laukontori harbour on the hour.

    You can buy tickets and see the summer program following this link.

    Visit Tampere Tampereen Kaupunki Reuharinsaaret Drone View, Laura Vanzo

     

    Parks in Tampere

    Living in Tampere partially means living in and around nature. There are parks and forests around us all year long and nature is charming here in each season differently.

    Some of the most famous parks in Tampere are Koskipuisto, Hämeenpuisto, Eteläpuisto Sorsapuisto, Näsinpuisto, and Hämeenpuisto. The latter is the city’s boulevard, hosting various events during summer, and this is where the main library of the city is located, which offers services on three floors with a wide range of collections, computers, a music department, a newsroom and a café.

    We also recommend checking out Hatanpää arboretum, Pyynikki and Kauppi areas, which are favorites for many locals and visitors who enjoy walking, jogging, meditating or simply being in nature.

    If you visit Pyynikki make sure to check out the city from the Pyynikki observation tower and enjoy the most delicious doughnuts in Tampere (munkki) in the Pyynikki Coffee Shop.

    Saunas

    When one searches for facts about Finland, it is very often possible to come across the fact that there are over 2 million registered saunas in the country and Tampere is known as the capital of saunas hosting the oldest public sauna in Finland. Do not miss this section if you want to experience one of the most Finnish activities.

    The Rajaportti sauna, located in beautiful Pispala, was built in 1906, and it is the oldest public sauna still in use in Finland. Although the Rajaportti sauna does not have access to the lake, the beauty of the Pispala neighbourhood will ensure your satisfaction with the visit. Pispala is one of the best-known parts of the city due to its historical importance and magnificent views of the two main lakes in Tampere. You can have a sunny summer evening walk in the Pispala neighbourhood and conclude your day visiting the sauna.

    The Rauhaniemi public sauna is located by one of the biggest lakes in the city, Näsijärvi, where you can get an experience of both the sauna and swimming.  To experience another sauna legend in Tampere, check out the Experiential Kaupinoja’s sauna, which also allows you to swim in the Näsijärvi lake.

    Flavours

    If you are among people who find gastro-tourism as one of the most efficient ways of discovering cultures, then the first place to start in Tampere is by visiting the local market hall located in the heart of the city centre. The local market in Tampere is the largest Market Hall in the Nordics, which offers the local taste of Tampere to all its visitors. Here you can find fresh and local delicacies such as fish, meat, cheese and vegetables, warm buns, and pastries.

    Visit Tampere Kauppahalli, Laura Vanzo

    For an open-air market, we suggest that you look into Tammelantori, which is a perfect spot to get fresh fruits and products, and a cup of morning coffee before the conference programme starts. The established start of the day for most of the merchants is 6 am.

    For more places where you can find local flavours, we recommend checking Visit Tampere's official website.

    To learn more about the legendary restaurants in Tampere, check out the following link.

    Live music

    Being immersed in music is an important aspect of life for many locals. In Tampere, many places offer gigs with free entrance or with affordable tickets, which speak about the importance of culture and music in city life. Below we are offering a list of favourite places where you can spend a restful evening with live music in an authentic environment.

    You can also check out Visit Tampere’s event calendar, which has various categories for events in and around Tampere. The calendar is a helpful tool for searching for events and activities by offered categories and within a specific timeframe.

    Museums & art

    Did you know that Tampere is the only city that hosts a Moomin museum in the world? Besides, Tampere has different kinds of museums, and everyone can find one that they will love!

    Visit Tampere Vapriikki, Laura Vanzo

    The official website of Visit Tampere lists the museums in the Tampere region to choose from.

    To explore more opportunities for artistic experiences, galleries and museums, you can look through the pages of Visit Tampere Official, where you can find a variety of interesting museums and exhibitions taking you through time, from historical exhibitions to modern art and installations.

    If you want to explore the architecture of Tampere and reveal the connection between place and design and understand the physical environment in which people in Tampere live and create, we recommend having a walking tour and passing through the pearls of architecture in Tampere. As part of the trip, we recommend having the following sites in your plan:

    TAMPEREEN TUOMIOKIRKKO

    The Tampere Cathedral (Tampereen tuomiokirkko) is a 20th-century Lutheran church built between 1902 and 1907. It serves as the seat of the Diocese of Tampere and received the name of a Cathedral in 1923 after the bishop’s seat was moved to Tampere. The cathedral is known for its frescoes painted by Hugo Simberg. The altarpiece was painted by Magnus Enckell.

    Visit Tampere Drone View of Tuomiokirkko Cathedral, Laura Vanzo

    KALEVAN KIRKKO

    The Kaleva parish was established in 1953, but it did not have a church of its own, which was consecrated only in 1966. The church was designed by architects Reima Pietilä and Raili Pietilä (former Paatelainen). The Tampere church is one of the examples of modern architectural style. It is one of the most unique churches in Finland and one of the most known sites in Tampere.

    TAMPERE ORTHODOX CHURCH

    The Tampere Orthodox Church (also known as the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Nicholas) was built between 1896 and 1899 to the design of the Russian military architect T. U. Yazukov. It is located in the heart of Tampere, east of Tammerkoski. The church is cross-shaped and represents Neo-Byzantine church architecture.

    THE METSO LIBRARY

    The Main Library in Tampere is located on the corner of Hameenpuisto park and Pirkankatu street. It was opened to the public in 1986 and is in itself a work of art. While from the street, it is not as easy to recognize the shape of the building; but from above, the shape is clear. It represents a capercaillie, metso in Finnish.

    PIKKUPALATSI

    Pikkupalatsi, or the Little Palace, is a spectacular building that was built in 1898. It is located in Hämeenpuisto, not far from the main library. Currently, the building serves as a venue for anniversaries, business meetings, and other events. It also has sauna facilities and a swimming pool.

    FIRE STATION AND MONITOIMITALO

    Visit Tampere Fire Station, Laura_Vanzo

    The Tampere Central Fire Station is located at Satakunnankatu 16, on the eastern shore of Tammerkoski. It was completed in 1908. Architect Wivi Lönn designed the fire station building, which has an Art Nouveau-style. Similarly, the old business school and current-day Monitoimitalo (community center) was designed by Wivi Lönn, who was the first woman to be awarded the honorary title of ““Professo”” by the Finnish Association of Architects. These 100-year-old pair of monuments, the Fire station and Monitoimitalo are rare gems in the centre of Tampere, which we recommend paying attention to as part of the exploration of Tampere.

    TAMPERE CITY HALL

    Finally, we believe you will come across the Tampere City Hall more than once in your stay in Finland. This stunning neo-renaissance style building is located on keskustori (the central square). It was designed by Georg Schreck and completed in 1890.