Itsenäisyydenkatu (literally "Independence Street") is an east–west street in the center of

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

, Finland. It is a significant street connection in the city center of Tampere in terms of transport connections, as it leads from Tampere's railway station to the Liisankallio district in the Tammela district. On the west side of the station, the street continues as the

Hämeenkatu Hämeenkatu is the main street of Tampere, Finland, located in the city center. The boulevard is roughly a kilometre long, and wide (driveway and sidewalk) at its widest point. Hämeenkatu is a boulevard, which begins from the east at the Tampe ...

street, at its eastern end it meets Kalevan puistokatu, branching into

Teiskontie Teiskontie is a street and highway in Tampere, Finland. As its name implies, it runs from the center of Tampere towards Teisko, a former municipality connected to Tampere in 1972. To the east of the highway junction of Hervanta, it is part of Hig ...

and

Sammonkatu Sammonkatu is a wide park street in the Kaleva (Tampere), Kaleva district in Tampere, Finland. It starts at the intersection of Itsenäisyydenkatu (formerly known as ''Puolimatkankatu'') and Teiskontie (formerly ''Teiskonkatu''). The street is ...

. Today, the only crossroads on Itsenäisyydenkatu with cross-street vehicle traffic is Tammelan puistokatu– Yliopistonkatu. Itsenäisyydenkatu was known from the end of the 19th century until the 1950s as the Puolimatkankatu according to the croft named Puolimatka (literally "half way") located in the area. The impetus for renaming the street was the call made by the state to the cities in 1957 to name a significant street Itsenäisyydenkatu in honor of the 40th anniversary of Finland's independence. The name change took effect in 1958. In 2017, the renovation of the street and the station tunnel began, where the cross-section of the street will be renewed for a tramway to be built in Tampere. The former bus lanes were reserved for the local light rail network so that it runs west of the intersection of Tammelan puistokatu at the south side of the street and east of the intersection in the middle of the street; due to the arrangement, the southern surface of the station tunnel had to be lowered. A

bike path A bike path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or "Class III bikewa ...

was built on the northern edge of the street, and all the aged piping under the street was renewed. The renovation was completed in 2019, and tram traffic will begin in 2021.

Sights

* , an old

shoe factory Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

building now in office use * , Tampere's tallest residential building * , a large residential apartment building representing classicism * , a former apartment building for railway workers * (''Tullikamarin kulttuurikeskus''), a

multifunctional An MFP (multi-function product/printer/peripheral), multi-functional, all-in-one (AIO), or multi-function device (MFD), is an office machine which incorporates the functionality of multiple devices in one, so as to have a smaller footprint in a ...

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * Cen ...

operating in an old customs chamber building

References

External links

Streets in Tampere Roads in Finland {{Europe-road-stub

Sights

See also

References

External links