Laukontori (or the Laukko Square, also known as ''Alaranta'') is a

market square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.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 Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, on the shores of Lake Pyhäjärvi. It is located just a few hundred meters from

Tampere Central Square The Tampere Central Square (Finnish: Keskustori) is a public square in the centre of Tampere, Finland, along the main street Hämeenkatu. The Central Square is located on the western shore of Tammerkoski and many important buildings in Tampere a ...

. Square's beach serves as a harbor for cruise ships to the

Viikinsaari Viikinsaari is an island located in the lake Pyhäjärvi belonging to the City of Tampere, Finland. The island is a popular nature resort and an outdoor recreation area, attracting visitors all year round. In the summertime there is a boat connec ...

island and the city of

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...

in the summer. Laukontori got its name from the first

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

sailing on Lake Pyhäjärvi, the ''Laukko''

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

, which was built in 1859 but scrapped as early as 1864. As such, the ship was so significant that the people of Tampere began to use the name ''Laukontori'', or the square on which ''Laukko'' landed. The same berth was later used by another steamboat named ''Laukko''. ''Alaranta'' and ''Alasatama'' have been used as parallel names for Laukontori, although on the other hand the port of the Mustalahti bay on the shores of

Lake Näsijärvi A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

has never been called ''Yläranta'' or ''Yläsatama''. Laukontori has officially belonged to the Tampere street system in 1868–1886 and again since 1897. In the intervening years, the market was called Kalatori ("

fish market A fish market is a marketplace for selling fish and fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both. Retail fish markets, a type of wet ma ...

square"). Residential

apartment building An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ...

s were built on the outskirts of Laukontori in the early 20th century, and the area was a favorite

residential area A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...

for wealthy city dwellers. In 1905, almost half of the residents of the entire Nalkala district were considered to belong to the highest social group. Until the 1950s, Laukontori was a lively trading place where rural residents who came to Tampere from the Lake Pyhäjärvi area sold their products on inland waterway vessels. In addition to Tammelantori, Laukontori is also a famous "original" place to enjoy the ''

mustamakkara Mustamakkara () is a type of Finnish blood sausage traditionally eaten with lingonberry jam. It is available in many stores across Finland, but is considered a specialty of Tampere, Pirkanmaa. Mustamakkara is at its best when bought and eaten ...

'' black sausage. The Laukontori is led across the

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 and the water flows from Näsijärvi to Pyhäjärvi through ...

by the Vuolteensilta bridge, completed in 1985, and the Laukonsilta bridge, completed in the summer of 2010, connects Laukontori and the Ratina district.''

Aamulehti (Finnish for "morning newspaper") is a Finnish-language daily newspaper published in Tampere, Finland. History and profile ''Aamulehti'' was founded in 1881 to "improve the position of the Finnish people and the Finnish language" during Russi ...

'', p. B17, July 1, 2010. (in Finnish)

References

External links

Tammelantori
at Tampereen Torikauppiasyhdistys ry (in Finnish)
Laukontori
at Visit Tampere (in Finnish)

at Koskesta voimaa (in Finnish)
A panorama of Laukontori
at Virtual Tampere (in Finnish) Squares in Tampere Tourist attractions in Tampere {{WesternFinland-geo-stub

See also

Further reading

References

External links