TITLE: Oulu - Capital of Northern Scandinavia

Oulu is Finland's fifth largest city in terms of population and at the same time largest city of Northern Scandinavia. The city proper was founded in 1605 by King Charles IX of Sweden and it is the oldest city in Northern Finland. The city has been burned 10 times and the major fire destroyed much of the city in 1822. Oulu Cathedral is the highest building in Oulu built in 1777, but it was destroyed in 1822. Stone walls survived and it was rebuilt by design of Carl Ludvig Engel. Due to fires, the architecture of Oulu is quite young and modern, Scandinavian simplicity is strongly present.

Nallikari Beach is called “Riviera of the North” and the beach is guarded by the lighthouse. In Oulu you can experience warm lightful nights in summer or gloomy cold days in winter. In this serie of photography from Oulu, I would like to perform my vision of a silent, cold and gloomy city which is also known as the Capital of Northern Scandinavia. All photos are taken during autumn and winter 2021-2022.

AUTHOR: Tapio Ritvonen (Finland)

Tapio Ritvonen is an amateur photographer from Northern Finland, coast of Bay of Bothnia.
Passionate about architectural photography, he seeks the stills to talk about the shapes, angles and especially the light and ambience of the moment. His creative eye, sense of composition and lighting reflects in his dreamlike photography.