Pikisaari is a historic idyll in the middle of Oulu – now it’s undergoing a transformation that scares many
Pikisaari, next to the centre of Oulu, is known for its old milieu and its artist and craft communities. Several changes are underway or have taken place in the area.
The old city of Oulu. An idyllic, unique place.
His parable of the old city is apt. Since the 17th century, there has been industry on the picnic island, including a woollen mill, shipbuilding and a picnic kiln, hence the name.
Today, many artists and craftspeople live and work in the area. Soininen, himself a visual artist, is annoyed by what is happening to the island.
In this story, we will tell and show what the Pikisaari is and what is changing.
The main street was rebuilt
Some of the locals think that changes are a welcome island development. Some, like Soininen, are concerned about whether a unique milieu is damaging. They have founded the association, the old Pikisaari ry.
The change that was shocked by many locals was the transformation of the car road across the island into a narrower bike street. The bike street is for cyclists, but it can also be used by cars.
According to the city, it was worth renovating the road into a bike street because there is so much cycle traffic in the area. The route from downtown to Pikisaari is one of the busiest cycle paths in Oulu and Finland, and its number of users is believed to increase.
Through Pikisaari, you can reach the Nallikari Sea Banter area renovated from the center and to the 2025 Housing Fair.
Soininen wonders where the bike street was needed, especially when many cyclists are now driving on the sidewalk.
Hotel in the heart of the cultural scene
There are also two plan changes in the area, which will probably progress this spring. One of them would allow, among other things, the hotel in the old wool factory area.
It would be coming to the site of a vocational school that moved elsewhere in 2019. It would be run by the same company as a restaurant at the other end of Pikisaari.
– Why are the best places in Oulu reserved for hotels? Riikka Soininen asks.
The same formula is also becoming a reservation for the Cultural Hall if someone would like to set up one in the future. So far, no such body has been found.
The formula would also allow for more parking spaces in the area.
New apartment buildings
Sivakka, a city rental company, wants to build a so-called block in the courtyard of the so-called small apartment block in the central part of the island, along the Pikisaarentie through the island.
According to Soininen, the courtyard is currently valuable because it is a few unbuilt points of Pikisaari, a 19th century working block yard. It brings spaciousness and enables a view of Pikisaari’s main street to the sea surrounding the island.
The residents of the block, which Soininen belong, have organized cultural events there. According to him, there are plenty of tourists in the courtyard in the summer to marvel at and photograph.
– This is romantic. It seems that Oulu has a spare to save space for the next generations so that the island would not be so fully built.
Artists, rooted and outdoorsy
It is very difficult to get an apartment from Pikisaari, so there would certainly be new blocks of flats.
Petri Keskitalo has been queuing for a rental apartment with his spouse for several years. In many ways, the area is important to him, also because his mother is from Pikisaari.
– This is an insanely wonderful area and the area inspires me.
His spouse lives in Pikisaari – the couple was offered such a small apartment in the area that they decided that only one would move to it.
They are not artists, but Jarkko Limnell is from Pikisaari. He has lived on the island since he was born in 1972, except for five years. After the first child was born five years ago, the family needed a bigger apartment and had to move elsewhere.
Limnell has seen a change in the area. In his childhood, the area was more of a duo area, with a lot of artists living there or those who can afford to buy an apartment on the free market at an expensive price.
He describes Pikisaari like this:
– The best place in Oulu.
However, many people in Pikisaari are quite different from those of Pikisaari, as the area is a popular outdoor area.
There are also many tourists on the island.
According to Riikka Soininen, there should be more of them and they should have even simple signs that would guide you to visit the island’s various sights and routes. Many people can’t even find Pikisaari on small private -looking paths.
– I always say that you can come here and take pictures. Such a local history is of interest to more than just Oulu.
