Journalist Michael Hodges praises Tampere as a city where the happiest people in the world live in the wonderland of the book Jali ja Suklaatehdas.
The internationally known British newspaper The Times has named Tampere as Europe’s underrated city gem.
In a recent story, the magazine calls the city \”The Fairytale Finnish city you’ve probably never heard of\”. So loosely translated as \”A fairy-tale city you’ve hardly ever heard of\”.
The center of Tampere is described as a wonderland in the style of the *Jali ja chocolate factory* children’s book thanks to its red brick factory buildings. While eating at a restaurant, the reporter is startled by the waiter’s revelation that there are six liters of hand-picked jam waiting in the freezer at home.
The magazine’s publication has also garnered attention on Twitter.
The Times praises Tampere’s rich art culture. The Sara Hildén Art Museum is described as a brutalist masterpiece that organizes exhibitions of international mega-stars. The Snow Queen ice ballet, on the other hand, makes the reporter gasp.
Food culture, such as the sugar donuts at the Pyynik observation tower, also receive praise from Hodges. However, the journalist has not ended up tasting the classic, i.e. black sausage, during his trip.
In addition to Tampere, Bastia in France, Bergamo in Italy, Aarhus in Denmark and Lausanne in Switzerland are named as underrated cities in the article.
*Do you think The Times’ findings are correct? Is Tampere an unknown urban gem? You can comment on 1.2. until 11 p.m.*