Tampere (Swedish Tammerfors), city in southwestern Finland, on the rapids that connect Lakes Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. Tampere is a principal manufacturing center and the second largest city in Finland; leading products made here are textiles, paper, lumber, leather items, and refined metals. Several major festivals are held in Tampere; a cathedral (1907), a museum of modern art, the University of Tampere (1925), and Tampere University of Technology (1965) are located in the city. The city was founded in 1779, and its industrial importance dates from the beginning of the 19th century. Here in 1918 the White Guards defeated Bolshevik forces. Population (2000 estimate) 193,174.
