Park Tour: Lehtovuori's Products as Part of Tampere's Urban Landscape

Näsinneula observation tower, black sausage, and Lehtovuori street furniture.

Tampere is a natural environment to see Lehtovuori products in action, as our Ylöjärvi factory is located just a stone's throw from Finland's largest inland city. On a Thursday in July, we took a tour of Tampere and observed how Lehtovuori outdoor furniture fits into different types of park landscapes.

📍Kaleva

Kaleva could be described as a district with long traditions, as its construction began in the 1950s. However, Kaleva is constantly reinventing itself, and thanks to its comprehensive services and good transport connections, it still defends its place among Tampere's most desirable residential areas.

During our tour in Kaleva, we encountered three very different park areas: Kiovanpuisto, Liikennepuisto, and Kaleva Sports Park.

Kiovanpuisto

Kiovanpuisto is a typical green city park, built around a lively network of pedestrian paths. In addition to jogging trails, the park area is also divided by, for example, a sports field, flower and shrub plantings, and the Tampere Swimming Center.

Plaza litter bins were by far the most spotted Lehtovuori product on our tour. We encountered the first ones right in Kiovanpuisto. However, the special feature of Kiovanpuisto are the benches from the mmcité Emau- and Portiqoa series. In addition, Kiovanpuisto features the mmcité Tably TCH415t outdoor table, which has a fun chessboard carved into its surface.

Liikennepuisto

Liikennepuisto, next to the Tampere Swimming Center, is the first contact with traffic rules for many children in Tampere. The park has a miniature road equipped with traffic lights and signs, where children can drive pedal cars, for example.

In addition to the Plaza litter bins, the Emau series benches have also found their way to Liikennepuisto to serve the supporters of the drivers.

Kaleva Sports Park

Kaleva Sports Park is mostly an asphalt-based park area that enables various sports activities, from basketball to floorball and table tennis. In winter, the park's artificial ice rink entertains skaters.

In Kaleva Sports Park, active athletes can have a picnic at the Combi table-benches.

📍Ranta-Tampella

The Ranta-Tampella district is in many ways the opposite of Kaleva. Its construction began after the completion of the adjacent Rantatunneli tunnel in the 2010s and is still ongoing. Ranta-Tampella is also a highly sought-after residential area because it is located right next to Lake Näsijärvi.

The park areas of Ranta-Tampella are, above all, lakeside boulevards. The parks are built along outdoor recreation routes, and they emphasize beautiful lake views. The lush Kiiskisaarenpuisto is characterized by meadow plants and jetties where you can go swimming. The Näsinpuisto bridge, which crosses Tammerkoski, connects to the newly completed Mustanlahdentörmä, whose colorful asphalt paintings and outdoor gym make it a particularly spectacular exercise environment. Soukkapuisto, with its skate areas, is also an example of urban parks, especially popular with the younger residents of the district.

Plaza litter bins have a special position in Tampere's urban space, and Ranta-Tampella is no exception. We saw Plazas in every park in Ranta-Tampella during our tour. Tampere's Plazas have a funny detail that distinguishes them from our standard collection. Two hammers from Tampere's coat of arms have been perforated on their sides.

📍Hatanpää

If a visitor from outside the city could be taken to only one park in Tampere, many Tampere residents would probably choose Hatanpää Arboretum. Surrounding the Hatanpää manor, built in the 17th century, is an approximately 11-hectare park area that offers visitors plenty to admire throughout the long summer season.

The arboretum's trump card is its diverse garden environments. In addition to the actual arboretum, along the winding paths of the area you can find, for example, a rock garden, a herb garden, and of course the breathtaking landscapes of Lake Pyhäjärvi. In July, the crown jewel of Kartanonpuisto, a rich rose garden, is also in magnificent bloom.

Although it is a historical park environment, it certainly cannot be described as outdated. Surrounded by a lawn maintained by robotic lawnmowers stands a CitySolar smart litter bin, which is not yet found in every park. Classics live in harmony with modern inventions, as plenty of our City litter bins, known throughout Finland, are scattered along the walking paths of the Arboretum. The stylish design of the City fits seamlessly even right next to the manor's front doors, equipped with a Combi ashtray tube.