Manchester, the northern English city, is considered one of the most emblematic industrial cities that emerged during the Industrial Revolution. It symbolizes the change from agrarian to industrial societies and thus represents the transformation that Europe underwent in the 19th century. In the winter semester of 2022/23, the seminar “European Manchester” was offered at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, which was in the context of the designation of Chemnitz as the European Capital of Culture 2025.
This seminar examined the term “Manchester” as a synonym for industrial development and change in Europe. It discussed what characteristics make a city a “European Manchester” and what developments have taken place in these cities over time. It analysed various European cities that have a significant industrial past similar to Manchester, from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to today’s “post-industrial” era.
This seminar paper focuses on the Finnish city of Tampere, which is often referred to as the “Manchester of the North”. The paper is divided into three main chapters. The first main chapter deals with the transition from a trading city to an industrial city and examines the factors that contributed to the industrialization of Finland and Tampere in particular in the early phase of the industrial revolution. The second main chapter addresses the change from an industrial city to a “European Manchester”, highlighting the developments in Tampere during the peak of industrialization. The third main chapter focuses on the conversion process of the city from an industrial center to a modern “valley”, in which the transformation from traditional industrial sectors to modern technologies and services is the focus.
The final chapter summarises the work and discusses whether Tampere deserves the title of a “European Manchester” and what conclusions can be drawn from the city’s development for similar cities. This research not only provides a historical review but also an analysis of the current urban and economic dynamics in post-industrial cities such as Tampere.
