Tampere, Swedish Tammerfors, city, southwestern Finland. It is located on an isthmus traversed by the Tammer Rapids between Lakes Näsi and Pyhä, northwest of Helsinki. Tampere is Finland’s second largest city and both an educational and an industrial centre. It is also a lake port and major rail junction. Founded in 1779, it remained undeveloped until 1821, when Tsar Alexander I of Russia encouraged its growth by granting tax-free importation of raw materials and equipment.