Urban parks
Kuopio’s diverse parks and green areas offer the opportunity to maintain both physical and mental well-being on the beautiful shores of Kallavesi.
The high-quality urban parks are perfect for recreation, and you can also enjoy the diversity of nature in the natural green areas of the city.
Brahenpuisto Park
The park between Brahenkatu and Kuopionlahti has been named after count Pietari Brahe, who founded the old Kuopio in 1653. Although the park’s name refers to the oldest parts of the city’s history, the Brahenpuisto park is one of the youngest in the city centre. Brahenpuisto is a popular family park in the city centre with places to hang out and play in both summer and winter.
Today Brahenpuisto is also known as a park called Pikku Kakkonen.
Hapelähteenpuisto Park
In the 3-hectare park located in the northeast corner of the gridiron centre, you can experience the joy of play and exercise, enjoy the blossoming of flowers and the scent of roses.
In the spring, the park is brought to life by the colour of bulbous plants and ornamental apple trees, and in autumn and summer, flocks of butterflies flutter in the area, enjoying the nectar. The park is accessible.
Minna Canth Park
The park bordering Maljapuro is named after the statue of Minna Canth sculpted by Eemil Halonen.
The park is characterised by symmetry and diversely planted flower beds, with primroses, lilies, bleeding-hearts, blazing stars and autumn phlox.
Satamapuisto Park
When approaching by water, Satamapuisto with its old harbour buildings opens up to the lake. The old harbour market was changed into a park in the 1930s. It follows the characteristic symmetry of the parks designed by Bengt Schalin.
Symmetry is emphasised by the centre corridor surrounded by low plantings, which is also part of the uniform view from the church hill to the harbour.
Snellmaninpuisto Park
The Snellmaninpuisto park is the oldest park in the city. Turning it into a park began after the market place was moved from this place known alternately as Kustaantori, Suurtori and Kirkkotori to the current Market Square in the 1850s. The first trees in Kirkkopuisto were aspens planted along the corridors, which have been replaced with birches and supplemented with many other tree species.
The park was named Snellmaninpuisto after Johannes Takanen’s sculpture of J.V. Snellman’s bust was unveiled on 3 July 1886. The park has been selected the most beautiful in Kuopio because of its plantings. Every summer about 10,000 summer flowers are planted there to delight visitors.
The park is a good example of the garden culture at the turn of the 19th and 20th century.
Many travelers have found a peaceful respite in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city by the fountain and the wonderful flower beds.
Valkeisenpuisto Park
The Valkeisenpuisto park and its surroundings located near Kuopio’s gridiron centre form approximately 9 hectares of diverse green area, with the Valkeisenlampi pond at its centre.
In the park, you can enjoy the diversity of plantlife, where you can also find tips for choosing plants for your own backyard. Some plant species are also equipped with name tags or species diagrams.
Valkeisenpuisto is also part of the geoboard network that tells about rock types and their origin, produced together with the Geological Survey of Finland.
Wide grassy areas and a comprehensive network of park benches provide opportunities to stop for a picnic or take a rest to admire the beauty of urban nature.
Playgrounds, other operating equipment areas, multi-purpose fields and artificially grassed playing fields enable active leisure activities.
You can take a dip in the water from a sandy beach and enjoy a relaxed outdoor life on the beach volleyball court and the grassy areas surrounding it.
Valkeisenlampi is a rod fishing area.
The green area of Valkeisenpuisto also includes the Niirala traffic park and the small rhododendron park in Niirala.
