Every design for Ulvila

Ulvila (Ulvsby in Swedish), next door to Pori, is the older of the two towns: it was one of Finland's six medieval towns and only the third to be founded in the country. It lost its town privileges to Pori when the land rose and its harbour on the Kokemäenjoki became too shallow for ships, and it took centuries before it could call itself a town again.

What makes Ulvila unusual today is that its centre sits on both banks of the river, split between Friitala and Vanhakylä. The medieval fieldstone church, dedicated to St Olaf, is among the best preserved of its kind in Finland, and the saint appears on the town's coat of arms as well. The Kirkon rauniot, the ruins of a church, and the Liikistön muinaismuistoalue keep the oldest chapters on the map, while the Friitalan Nahkamuseo, a leather museum, tells of a more industrial age.

On summer days the Naparannan uimaranta fills with swimmers. Whichever bank you grew up on, crossing the river back into Ulvila feels like coming home.