The bear of Pori invites you to Finland in November!

The School of Cultural Production and Landscape Studies at the University of Turku, Finland, is organizing - together with Satakunta Museum - the international and multidisciplinary symposium On the Footsteps of the Bear at the University Consortium of Pori on November 11^th – 13^th of 2005. The idea for the symposium was initiated by Dr. Juha Pentikäinen, Professor of Comparative Religion at the University of Helsinki, who has studied the mythology of the bear and whose life work will be presented at the exhibition On the Footsteps of the Bear in Satakunta Museum from September 2005 to January 2006. Dr. Pentikäinen is also co-hosting the symposium. On the Footsteps of the Bear is the first international multidisciplinary symposium organized in the University Consortium of Pori.  

The program of the symposium is tied to the multifaceted meaning of the bear as the ancient symbol of the Satakunta province and its capital, the city of Pori. Indeed, in Swedish, “Pori” is “Björneborg”, meaning Bear castle. Bear appears on the coat of arms of the Satakunta province, the city of Pori, and the Pori Brigade. This symbol has a long history; it was already used by the Duke Juhana of Finland, the founder of the city. You can also find the very same animal in the seal of Pori in the early 17^th century. Later on, the bear theme has been widely used and marketed by numerous companies, organizations and other actors in the Satakunta province in their names, symbols, signs, and products.

On the Footsteps of the Bear is a three-day symposium. We will start up the symposium with presentations on the topic Bear of Aboriginal Peoples. On the second day, Saturday 12^th, we will look at the bear from the multidisciplinary point of view. Finally, the topic of the closing day will be The Bear of Satakunta Province and the City of Pori. The languages of the symposium are English, Finnish, German, and Russian. The presentations will be interpreted to Finnish and English. You can find the full symposium program here.

In addition to the presentations, there will be a social program during the weekend. There will be a guided city tour in Pori on Friday between 3-4 p.m. On Friday evening Mayor Aino-Maija Luukkonen will offer a reception at the City Hall from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. On Saturday evening from 7 p.m. onwards there will be a soirée at the Satakunta Museum hosted by Director Juhani Ruohonen.

Registration

You can register for the symposium by filling out the registration form and by paying the registration fee. Please indicate all the events you will attend, including the social program. 

Registration fees:

All payments must be made in euros (EUR).  The registration fee includes:

• Three-day symposium program
• Guided city tour in Pori on Friday between 3-4 p.m
• Reception at the City Hall on Friday from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
• Soirée at the Satakunta Museum on Saturday from 7 p.m. onwards
• Coffees

Methods of payment:

1. Bank transfer:

Payment must be directed to City of Pori.

IBAN: FI6580001100400671

SWIFT: PSPBFIHH

Bank address: Sampo Bank plc, Unioninkatu 22, 00075 Helsinki, Finland

Please make sure that your name and the word “SYMPOSIUM” are clearly stated on your payment!

2. Invoice:

If you prefer to pay the registration fee with an invoice, indicate the address where the invoice should be sent to in the registration form.

If you have difficulties in registering on-line, or if you need further information, please contact Planning Officer Elisa Bruk by email at elisa.bruk@utu.fi , by phone at +358-2-627 2945, or by mail at University of Turku, School of Cultural Production and Landscape Studies, P.O. Box 124, 28101 Pori, Finland.

The University Consortium of Pori is a centre of five universities with branch departments in Pori. The departments co-operate networked as a multi-science environment with about 2400 students and 190 specialists. The networked universities with branch departments in Pori are Tampere University of Technology, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Turku, University of Art and Design Helsinki, and University of Tampere.

University Consortium of Pori is located in the city centre of Pori, on the north shore of the River Kokemäki. The building is a beautiful old cotton factory; the University Consortium is housed in the old spinning mill, renovated in 1999. For further information about the University Consortium of Pori, please visit the website at http://www.porinyliopistokeskus.fi/ or contact the Service Centre of Pori University Consortium by phone at +358-2-627 2900 or by e-mail at palvelukeskus.pori@prizz.fi. 

The organizer, the School of Cultural Production and Landscape Studies, is a branch department of the University of Turku located in the University Consortium of Pori. The Degree Programme in Cultural Production and Landscape Studies includes studies in Digital Culture, Cultural Heritage Studies, Landscape Studies, Cultural Tourism, Cultural Management, and Museum Studies and Material Culture. The degree programme emphasizes the practical application of knowledge. For more information about the School and the parent University, please visit http://www.hum.utu.fi/satakunta/english/ and http://www.utu.fi/en/.

The location of the University Consortium of Pori may be found here: http://www.porinpuuvilla.net/kartta_pori.asp.

The map of the cotton factory may be found here: http://www.porinpuuvilla.net/kartta_puuvilla.asp.

You can enter the premises of the University of Turku through the door A6.

For further information about Satakunta Museum and the exhibition On the Footsteps of the Bear, please contact the Museum directly:

    Hallituskatu 11, 28100 Pori, Finland

    Tel. office +358 2 621 1078, fax +358 2 621 1061

    Ticket sales and Museum Shop tel. +358 2 621 1063

                            E-mail satakunnanmuseo@pori.fi

You may also want to visit the Museum’s home page at http://www.pori.fi/smu/english/.

Accommodation 

Blocks of low cost rooms are held for symposium participants at Hotel Amado and Sokos Hotel Vaakuna. These special rates are only good for reservations made before October 28^th, 2005. After this date, rates will be significantly higher. Both hotels are located near the University Consortium of Pori. The hotels advise symposium participants to reserve their rooms early as they anticipate a larger number of guests for that period.

Make sure to ask for the "Karhun kannoilla" room rate when making your reservation to receive the special symposium rate.

Hotel Amado

Prices:

Single room: EUR 60 / one night, EUR 105 / two nights

Double room: EUR 65 / one night, EUR 115 / two nights (Prices are for two persons!)

For reservations contact the hotel directly:

Keskusaukio 2, 28130 Pori, Finland

Tel. +358 2 631 0100

Fax +358 2 633 8175

E-mail amado@amado.fi

http://www.amado.fi/eng/hotel.html

Sokos Hotel Vaakuna

Prices:

Single room Standard: EUR 70 / one night, EUR 140 / two nights

Double room Standard: EUR 70 / one night, EUR 140 / two nights (Prices are for two persons!)

Single room Economy: EUR 56 / one night, EUR 112 / two nights

Double room Economy: EUR 56 / one night, EUR 112 / two nights (Prices are for two persons!)

Kahden hengen huone Economy: 56 € / yksi yö, 112 € / kaksi yötä (hinnat kahdelta henkilöltä)

Yhden hengen huone Economy: 56 € / yksi yö, 112 € / kaksi yötä

For reservations contact the hotel directly:

Gallen-Kallelankatu 7, 28100 Pori, Finland

Tel. +358 20 1234 626

Fax +358 2 528 1182

E-mail sales.pori@sokoshotels.fi

http://www.sokoshotels.fi/english/index.cfm

Other accommodation choices:

Hotel Cumulus

Itsenäisyydenkatu 37, 28100 Pori, Finland

Tel. +358 2 550 900

Fax +358 2 550 9299

E-mail pori.cumulus@restel.fi

http://www.cumulus.fi/hotelli.cfm?id=cumupori

Hotel Scandic Pori

Itsenäisyydenkatu 41, 28100 Pori, Finland

Tel. +358 2 624 900

Fax +358 2 624 92211

E-mail: pori@scandic-hotels.com

http://www.scandic-hotels.com/pori

Juhlatalo Rantakartano

Isojoenrannantie 58, 28240 Pori

Tel. +358 2 6393 900

Fax +358 2 6393 035

E-mail anne.vaahtera@rantakartano.net

http://www.rantakartano.net/

Hostel Buisto

Itäpuisto 13, 28100 Pori

Tel. +358 2 6330 646

Fax +358 2 6330 648

E-mail tiina.rosenqvist@ovv.com

http://www.hostelbuisto.net/

Travel

There is an air service between Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (http://www.ilmailulaitos.fi/airport_helsinki-vantaa) and Pori Airport (http://www.ilmailulaitos.fi/airport_pori). Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport in Finland, which has frequent and fast connections to more than 60 destinations around the world.

Flights between Helsinki and Pori are operated by Finnair. You can book the flights easily at http://www.finnair.com, at sales@finnair.fi or at +358 600 140 140. You should note that there are only limited amount of seats in the flights between Helsinki and Pori. Therefore, do book your flights in good time!

NB! There is no air service from Helsinki to Pori on Saturdays! If you arrive on Saturday, you may still use the bus or train services. You may find the timetables for the bus service at http://www.matkahuolto.fi/english/ or by phone at +358-200 4000.

For train timetables, please visit http://www.vr.fi/heo/eng/index.html. For further information, dial +358 9 231 99 902 when calling from abroad and 0600 41 902 when calling from Finland.

Tax service in Pori, dial +358 2 106 400.

Map of Pori: http://www.pori.fi/kartta/

For further information about Pori, please visit http://www.pori.fi/english/.

You can also contact the Pori Tourist Office 

Phone at +358-2-621 1273, by fax at +358-2-621 1275 or by e-mail at matkailu@pori.fi.