The regional museum of cultural history for North Ostrobothnia, set in a striking modernist brick building in the Ainola park. Permanent displays cover the tar trade — Oulu was the largest tar exporter in the world in the 18th century — alongside the lumber industry, traditional crafts, and the city's rebuilding after wartime bombing.
The grounds extend into the Ainola park along the riverbank, with the Tietomaa science centre just next door.