The twin pyramid greenhouses, Romeo and Julia, were completed in 1983 and stand 16 meters tall.
The garden maintains a specialized collection of plants native to the northern hemisphere's temperate and arctic zones.
The outdoor arboretum features a significant collection of trees and shrubs hardy enough to survive the subarctic Finnish winter.
The facility serves as an essential research site for studying plant physiology in northern climates.
Romeo greenhouse primarily houses tropical and subtropical plants, while Julia focuses on Mediterranean and desert flora.
The University of Oulu Botanical Gardens are centered around two iconic, pyramid-shaped glass greenhouses known as Romeo and Julia. Located on the Linnanmaa campus, the facility preserves thousands of plant species from temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions. The outdoor garden spans 16 hectares, featuring a rock garden, a bog area, and an arboretum designed to reflect the subarctic climate of Northern Finland. It functions as a research and teaching facility for the university while remaining accessible to the public. The glass structures provide a stark architectural contrast to the surrounding boreal forest landscape. Visitors can observe species adapted to extreme northern conditions alongside exotic flora housed within the climate-controlled pyramids.
The path between the two glass pyramids providing a symmetrical view of the architectural structures against the sky.
Check the glass pyramid temperature before entering, as the humidity inside can be significantly higher than the outdoor air.
Follow the marked nature trails in the outdoor arboretum to see the best representation of northern Finnish forest ecology.
Visit during the late spring to see the bulb garden in full bloom.
Do not attempt to walk through the restricted research plots or the unpaved forest undergrowth which may be marshy.
The outdoor gardens are accessible year-round, but the greenhouses have restricted access during certain public holidays and may have seasonal hour shifts.
Do not touch or collect plants; stay on marked gravel paths to protect sensitive soil environments.
