Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
4 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
7 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Finland Ylöjärvi Tree Mountain

Tree Mountain

This intricately spiralling forest was created as a monumental work of art.

Ylöjärvi, Finland

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Tree Mountain   Strata Suomi on Flickr
Tree Mountain   Strata Suomi on Flickr
Tree Mountain   Strata Suomi on Flickr
Tree Mountain   Strata Suomi on Flickr
Trees in lines   miiro / Atlas Obscura User
entrance to puuvuori   miiro / Atlas Obscura User
‘You are here’ sign at the base of the artwork.   matthewhollett / Atlas Obscura User
View from the top of the hill.   matthewhollett / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

While the pointed hill in Ylöjärvi, Finland known as Tree Mountain looks like an oddly symmetrical natural forest, it is actually a colossal work of art that stands as the world's first virgin forest created by humans.

Proposed in 1982, the hill itself had to be built before the spiraling rows of trees could be planted. Once the land itself was built, the artist, Agnes Denes, enlisted 11,000 people from all across the globe to plant 11,000 trees in a specifically designed pattern. The pattern was designed to evoke ancient earthworks as well as the mathematical precision found in many of the works of the painting masters.

The planting took place over four years from 1992 to 1996. With everything set to roll, the artist then let nature do its thing. The trees flourished on the reclaimed land, and by the early 2000s the intricate pattern was beginning to show as though it had occurred naturally.

Announced at the 1992 Earth Summit, the environmental art project is intended to help alleviate the world's ecological stress. The Finnish government has pledged to protect and maintain it for 400 years. The forest has continued to thrive over the decades, and is now so lush that the original pattern can be hard to perceive.

Related Tags

Land Art Trees Art Mountains Plants

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

hrnick, jacksonhotaling, matthewhollett, miiro

  • hrnick
  • jacksonhotaling
  • matthewhollett
  • miiro

Published

December 15, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/art-agnes-denes-may-be-big-and-long-lasting-her-legacy
  • http://greenmuseum.org/content/artist_content/ct_id-198__artist_id-63.html
  • http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/regeneration-on-tree-mountain
  • http://www.agnesdenesstudio.com/works4.html
Tree Mountain
89 Hautalammintie
Ylöjärvi, 39160
Finland
61.57103, 23.477081
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Lenin Museum

Tampere, Finland

miles away

Tampere Cathedral Frescoes

Tampere, Finland

miles away

Pirunpesä (The Devil's Nest)

Nokia, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Finland

Finland

Europe

Places 86
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Lenin Museum

Tampere, Finland

miles away

Tampere Cathedral Frescoes

Tampere, Finland

miles away

Pirunpesä (The Devil's Nest)

Nokia, Finland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Finland

Finland

Europe

Places 86
Stories 11

Related Stories and Lists

8 Real-World Forests That Look Like They Belong in a Fantasy Novel

forests

By Eric Grundhauser

Related Places

  • ‘Wood Line’

    San Francisco, California

    'Wood Line'

    Get lost in this haunting fairytale art walk through a man-made eucalyptus grove.

  • Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    'The Constellation'

    This massive piece of artwork weighs more than 250 tons, and was designed as a tribute to the first president of the United Arab Emirates.

  • Close up of the tree.

    Wendover, Utah

    Desert Bottle Tree

    A quirky old tree covered in tokens, cans, and bottles of wishes.

  • “In Between.”

    Stockholm, Sweden

    'In Between'

    What looks like a birch tree smushed between two pieces of glass often confounds commuters.

  • Junction, Texas

    Deer Horn Tree

    A curious cone-shaped structure made of wire and covered with antlers.

  • Shadows in Another Light.

    Sunderland, England

    'Shadows in Another Light'

    This steel sculpture made from a recycled crane towers above a former shipyard.

  • Giant blueberries.

    Stokke, Norway

    Sti For Øye

    Art becomes an enchanting part of the environment at this wooded sculpture park.

  • The Fairies Tree.

    Melbourne, Australia

    Fairies Tree

    A whimsical menagerie of creatures carved into a 300-year-old tree trunk.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.