Kiruna, Sweden's Arctic Lapland
by John Padgett
1300km North of Stockholm lies
the city of Kiruna. With a population just 20,000 it sits in the middle
of Norrlands wilderness. Built around a mining community at the end of
the 1800's the city was designed with the time's foremost experts with
architecture and community planning. Kiruna was the first Swedish community
with a city planned around the climate.
| The streets were designed
to follow the terrain in an irregular pattern in order to curb the Arctic
winds. The city is also built on the side of a mountain, which means higher
temperatures. Despite its northerly location the city centre temperature
rarely drops below -20.
During the winter months
the city is plunged into darkness as the sun barely gets chance to show
itself. Even so, the city is far from dark. A combination of the moon &
stars reflecting off the snow give a beautiful glow to Kiruna and not forgetting
the extraordinary Northern Lights which crackle across a cloudless evening
sky.
Just an hour and half's drive
away is the Abisko Mountain Station considered as the best place on earth
to view the Northern Lights. With its fresh clean air and its practically
cloud free skies the conditions for seeing the lights are optimal. More
or less aurora occurs every night but to detect it the skies have to be
dark. The period from September to March is best time of year.
Kiruna is also home to the
unique Ice Hotel which gets rebuilt year after from the ice of the local
Torne river. With its ice sculptures and fine works of art the Ice Hotel
is truly an experience that should not be missed. |
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Snow and ice are a big feature
in Kiruna and there's plenty of it! Families seeking snow, Santa Claus
and winter activities need look no further, as the city caters well for
people wanting to make the most of this unique and snowy landscape. With
a large range of activities ranging from dog sledging, snowmobile tours,
cross country skiing, wild moose safari's, northern light tours, hunting,
ice fishing, ice sculpting & the Ice hotel to mention but a few, there's
really something of interest for everyone!
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This is also true of Kiruna's
accommodation with many interesting types available. As well as a good
choice of comfortable hotels and guest houses, Kiruna also offers a choice
of original and exclusive ideas such as the Ice Hotel, Wilderness cabins,
lodges, igloos and traditional wig wams.
The city centre also offers
a good selection of shops and restaurants, so your able to take time out
from your winter activities if you wish. You'll find a good selection of
local handy crafts most of which are designed by the local Sami population,
who incidentally herd all the reindeer in the area.
Despite it's location getting
to Kiruna is surprisingly easy. With daily flights by SAS Airlines and
an overnight train from Stockholm, it's within easy reach no matter where
you're travelling from. |
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About the author: If you'd
like to visit this untouched wilderness visit www.ActivitiesInSweden.com
for more details. |
