People who have visited Riksgränsen during these last 20 years or so are familiar with “Strumpan” and “Jossi”. One of them used to run the piste machine and is now a mountain guide. The other one used to run moguls and has become Sweden’s most famous sommelier. These days they run a hotel together.
West of the classic mountain hotel and near the Norwegian border, at the old locomotive depot in Riksgränsen, something new has been built during the winter of 2018: Niehku Mountain Villa. The resulting hotel has actually incorporated parts of the depot ruin into its exterior and interior design. The wall of the ruin runs straight through the new hotel and the effect is amazing. It’s an important part of the local history that’s become an exciting architectural feature in the new building.
Niehku Mountain Villa was designed by Krook & Tjäder and an internationally renowned design firm, Stylt Trampoli, created the exciting, welcoming interior architecture. It’s impossible to miss the careful feeling for design in the result provided by Stylt. It feels extra cosy this evening as one of the first, and very welcome, blizzards gathers around Riksgränsen.