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  • 26
    Culture

    Moving towns

    People here in the North are accustomed to change; we even move entire towns now and then. At the moment, this region is in the middle of the biggest industrial transition in living history. One could wonder what that does to the people and the place.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    By a hole in the ice

    Most good fishing stories involve a gigantic fish. This story is of course no exception, as our author heads out onto thin ice.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    Sápmi tales

    The story of Sápmi is a colourful one, and an Arctic lifestyle without Sámi knowledge is inconceivable. Manifestly, as bearers of the cultural heritage, Sámi artists of today have a firm footing in the protection of the indigenous people’s land. But from a world in which even subtle details as bootlaces carry a history, we have a great deal to learn.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    A seasonal
    adventure

    The seasonality of Arctic cuisine has created a unique food culture. In line with other parts of the green transition – where technological innovations are improving the future – sustainable cultivation methods are emerging in the north. From superberries and game to free-range cattle, during blizzards as well as warm summer nights.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    Konsthall Tornedalen

    Pablo Picasso is a true icon among the artists of the world. There were actually plans set in motion for him to leave an impression in Kiruna, but something happened along the way. Instead of the planned 33-metre-high Picasso sculpture in Kiruna all there is, is a copy of the sculpture’s model at Konsthall Tornedalen in Vietsaniemi.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • Naming a mountain

    In addition to being Sweden's highest mountain, Giebmegáisi – or Kebnekaise as it came to be called in Swedish – is an interesting story about how mountains are named, and how easy mistakes are made. The mountain is also a clear sign of a changing Arctic, and for some it's a mountain to call home.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    The promised land

    Tornedalen, the borderland between Sweden and Finland, is in many ways unique. The Torne River has never really been a border. Instead, it has tied the two countries together; never dividing, only uniting, to the benefit of sweethearts, smugglers, spies and sauna-bathing travellers. This summer take a road-trip through the promised land of the sauna.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    The Genius of the Place

    For those who are blind to the experiences close to home, it can be difficult to assign a value to a nearby place that has intrinsic beauty, quality and taste. We asked some of the world’s foremost creatives in food, design, art and architecture to explain their relationship with Sweden’s arctic destination, Swedish Lapland.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    A night at the museum

    Two of Sweden's best museums for those interested in Sami history and Arctic cultural life are Ájtte in Jokkmokk and the Silver Museum in Arjeplog. Both these institutions have a similar history. But what stories would they tell us if they were able to?

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    Focusing at weddings

    Helicopter rides over mountain peaks, dog sledding across sparkling snow and fluttering tulle under the midnight sun. This is what the wildly varying working days of wedding photographer Rebecca Lundh look like.

    Emma Graméus
  • 26
    Culture

    From joik to Airijoki

    Telling a great story has always been important. In fact, some claim that homo sapiens thrived as species due to their skills in gossiping. From jojk to Airijoki, from stories to songs, this place is known for a good vibe.

    Maria Broberg
  • 26
    Culture

    In sauna veritas

    Sauna, or bastu in Swedish, is something as natural to people in the north as the midnight sun and the northern lights. It used to be something of a prerequisite for life in the Arctic, and now it is a rich part of the culture itself. Sauna is the essence of life up here.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    Árbediehtu

    Simply put, painter and craft artist Leila Nutti is a jack of all trades. But what she does is perhaps more aptly described by the Sámi word árbediehtu.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    The embroidered
    resistance art

    She celebrates her 40th anniversary as an artist, Sámi narrator Britta Marakatt-Labba. This is also how long it has taken Swedes to discover her art. The breakthrough was international for this resistance artist who tells her story with the needle as a brush.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    Visut

    Our home, Swedish Lapland, has been formed by the Ice Age, the seasons and the reindeer. And we, too, have lived our lives in the shadow of the forces of nature.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    The land of the Sámi

    The Sámi culture is traditionally strong, and since the Sámi have lived and worked in northern Sweden for millennia, the culture is a big part of our Arctic lifestyle in Swedish Lapland.

    Linnea Eriksson
  • 26
    Culture

    Midsummer

    When the sun never sets, and the kids are on summer holiday. When holidays are waiting around the corner and meadows explode with wood cranesbill. That's when long lines of cars queue up to get out of the cities. It's time to go find tranquillity with friends and family in summer houses and holidays homes, away from the hustle and bustle. It's time to celebrate the most important holiday of the summer. It's midsummer.

    Emma Ebermark
  • 26
    Culture

    Stories told with names

    Many towns, mountains, rivers in Swedish Lapland bear the names given to them by the Sámi people, usually describing their characteristics. When reading a map of Swedish Lapland, knowing the meaning of some Sámi words adds another, fascinating dimension to the landscape.

    Göran Wallin
  • 26
    Culture

    Anything but wilderness

    On a headland called Viedásnjárgga in Stora Sjöfallet National Park lies Naturum Laponia. It's a place that tells a story of mountains on the other side of the lake and how reindeer find their way here year after year. It tells part of the story why this place was awarded the title World Heritage.

    Emma Forsberg
  • 26
    Culture

    An unbeatable
    eco-experience

    Small-scale, hosting and proximity to nature. Curiosity, knowledge and learning. During her visit to Geunja the Sámi Eco Lodge in the mountain landscape surrounding Ammarnäs, Maria lived in complete harmony with nature. Something happened there, and an inner journey commenced.

    Maria Broberg
  • 26
    Culture

    A place to preserve

    Just outside Luleå, you'll find the church village Gammelstad. This used to be where Luleå city centre was located right up to the 17th century, with red log cabins in a kind of organised chaos around one of Sweden's most beautiful churches. It's a unique place and something to preserve for future generations.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    Arctic fika

    In Sweden, we love our coffee, and so-called boiled coffee (coarse ground and brought to the boil in a pan) is in many ways the national drink of Swedish Lapland. Preferably served with all the trimmings: coffee cheese, coffee meat, dried reindeer meat and reindeer tongue.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    Jokkmokk’s market

    On the first weekend in February, every year since 1606, Jokkmokk's market is held. Apart from world-class Sámi art, culture and handicraft, visitors are usually greeted by proper, cold winter weather.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • 26
    Culture

    The eight seasons

    In Swedish Lapland, nature plays an intrinsic role in our life and work, and the people here are highly sensitive to the small details of the changing seasons. Therefore, it seems only natural that the Sámi people describe eight seasons instead of four.

    Ella Jonsson
  • 26
    Culture

    Christmas

    It is December and the landscape is covered in a white blanket; trees are heavy with snow and the roads are white. The dense mid-winter darkness creates a blue light during a few hours, and windows are lit up by advent stars and candlesticks. Christmas is here.

    Emma Ebermark
  • 26
    Culture

    5 questions to 5 Sámi designers

    Sámi design comes in many shapes. From traditional leather hats to a blue dress at the Nobel Banquet. Some of Sweden's coolest designers have taken the Sámi expression further – to put some excitement into everyday life.

    Håkan Stenlund