Posts tagged w/ Kiruna

Summer Plans 2009 - Vacationing in Sweden

Posted by Anna Ikeda
May
7
2009

It’s (almost) the middle of May already. Time’s fun when you’re having flies, or rather, the other way round. The weather may not be very summery yet, or up North – not even very springy yet, but summer is already on everybody’s mind.

Yes, it’s time to plan your summer vacation, if you haven’t done so already. Where to go, when exactly to go, how much to spend and all those other pesky little details of your long-awaited summer break.

My friends and co-workers all seem to be discussing their semester (vacation) plans right now. Global crisis, or not, semester is sacred. After all, what are you going to do? Stay at home for four weeks in July? Nah, you gotta go somewhere.

True, many people are concerned about the economy and about whether or not they can actually afford their summer breaks. Some of my friends have downsized their normal plans. Instead of a trip to Thailand or another exotic destination, they choose more mundane places like Spain or Egypt. Those who normally would go to Spain or Egypt are opting for even more budget friendly choices like Turkey and Bulgaria. But few of the people I know say they will stay in Sweden during the summer. Why? All things considered, it’s cheaper to go abroad. And oh yeah, the weather’s better elsewhere, too.

But let’s pretend for a second that staying in Sweden this summer is your only option. Or that visiting Sweden this summer (for those of you in other countries) is your only option. In that case, where would you go? Which places would you like to visit? Where in Sweden have you visited already and what would like to recommend to others?

Anybody who’s been reading this blog for more than 5 minutes knows that I’m a huge fan of Lappland. My number one destination in Sweden is the Far North – Kiruna, Abisko, Jukkasjärvi and the whole Tornedalen (Torne Valley) area. There are no ancient castles there and no Viking huts. There are no gothic cathedrals and splendid art museums. Instead, there is plenty of nature, gorgeous views, different culture and midnight sun (after all, we are talking about summer here). If not for the mosquitoes, it would be an ideal adventure destination. The drive along the Torne river is, without a doubt, one of the most gorgeous in Sweden.

A bit more south (if you’re in, let’s say, Pajala) there’s Luleå with its World Heritage listed Gammelstads kyrkstad (Gammelstad Church Town). Oh yes, and why is Luleå calling itself The Capital of Swedish Lapland? Just how many capitals does Lappland have? What about Lycksele’s claim to “Lapp Stockholm”?

So, now you know where I would like to spend my summer in Sweden. How about you? What are some of your favorite Swedish summer destinations?

PS. And just so there is no misunderstandings – it’s “Lappland” in Swedish, but “Lapland” in English.

 
Posted under Culture, Geography
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Kiruna stadsflytt – Where They Really Move Houses

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Mar
12
2009

And I mean “move houses” in more ways than one. They are literally planning to move the entire city center to a new location. Historical houses will be taken apart, moved and put back together in their new locations. Some buildings will be demolished, either fully or partially, and then replaced with new, or partly new constructions at the target site.

Along with the buildings, the inhabitants of Kiruna have to move or reconstruct the sewage and water pipes, electricity supply grid, railway station and parts of the European highway E10.

And all this has to be done by 2033. So next time don’t laugh when you hear that someone in Sweden is “moving house”, OK?

Why are Kirunabor doing it? Well, they have no choice, really. Their lovely town sits on a huge iron ore mine - LKAB (incidentally also a very interesting place to visit - they have guided tours, ask at the tourist office), and as the result of the mining work, the ground is cracking and the town is sinking.

It was back in 2003 when the mine informed the city about the problem. Apparently, the cracks in the ground were spreading faster than initially believed. So, during 2004 it was decided that the town needed to be moved. In 2007 the new location was agreed on and soon after that the work began.

Of the buildings that are going to be moved, the most important ones are Kiruna kyrka (church) and stadshuset (city hall).

When I spoke to a representative from the tourist office about the logistics of such a move, she explained that the church is not a problem. It’s a wooden structure (the largest such structure in all of Sweden), so it can be easily taken apart and re-constructed elsewhere.

It’s a lovely church, by the way, the design is inspired by a Sami kåta (Sami tent) and it’s absolutely impossible to imagine Kiruna without it. The cost of moving the church? About 25 million SEK.

Stadshuset is the problem. It’s a large building, you know, your average city hall size.

So how do you move it? Apparently, there is a company in Italy that has the required technology and offered to do the work. The building will be cut into four pieces, each piece will be then transported and somehow put together at the new place. The cost of moving the city hall? Plus minus 50 million SEK.

You can read more about Kiruna stadsomvandling on the official Kiruna city webpage dedicated to the move.


So, moving house? Yep, we do that too. No problem.

Images: Wikipedia under CC agreement

 
Posted under Geography
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