Posts tagged with "Lappland"

The Swedish provinces (landskap)

Posted by jennie 7 Comments
Jun 16 2010

Before getting on with all the fun stuff regarding the World Cup and the exciting royal wedding (three days to go now!), let’s spend some time studying the geography of Sweden. Quite often we seem to mention a few different provinces  and I figured it was about time to go through them quickly and what they are most famous for.

First of all, Sweden are divided into three big parts, Götaland, the south, Svealand, the middle and Norrland, the north. The country is then divided into 25 provinces, which purely have a cultural and a historical meaning and no political importance what so ever. That is taken care of by the 21 counties that the 25 provinces then are divided into. But let’s forget about the counties today. A Swedish person is much more likely to mention wich province he or she is from rather than the county.

Anyway, every province has its own province bird, province flower and province coat of arms. On a good day, I might know five of these, and I think it’s safe to say that that goes for many Swedes. But it’s definitely good knowledge if you ever plan to play Trivial Pursuit or go pub quizing in Sweden. Or simply just want to impress Swedish family and friends.

Today I give you the eight provinces of Norrland!

 1. Lappland is our biggest province and covers almost 25 percent of the whole country. Here you can find Sweden’s highest mountain Kebnekaise (2111 m), the native Lapps, the famous ice hotel in Jukasjärvi, the biggest mosquitoes and the most amazing nature scenery in the world.
Province flower: Fjällsippa (mountain aven)
Province animal: Fjällräv (mountain fox)

2. Norrbotten is known for being our coldest province with -40 degrees Celsius during the winter. But Norrbotten is also our warmest province and holds the highest temperature ever measured in Sweden, +37 degrees Celsuis. Talk about difference!
Province flower: Åkerbär (arctic bramble)
Province animal: Lavskrika (Sibirian Jay)

3.Västerbotten is a culinary province and is the proud maker of the famous Västerbotten cheese. The scenery is in Västerbotten is amazing with a spectacular mix of mountains, forests, lakes and streams. Our blogger Katja comes from the big University city Umeå, she has written about it here!
Province flower: Kung Karls spira (no translation found) Province animal: Storspov (Eurasian curlew)

4. Ångermanland is the home of surströmming – the fermented fish that smells like… well, I can’t even begin describe it. Anyone?
Province flower: Styvmorsviol (wild pansy)
Province animal: Bäver (beaver)

5. In Jämtland, you can find Sweden’s fifth biggest but most exciting lake, Storsjön. Storsjön is the home of Sweden’s Nessie, Storsjöodjuret, a large sea serpent who is said to be living in Storsjön. This has never been confirmed, but it definitely keeps the tourists coming!
Province flower: Brunkulla (no translation found)
Province animal: Älg (elk)

6. Medelpad has a rich animal life and if you travel there you might bump into deer, elk, bear, wolf, beaver and much much more. Sundsvall is the only city in the province.
Province flower: Gran (Norway spruce)
Province animal: Skogshare (wild hare)

7. Härjedalen is filled with ski resorts, hiking trails and rivers. The province has been home to people since the stone age and has a rich history and over 2000 ancient monuments.
Province flower: Mosippa (spring pasque flower)
Province animal: Brunbjörn (brown bear)

8. Lot of Swedish folk music and folk dancing origins from Hälsingland. If you don’t like cursing but still want to tell someone to go to h**l, you can without guilt shout “Dra åt Hälsingland”", since this province’s name has become a euphemism for “hell”. Last but not least, the Swedish princess Madeleine is the Duchess of Hälsingland.
Province flower: Lin (flax)
Province animal: Lodjur (lynx)

11. Gästrikland  – and especially the small town of Ockelbo – has become known world wide lately, since this is where our new Prince, Daniel, is born and raised.  More royal connections:  the Swedish princess Madeleine is the Duchess of Gästrikland, together with Hälsingland as well.
Province flower: Liljekonvalj (Lily of the valley)
Province animal: Tjäder (grouse)

And speaking of Princess Madeleine, the coming weekend is all about a certain wedding in Sweden and I am pretty sure there will be one or two blogs about that. But then, a trip through Svealand and Götaland!

(Foto: Ove Källström, Sweden.se)

Interesting Places – Linbana in Norsjö

Posted by Transparent Language 3 Comments
Jun 27 2009

A week ago the season started at one of my favorite tourist attractions in Sweden. And I hear you groan… If it’s one of Anna’s favorite attractions it must be somewhere up north. Ridiculously up north. Hard to get to. Rather obscure. Infested with mosquitoes. Filled with blueberries. And surrounded by wild nature. Yep. You’re right. On all accounts, except for the “ridiculously up north” bit. The place I’m going to tell you about today is moderately up north by Swedish standards. It’s practically southern Lappland. And that’s practically central Sweden if you squint at the map at just the right angle.

And the attraction I’m talking about? Världens Längsta Linbana (the world’s longest ropeway) in Norsjö. Well, technically it’s between Örträsk and Mensträsk, but since nobody’s ever heard about those places, we’ll stick with Norsjö – much easier to find on the map.

What’s the longest ropeway in the world doing in the woods, you might ask? Hmmm… It’s a long story.

It started with a mine (gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead) in Kristineberg. Back in the olden days, the ore had been transported to Boliden by road – about 100 kilometers (or 10 Swedish miles). But then WW2 happened and with it came severe shortages of fuel and rubber. In other words, road transport became pretty much impossible. But the world still needed that ore. And even more so than before. The problem of how to transport it to the coast was solved in a rather ingenious way.

“Hey, let’s build a ropeway,” someone said. And the rest is history.

And boy, did they build a ropeway, or what? 96 kilometers of it. Through the woods and over the lakes. It took 1500 men two years to finish it.

So how did they transport that ore using a ropeway? They simply loaded it into buckets and moved those buckets on a cable. Kind of like that:

These days 13 kilometers of this ropeway are used for moving tourists. Not in buckets, of course (but hey, now THAT would be an attraction, don’t you think?), but in comfortable cabins. The trip takes about an hour and a half and you can even order lunch. Or bring your own picnic along. And a camera – don’t forget about the camera!

And the best part? If you go towards the end of the season, you can see all the best hjortron patches from the air!

Yeah, yeah, nice bucket of hjortron. (Seen from the air).

And here’s the official website of Världens Längsta Linbana with all the relevant info. Enjoy!

Summer Plans 2009 – Vacationing in Sweden

Posted by Transparent Language 9 Comments
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.

Exploring Norrland

Posted by Transparent Language 14 Comments
Aug 12 2008

One good thing about being from (or living in) Umeå is that you’re not from anywhere else in Västerbotten. Because imagine the alternatives! You could be from a place like Lycksele, for example.

I’m sure that Lycksele is a perfectly delightful little town, or a large village depending on who’s talking, of about 9 thousand people. Delightful for a short period of time, that is. And considering the numbers of teens and young people from Lycksele who come to Umeå every Saturday night in search of adventure, excitement and really wild things, you can kind of guess they share my opinion. And don’t forget the housewives on shopping trips! Lycksele may brag that three chain stores have opened there in recent years, and they even have a Dollar Store (which is not really a dollar store at all, but a normal Swedish shop) in town, but that still doesn’t change the fact that to most Lycksele-bor Umeå is a shining metropolis filled with swanky shops and fashionable people. No Dollar Store can match that.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a charming town, but a charming podunk town, and the label of “Lapp Stockholm” is very misleading. But to be honest, I’ve never heard anyone except the Lycksele kommun (municipal district) and tourist office employees use that term. And even then, they whisper it quietly.

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Sami

Posted by Transparent Language 5 Comments
Aug 6 2008

I said last time that I would tell you about the Sami. In fact, I’ve been thinking about a Sami-themed post for quite a while now, or at least every time I listen to Transjoik. Though Transjoik is technically a Norwegian band, we’ll let them in here on an honorary membership. Sami, the people formerly known as Lapps don’t recognize normal national borders. They live in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. But who are they?

In Swedish:

  • samer (noun plural, def. plural: samerna) – en folkgrupp som finns i norra Sverige, Norge, Finland och Ryssland – an ethnic group in northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.


This happy Sami guy, Lars Jonas Johansson, lives nearby Tärnaby and welcomes visitors into his home. Just bring rubber boots if you plan to pet his reindeer – they sure poop a lot.

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