www.visitsealapland.com
Everything about Sea Lapland www.visitsealapland.com
Sea Lapland is situated on the northernmost shores of the Gulf of Bothnia; a flight of merely an hour and a half from the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport takes you to the Kemi-Tornio Airport in the region. In the vicinity of the Sea Lapland region both the Oulu, Rovaniemi and Luleå Airports have train or bus connections to the area. Also from Helsinki you will find a direct train connection to Sea Lapland, to the Kemi, Tornio or Tervola Railway Stations. Regular airline traffic serves the Sea Lapland region. Taxi service is available day and night and several car rentals are to be found in the region.
How to reach Sea Lapland
How to read the QR-code On the brochure pages you’ll find specific QR-codes through which you’ll get additional digital information about Sea Lapland in the form of smart-maps or other net contents. You’ll get additional information among others of the locations, opening hours and contact information of the various places, of navigation instructions in the area as well as of the history in the region. Read the code through the QR-code reader in your Smartphone or tablet and open the net contents into your mobile or tablet device. In some mobile models the reader is inbuilt, in others you’ll need to download the reader from the software/application net shop. The opening speed of the content may vary according to your mobile model and according to your network operator.
Using the net on mobile devices in the Sea Lapland region
INDEX Enchanted with the snow................................................................ 4-5 The snowy Castle melting Your heart..............................................6 Breaking the ice....................................................................................... 7
The 4G and 3G networks of different network operators cover fairly well the central destinations in the Sea Lapland region. However, some areas with weaker reception can yet be found. Pricing of the connections is according to the actual service provider and some foreign operators may charge a roaming-fee; however, from the mobile connections in EU-countries, only the maximum 0,20 €/Mt. You may also find charge-free wireless networks (WiFi, WLAN), as for example, at the Kemi-Tornio Airport. From the QR-code down below, you can open up a map describing the locations of the charge-free networks.
Power your Business.........................................................................8-9 Let it play........................................................................................... 10-11 Two cities in one............................................................................. 12-13 Sea Lapland – the name says it all...........................................14-15 Bon Appétit.......................................................................................16-17 Celebrate the change of the year, twice in Sea Lapland .......18 Sweet dreams........................................................................................19 Taut lines fishermen dream of.................................................. 20-21 Hiking in the wilderness............................................................. 22-23 Church and museum sites.........................................................24-25 As the centuries roll by...............................................................26-27
WiFi-network
Simo
TERVOLA
Welcome to Sea Lapland! Sea Lapland, with a richly varied past and a highly colourful cultural history, is the most prosperous region in all of Lapland. Due to its location by the sea with its out flowing rivers, trading and travel became very prominent in the region since the early 1500’s, eventually enabling the region to develop into a centre of boundless creativity. The beauty of the unique nature of Lapland In the Sea Lapland region, the three main rivers rich with fish flowing through it, will offer you experiences to be remembered; in the archipelago of the area, where the world’s one and only Cruise Icebreaker Sampo breaks ice and the world-renowned SnowCastle of Kemi decorates the shores, every winter, you will enjoy adventures unlike anywhere else. Two cities and three municipalities form the Sea Lapland area: the twincity HaparandaTornio and the city of Kemi, and the municipalities of Keminmaa, Simo and Tervola. The three salmon-rivers, the Simo River, Kemi and Tornio Rivers, all flowing down to the Gulf of Bothnia, are situated in the region. The various areas in Sea Lapland carry different characteristics, but the heart in each is similar.
Sea Lapland Top 20
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Enchanted with the snow
4 Sea Lapland
In the winter the white, snow-covered forests and the frozen sea invite you to adventure for skiing trips or to take a ride on a snow-mobile or merely just to walk through the quiet of the woods and straight out into the openness of the sea with thick ice-coverage. Experiences to be remembered for years to come! To play a round of winter golf or speed on a huskysledge might fancy your interest to the utmost pleasure. The quietness of snow-shoe walking, on the other hand, will enable you to experience the feel of a true virgin forest in Sea Lapland. The traditional winter sports, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing, are available in the Sea Lapland region. The Kalli Ski Centre in Keminmaa offers both the slopes for downhill skiers as well as ski-tracks for crosscountry skiers, including 足 appropriate equipment for rent. Several of the ski-tracks varying both in length and in difficulty are足illuminated. The most courageous adventurers might try their skill on outdoor winter swimming as well.
Energy from the Sun Along with the spring awakening after the period of winter darkness in Lapland around Christmas, the days get quickly longer and longer and the Sun reflects ever more brightly on the white snow-banks. Ice fishing, where you drill a hole in the ice on the lake or on the sea, is one of the favourite traditional fishing methods in the brightness of the spring-sunlight. A cup of hot coffee with local unleavened bread tastes delicious by a lean-to or by a campfire on one of the islands in the archipelago.
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The snowy Castle
melting Your heart
Winter and subzero weather with frost and cold are part of one of the other as the SnowCastle and Sea Lapland. The SnowCastle with its unforgettable experiences rises on the shimmering shores of the Gulf of Bothnia every winter, ready to receive its visitors wholeheartedly into its bosom. Children and anyone with the spirit of a child may experience the delight and excitement the two original snow-mascots Arttu and Terttu offer at the SnowCastle daily. In the warmth and comfort of the Castle-Lounge you sit and enjoy a hot chocolate or other beverages and little bites to munch on. The most unique experience, to be sure, will enhance your visit while you enjoy a lunch or an Ă la carte dinner at the SnowRestaurant. At the SnowChapel within the SnowCastle, where several couples from around the world celebrate their wedding, you enjoy the deep quiet while sitting on the bench, admiring the snow- and icesculptured architecture of the Chapel. At night, continuing your adventure, the SnowHotel provides the true arctic experience while you sleep wrapped inside a sleeping-bag especially designed for arctic conditions, in a room with - 5 degree Celsius temperature. The Souvenir Shop at the CastleLounge boasts a good selection of fun things to bring home to, as the soft toys of the mascots Arttu and Terttu or handmade woollen socks, all made in Sea Lapland.
6 Sea Lapland
Breaking the ice The former icebreaker Sampo of the Finnish Government, having been transferred into a Cruise Icebreaker, offers an adventure on the frozen sea of the Gulf of Bothnia unlike you’ve never experienced. To see and feel the combination of the majestic steal, hard ice-coverage and the vast sea, is surely an adventure to be remembered for years to come. The wintry adventure on the Sampo, cruising through the frozen, vast open sea, includes a guided tour aboard the ship from the engine room all the way up to the Captain’s Bridge. During the cruise you have a chance to participate in a daring arctic swimming adventure in ice-cold water, dressed in an impermeable warm survival suit. The homeport of the Cruise Icebreaker at the Port of Ajos in Kemi is also the official homeport of Santa Claus.
Best bits of the winter
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Power your Business
Nordic Safaris
Toranda Main Hall
8 Sea Lapland
Resources for successful business – naturally from Sea Lapland The conference rooms in Sea Lapland, equipped with modern facilities for business meetings, the meals served by the catering services and restaurants in the Sea Lapland style, and the adventures on offer in the region, will guarantee the success of any event or meeting your company desires to arrange. During the winter the once in a life-time experience on the Cruise Icebreaker Sampo, the Husky-safaris speeding through the quiet of the woods or the team competition on a kick sled across the frozen sea; during the summer a cruise through the archipelago of the Gulf of Bothnia or shooting of the rapids through the longest free-flowing river in all of Europe – team spirit at its best! The services in Sea Lapland are tailored in smooth and precise cooperation with your event orga nizers according to the desires of the client. The atmospheric Joentalo in Tornio at the Peräpohjola Opisto (the Institute of the Southern Lapland), is a highly popular location for various festivities, meetings and seminars. The Kemi Culture Centre right in the heart of the city of Kemi, in addition of providing highly equipped conference rooms, hosts the Art Museum, the Kemi City Theatre and the services of the Historical Museum conveniently under the same roof. The Tervola House, the Pappilan Pehtoori (the Old Vicarage in Simo), the Pohjolan Pirtti (the Northern House), the Pohjanranta and the Kukkolaforsen: here a few conference locations available in the beauty of the unique and natural surroundings in Sea Lapland.
Lapponia Safaris
Lapponia Safaris
Your event deserves the Toranda The Toranda, the Event and Program Service Centre right on the shores of the free-flowing Tornio River, offers locations even for the biggest meetings, concerts, festivals and fairs around the year. The Centre boasts 3000 sq m and a huge yard with space enough for the arrangement of large outdoor fairs or exhibitions, concerts or even the well-liked and famous Sea Lapland Games. The Toranda is the most perfect place for both various private and marketing events. The beautifully restored hall, used for the log floating business in the area at the time, is named the Uitto Banquet Room, offering the most unique atmosphere for your event. The Toranda Main Hall can be transformed to fit any event from a big concert to a festive banquet seating over 400 people. The two halls together enable the seating of 700 guests.
Best places for events and meetings: go ahead
Joentalo Auditorium
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Let it play
SnowCastle Opening Ceremony
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KalottJazz & Blues Festival
Satama Open Air
People in Sea Lapland love the music. By now the internationally renowned events, the Pakkasukko Blues N' Jazz and the Kalott Jazz & Blues Festivals are enjoyed by nearly everyone in the region. The rock- and pop music festivals the Satama Open Air and the Twin City Festivals, lasting for days on end, are the most unique and well-liked summer events. In Sea Lapland everyone knows that you can hear live music every summer weekend. The opening ceremonies of the Kemi SnowCastle in January, the Tornio Grand Ice Fishing Competitions on the Tornio River with the shimmering brightness of the spring sunshine all around, and eventually the annual Sarvipäivät Recreation Days in the archipelago of the Gulf of Bothnia in July, are events to be enjoyed by the whole family. The Classic Motor Meet gathers hundreds of car collectors from all the Nordic countries to show their well-tuned automobiles in the exhibition in Sea Lapland during July. The Laivakangas Horse Race Track is a place for speed and excitement on many a Sunday, especially during the summer, spring and fall seasons: bet the winner!
Horse Racing
May I? The tradition of open-air dancing got its start in Finland already in the 1800’s. On the former barns or specially built open-air dance floors you dance two songs and change dance partners. Many of the dancers are highly proficient in ballroom dancing. The two favourite open-air dance places in Sea Lapland are the Suukosken keidas and the Pohjanranta, the latter boasting also a Hotel and a campingplace for trailers. Ballroom dancers in Sea Lapland have fared well in various competitions for over 30 years by now. You might like to enjoy one of the festive performances of the local Ballroom Dance Club Aida in one of their competitions or performances, or perhaps even reserve your own private dance-show with the best of the performers.
Classic Motor Meet
Events in Sea Lapland
Ballroom Dance Club Aida
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Two cities in one
Shopping Centre Rajalla - På Gränsen
The twin-city HaparandaTornio endows a natural combination of two cultures for both of the cities of Haparanda and Tornio as you hardly notice the border between Sweden and Finland on daily basis. The Victoria P laza right on the border is uniquely special in the area, and perhaps even in the whole world: the Plaza was named after Princess Victoria of S weden at the inauguration ceremony she performed in 2011. The spectacular Rajakaari on the border is designed by children in the region, the forms and colouring of the routes depicting the connection between the two cities. The Shopping Centre Rajalla - På Gränsen, with a variety of boutiques and affairs, as well as the world-renowned Ikea right at the border, offer both traditional as well as design products and, of course, the latest fashion both in clothing, shoes, accessories as well as home furnishings. Udda med Flit
Made in Sea Lapland
The Farmers’ Fair in Tervola
The cultural heritage of Sea Lapland forms an essential and prominent part in everyday living in the region. Hand-made candles, lamp fixtures designed of paper, lambskin hides or hand knitted wool products are superb gifts to bring home to. The local meat-, fish- and berry products are delicacies to satisfy the most gourmet person. At the Pohjanranta in Keminmaa you can order wine made of black or red currant grown at the farm. The local unleavened bread and the white fish scooped up from the Tornio River are delicacies not to be missed. The annual River lamprey- and the Anadromous salmon Fairs, the Farmers’ Fairs and several other summer and fall fairs, offer food and beverages made of fresh local produce, gathering people to celebrate the events from near and far. Many of the fairs offer entertainment throughout the day, and seasonal products to bring home to.
Shopping and souvenirs Ikea HaparandaTornio
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Peräpohjola Market
For theatre lovers Theatre in Sea Lapland is direct, open and sincere. The ever renewing repertoire is filled with pleasant surprises, giving fullfledged experiences. In addition to the repertoire of the Kemi City Theatre you may enjoy the performances of visiting theatres from around the country as well as summer theatres and stand-up comedy.
The glitter of jewellery Once upon a time, Finland was about to become a Kingdom. The attempt was to go far enough for the King to be designed his crown. But History, as it sometimes happens, was to take a new turn, and yet, the crown still exists. At the Kemi Gemstone Gallery, in addition of marvelling the original, handsome Crown of the King of Finland, you may also admire the replicas of the Imperial Crown of the Queen of England, among other historical replicas, as well as the fine collection of over three thousand minerals and gemstones from around the world.
Kemi City Theatre
Art to fit many a taste The Aine Art Museum in Tornio offers both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition is composed of the collection at the Aine Pictorial Art Foundation and of the collection at the Aine Art Museum. The collection includes some of the finest art work in Finland, among others the works of Helene Schjerfbeck, Werner Holmberg, Akseli Gallen-Kallela as well as the works of more recent Finnish artists like Marika Mäkelä, Hannu Väisänen and Reijo Hukkanen. The works of Reidar Särestöniemi, Kalervo Palsa and Tuuli Mukka, represent artists right from Lapland.
Gemstone Gallery of Kemi
Art and culture
Aine Art Museum
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Sea Lapland
– the name says it all
Inner Port of Kemi
The Inner Port in Kemi, the International Guest Harbour of Ulen and the boardwalk restaurants, are favourite places for both the inhabitants as well as for the visitors of the city of Kemi during the summer. For twice already boaters and yachts-men from around the world have voted the handsome Guest Harbour as the Guest Harbour of the Year. Boat Harbour the Toranda Marina in Tornio is part of the Toranda Centre offering locations for the most varied of national or international events from concerts to festive occasions.
S/Y Perämeren Jähti
Sea Lapland Canoeing Centre
14 Sea Lapland
The traditional S/Y Katarina Ship as well as the S/Y Perämeren Jähti and the M/S Casandra docked at the Inner Port of Kemi provide chances for anyone willing to see the city from the perspective of the sea as well. The Yacht Clubs provide training for many an upcoming sailor or yachts-man, both local and foreign, every summer. The Sea Lapland Canoeing Centre offers canoeing with guiding, beginners included. Challenges on offer are plenty, from sea canoeing to canoeing through the various size rapids in the rivers in the region. The most speedy-hungry might try the Kukkolaforsen, conquering the surge of the rapids on a rubber-rafter. The beaches in the Sea Lapland region complete the offering of water activities – during the summer you can take a swim in the river or in the sea, during the winter you might venture hopping into a ready-made hole in the ice.
Green Zone Golf Tornio
The longest Hole In One in the whole world The 18-hole Tornio Green Zone Golf Course sits right on the border between Finland and Sweden. The one hour time-difference Âbetween the countries enables the golfer for the longest Hole in One on fairway 6. The hit lasts about an hour and 5 seconds due to the border between the two countries going through the 6th fairway. A unique, and challenging way to play golf, wouldn’t you say? The 18-hole Kemi Golf Club is situated right in the core area of the city, and Mini Golf can be found at the Inner Harbour. To play Frisbee-golf, you find the Courses in Tornio, at the Kallinkangas in Keminmaa, in the city of Kemi as well as in the commune of Simo. The Tornio and Kemi Frisbee-golf Courses are suitable for beginners and those willing for more challenging games, should head to the Frisbee-golf Courses in Kallinkangas or in Simo.
Best bits of the summer Kukkola Rapids
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Bon AppEtit
Restaurant Merihovi
Kukkolaforsen
16 Sea Lapland
Kukkolaforsen
In Sea Lapland you find various choices for dining from a special restaurant with a theme to a more modern place just to sit down and eat. Is your desire to dine in the centre of hubbub of the city, or do you desire a quieter corner to sit and relax? The traditional Lappish delicacies and the catch of the sea are available in the restaurants in Sea Lapland on every day of the week, including Sunday. The produce is local and organically grown.
Sea Lapland delicacies The Sea Lapland cuisine forms an essential part of the lifestyle and vigour of the Northern people. The unique nature of Lapland, the aromatic and fresh ingredients you get from the nature, the rich culture with its local traditions, offer gourmet experiences not to be missed. The Sea Lapland cuisine lives according to the changing seasons, and is largely based on the vegetation and animal produce available in the region. The Bothnian Bay salmon, or the salmon and whitefish caught in the free-flowing rivers, the reindeer and other game running wild in the woods, as well as mushrooms and herbs, have formed the unique basis for the Sea Lapland gastronomy for centuries. The Lappish potato, a unique specialty growing only in Lapland, is EUSAN patent protected.
Restaurant Mustaparran Päämaja
With us you eat always well
House of Tervola
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Celebrate the change of the year, twice in Sea Lapland In the twin-city HaparandaTornio, at the border on the Victoria Plaza, we celebrate the New Year according to a long pattern. Due to the one hour time-difference between Finland and Sweden you see the spectacular fireworks twice in the night. The festivities include music and performances from both countries, topped with sparkling wine.
The magic of Christmas Christmas in Sea Lapland is the time of elves running in and out of the house; it’s the time of sitting at the dinner-table brimming with local Christmas delicacies. After outdoor activities by camp-fires under starry skies, you relax in the warmth of the Christmas Sauna. Finally, at the end of the night, everyone delights in opening the gifts that Santa brings. You can spend your Christmas privately in a cosy, atmospheric cottage in the middle of the woods or in the comforts of a Hotel with everything served to your desire. At Santa’s Chamber you might stop by any time; merely 1,5 hour drive takes you to the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, and the Chamber is open year round. Victoria Plaza
Santa Claus Office, Rovaniemi
18 Sea Lapland
Restaurant Linnan Aitta
Sweet dreams
SnowHotel Suite
Wrapped in soft sheets or sleeping in a sleeping-bag on top of a hide; a room on a farm or a romantic cottage in the wilderness. Some like to stay in the comforts of a Hotel, some prefer the peaceful privacy of a wilderness cabin. With all the special treats, no doubt.
Find the lodging to your desire
Hotel Merihovi
Cottages at the Old Vicarage
The rooms at the SnowHotel within the Kemi SnowCastle are constructed of snow. Wrapped within a sleeping-bag made for arctic conditions, on top of a hide-covered bed, you sleep like a baby breathing in fresh air of -5°C t emperatures in the snow-covered room, with not a sound disturbing your sweetest dreams. In the classic, by now legendary Merihovi Hotel you can admire the lamp fixtures designed by the renowned Finnish designer Paavo Tynell. Since 1946 the classic architecture and the white columns in the main hall, long before the recent renovation of the Hotel, endowed a festive air to dining or any other event held at the Hotel. The Haparanda Stadshotell, one of the most famous hotels of the past century in the region, has been renovated to its former glory according to its trademarks of the time: red plush, crystal chandeliers and decorative ornaments on the walls and on the ceilings, will guarantee you a stay amongst the feel of great luxury. The small, wooden cottages at the Old Vicarage In Simo, resembling storehouses of the old days, are beautifully located right by the sea, in the bosom of the beauty and peace of the true Sea Lapland nature. Here some examples for Hotels and lodging. Look for more through the QR-code next to the text.
Haparanda Stadshotell
Does your pillow feel good? Here you’ll find it to your desire.
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Taut lines fishermen dream of
Fly fishing
Bothnian Bay salmon
20 Sea Lapland
Whitefish flamed on fire
Are you more of a fisherman of the quiet waters or one with the vigour and temperament to dare the surge of the rapids? In Sea Lapland you find fishing to your liking. The Sea Lapland region is ideal for fishing. Within the range of an hour’s drive you find three fish-rich rivers, and the sea is close by. The Simo River, the Tornio and Kemi Rivers are known as Salmon Rivers. The rivers live according to the change of the seasons; the melting of the snow and ice in the spring-time causes the spring floods that are an exciting event for all the p eople in the region. On the shores of the Kukkola Rapids, on both sides of the border, you may admire the Traditional Tornio Valley Fishing Culture, flourishing even today. The village people, according to special rules between the landowners, scoop up the whitefish in the summer-time, sharing the catch at seven pm every night. Whitefish flamed on the fire is a local delicacy. The fishing methods change by the season and according to the fish-type, and visitors may try scooping up the whitefish in the summer. During the fall the wire cage (trap) fills up with the river lamprey, during the winter with the burbot.
Sauna
Hot tub
The Finnish sauna Sauna has been part of the Finnish tradition for hundreds of years. Enjoying the heat and comfort of the sauna you both relax and strengthen your body and mind, returning refreshed and renewed to your everyday living. The floating saunas at the Pohjanranta in Keminmaa and the Tervolahovi in the commune of Tervola, the barrel sauna at the Kukkolaforsen as well as the Hovilompolo Lappish cot sauna and the smoke sauna, are special and highly enjoyable experiences worth trying. Whether you have decided to stay in a Hotel or in a cottage during your visit, you’ll be sure to have the chance to enjoy the pleasures of the sauna. In the summer you go for a swim in a lake or in a river, in the winter you drop into a hot tub with a warm cap over your head.
Fishing and boating on one map Scooping up the fish
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Hiking in the wilderness
22 Sea Lapland
The unspoilt nature in Sea Lapland offers plenty of opportunities for hiking: nature trails are close by and hiking tracks with natural duckboards are well-maintained for pleasant trekking. The many rivers, tree-covered hills and the sea, the scenery filled with wide open fields and mires, form the harmoniously alternating natural features of Sea Lapland. Bird watching and treasure-hunting, the world-widely popular geocaching is a fun and pleasant way to enjoy the outdoors. Go berry-picking or find delicious mushrooms: an extensive part of the Finnish forests is registered as protected areas for picking organic berries, mushrooms and herbs. The Finnish liberal law of public access invites anyone to roam freely in the forests, to tent in the nature and enjoy these treasures. Before deciding to go on an excursion though, it is advisable to check these areas to find the appropriate ones.
Martimoaapa
Safe and convenient hiking Finland’s most important place designated for protection of mire-areas, the Martimo aapa in Simo, offers both interesting hiking terrain for trekkers and beautiful hill landscape for easy wandering. The Alkunkarinlahti Nature Trail, Nationally Protected Bird-watching Site, 9 km south from the centre of Tornio, offers bird-watchtowers and campfire sites along the trail. In Kätkävaara in the Tervola commune the hilltops with no trees rise to the heights, rivers with clear water run through the valleys, traversing the open bog mires and wild forests in the region. The Pisavaara Natural Park, the highest tree-covered hill in southern Lapland, is the strictest protected Natural Park in all of Europe.
Gulf of Bothnia National Park
The Bothnian Bay Archipelago National Park Long ago the archipelago on the Bothnian Bay National Park was formed due to land uplift, which evermore causes constant, very gradual change in the natural features of the region. The traditional fishing bases and the natural trail under the water surface, designed for divers, are worth seeing. You can access the National Park by boat; at the biggest Island Selkä-Sarvi you’ll find a small harbour and a lean-to with a camp-fire. Trekking through the 1 km nature trail traversing the island, will crown your excursion. Sandskär, situated in the Haparanda Archipelago National Park, is known for its long sandy beaches and decorative sand-formations. A 5 km beautiful nature trail traverses the island.
The Simo Land Uplift Natural Park Land uplift in Scandinavia is due to the Ice Age. The last Ice Age ”Veiksel” caused the Scandinavia and part of Europe to be covered with thick continental glacier. Since the past 10 000 years the removal of the weight from the depressed land has been slowly happening and this can be seen in the shoreline of the sea moving further away from the coast. On the 10 guide posts at the Simo Land Uplift National Park you can study the changes in the shoreline over the last 500 years.
Hikers choices
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Church and museum sites
The Alatornio Church
The Pahnila Museum
24 Sea Lapland
The Provincial Museum of the Tornio Valley
The mummified vicar The St. Michael’s Church, built in the 1530’s, is the oldest church in the Sea Lapland region, and the northernmost of the Finnish medieval stone-churches with their original construction left intact. According to the tradition prevailing in the region up until the 1700’s, people at the Old Church in Keminmaa were buried under the floor. Vicar Nikolaus Rungius, who died in 1629, is the best known of them; his mummified body can be seen in a glass-covered coffin at the St. Michaels Church. Rungius is known to have said, when still alive: ”If the words I’ve said are not true, my body will decay, but if they are true, my remnants will never decay.”
The St. Michael’s Church
In Sea Lapland you can hear the whisper of the history under your foot. The Hedvig Eleonora Church or the Church of Tornio is the other of the two churches in Finland dedicated to the Queen Hedvig Eleonora of Sweden. The church is a notable representative of the wooden architectural design of churches in the 1600’s. At the recently renewed Kemi Historical Museum and the Provincial Museum of the Tornio Valley, you can explore the cultural history of the region. The Pahnila Museum, The Tervola and the Keminmaa Local Arts and Crafts Museums offer additional places to learn about the cultural landscape in Sea Lapland. Travelling on the Museum Road through the Village of Simo you see the old farms and buildings left intact from the period when the road, dating back to the 1640’s, served as the mail road on land between Finland and Sweden. The historical centres of both the cities of Kemi and Tornio, you get best acquainted with walking through the streets surrounded by old wooden houses.
The Unesco World Heritage Site The Alatornio Church is one of the Unesco World Heritage Sites in Europe. The first church was built probably already in the 1200’s, and a wooden church is known to have stood at the place in 1316 by the latest. In 1794-97, the church-constructer Jacob Rijf built the Alatornio Church to its current form. The church is one of the most handsome representatives of the architectural design of church construction of the late 1700’s.
The Kemi Church
In the beginning of the 1900’s the Kemi Church towered the tiny city of Kemi as a beautiful and sturdy monument. In these days it decorates the city silhouette together with the industrial pipes and the high-rising white City Hall of the city of Kemi. The Kemi Church, designed by architect Josef Stenbäck, was built in 1902. The church was restored to its original colouring of light brickred in 2003.
Church and museum sites
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As the centuries roll by
The first travel descriptions The Swedish historian and cartographer, the cathedral dean of Strängnäs Olaus Magnus Gothus was the first to introduce the far-off North to the Europeans. The Latin epos the History of the People of the North was published in 1555.
Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, on the orders of Ludvig XV, King of France, made an expedition to Lapland in 1736-1737, thus further enhancing the knowledge of the Sea Lapland region in Europe. His expedition entourage included astronomers and mathematicians, the purpose of the expedition being the geodetic survey of the earth; his results would be that the earth is flattened at the poles. On his return to France, de Maupertuis would boast of the beauty of the scenery, of the Northern Lights in the region, and of the delicacies he was offered due to the great hospitability of the people.Through these travel description books, people of even this generation have gained detailed information of life and people and their way of living in the 1700’s. Tourism to Sea Lapland, even today, is inspired by these great works. Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis
26 Sea Lapland
Iisakki Mustaparta, Isaac Blackbeard, hero of the people in Tornio Iisakki Mustaparta, born in 1751, was a peasant from Oravaisensaari at the village of Vojakkala, a few kilo metres north from the city of Tornio. Together with the peasantry in his neighbourhood he built a decked ship to transport tar to Stockholm, bringing a cargo of grain on his return back north.
Iisakki Mustaparta
Mustaparta and his men were declared outlawed, imprisoned and thrown into a stinking jail in Stockholm. Mustaparta, instead of giving up, went ahead to prove the legality of his actions. Eventually he was to become the delegate to the Parliament in Stockholm, defending the rights of the peasantry, and was nicknamed Robin Hood of the North. The story of Iisakki Mustaparta is alive and flourishing at the Restaurant Mustaparran Päämaja (Blackbeard’s Headquarters). The maritime interior decoration depicts the feel of the 1700’s, the crystal chandeliers adding a taste of Royal glamour. The delicacies of the Tornio Valley are served on a plank and drinks are enjoyed from a clay mug, just as Iisakki would have done. The scent of the tar around, with the taste of the holy grass and buckthorn in your mouth – what an enjoyable time-travel to be remembered!
Tornio at the 1800’s
The powerful history of the city of Tornio Since the last Ice Age, the Tornio River Valley has been inhabited in continuum. As the population migrated to live by the three main rivers in the region, the Europeans found the North and its desirable products of the nature as well; the salmon, the hides and furs of reindeer and other animals in Lapland, which, eventually were brought to the Tsar of Russia as well. The city of Tornio, founded on the orders of King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden in 1621, became the northernmost city in the whole world at the time. After the Finnish war in 1808, when Finland became the true autonomous Duchy of the Russian Empire, the centre of Tornio was to be part of Russia as well, and the Swedes, thus, established the township of Haparanda (nowadays the town of Haparanda) on the western side of the border.
Log-floaters on the Kemi River in the 1920's
The golden years of log floating Since the 1890’s log floating has strongly characterized the life in the Sea Lapland region. Timber was transported from Lapland along the rivers to the saw-mills in Kemi and Tornio. Workers to the logging sites and to the log floating in Lapland arrived from all over Finland. Work on the logging sites was done in the winter, from November to March. As the spring floods arrived, the logs were floated along the Kemi- and Tornio Rivers through, in all and all, the over 7000 km long log-floating lanes. Log floating came to its end in 1991; a historical monument erected in the honour of the golden days and several buildings related to the business, are still to be seen in the area.
Steel and paper Kemi Oy (Ltd), the very first paper mill in North of Finland was established in 1893, helping the region to quickly turn into one of the most important centres of wood processing industry in all of Finland. The second paper mill Veitsiluoto Oy (Ltd) was established in 1932. Nowadays the mills are known as the Metsä Group Oyj (Corp) and the Stora Enso Oyj (Corp). The ferrochrome factory in Tornio and the chrome mine in Kemi were established for the refinement of stainless steel in 1960. Nowadays the factory is known as the Outokumpu Chrome Oyj (Corp). The industry, developed and refined from the natural resources of Lapland, alongside with the many-sided cultural history in the region, are the basis for the wealth and well-being of the people in Sea Lapland.
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AIRPORT IN SEA LAPLAND Kemi-Tornio
AIRPORTS NEAR SEA LAPLAND Oulu Rovaniemi Lule책
NORWAY RUSSIA
Airport
LAPLAND Bus Station Rovaniemi Railway Station
SEA LAPLAND
Kemi-Tornio
Lule책
Rovaniemi
SWEDEN
Oulu
S Tervola
Haparanda Keminmaa
Lule책
LAPLAND EA
Tornio
Simo
FINLAND
Kemi Oulu Helsinki
Stockholm
Copenhagen
Acknowledgements
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