The northern lands
The northern lands Nuarttasijjie
Umeå’s capital of culture year is a joint venture with the four northernmost Swedish counties and Sápmi (the lands inhabited by the Sami people). Sápmi stretches through northern Norway, Sweden and Finland and all the way out to the Kola Peninsula in Russia. These northern lands will be a natural part of a European dimension, promoting cross-border cultural meetings and longterm collaborations. Several of the towns in northern Sweden have their own offices supporting the capital of culture year locally. This creates new relationships and we can see a growing interest in intercity projects in the northern lands as the capital of culture
year approaches. Major projects like River Stories also embrace several towns and communities in Västerbotten, offering a myriad of events rooted in the northern lands. Another project linking the towns in the area is the Kulturtåget (the Culture Train) that uses new and existing infrastructure to promote cultural activities and meetings. At the same time the project gives a new meaning to the concept of journeys. Collaborating this way between counties not only creates exciting, fertile projects but also opens the door for a wider public to enjoy even more activities. The four northernmost counties and the Sápmi region are today home to more than 2.3 million people.
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