Holiday apartment in Gällivare: Nature, Laponia and culture

Gällivare is situated in a landscape of mountains, forests, mires, rivers and thousands of lakes. The Laponia World Heritage Site lies in the municipalities of Gällivare and Jokkmokk and offers experiences all year round. Naturum Laponia is the gateway to four national parks, two nature reserves and nine Sámi villages.

Nature

Dundret is protected as a nature reserve and is part of the Natura 2000 network. The mountain has hiking trails, cross-country ski trails and a snowmobile route, as well as shelters, toilets and rest huts. The summit of Dundret is 820 metres above sea level; there, visitors can experience plants and animals of the alpine habitat. Dundret in Gällivare also offers alpine skiing. In clear weather, the Kebnekaise massif and one-eleventh of Sweden's area can be seen from the summit.

The easiest and most accessibility-adapted route to Toppstugan on Dundret can be used in summer with a pram, bicycle or wheelchair. Another perspective on the landscape is offered by the E45 between Porjus and Gällivare: it passes through the Stubbá nature reserve, which is suitable for short day trips, skiing in the surrounding area and morning birdwatching. Sandviken offers swimming, beach volleyball, picnic areas, as well as barbecues and firewood.

Naturum Laponia can be reached from Gällivare by train and then by bus or car. The Laponia Visitor Centre Jiellevárre/Gällivare presents parts of Muddus/Muttos National Park and the Sjávnja and Stubbá nature reserves.

Culture

Gällivare Cultural Museum offers guided tours of temporary and permanent exhibitions, as well as workshops for preschool, primary school and upper secondary school students. The museum conveys the history of the municipality, focusing on the Sámi, settlers, the mining industry and nature.

The exhibition at the Laponia Visitor Centre Jiellevárre/Gällivare explains how people have lived in this region for thousands of years and how their way of life has developed up to the present day. It also covers hunting, reindeer slaughter and berry picking in the land of the Forest Sámi. Gällivare gamla kyrka, also known as Ettöreskyrkan, stands beside the Vassaraälven and is Gällivare's oldest church. Lule Sámi and Northern Sámi are the main languages spoken in Gällivare.

The Kulturstigen trail follows the Vassaraälven through central parts of Gällivare and presents stories about Gällivare's history, culture and social change along the route. The trail is 4.2 kilometres long in total and takes approximately 55 minutes. For people who cannot use the stairs at the viaduct or railway station, the Kulturstigen has an accessibility-adapted section along Industrigatan, Prästgatan and Kaitumvägen.

History

In Malmberget, large-scale industrial mining has been carried out for more than 100 years; large parts of the town are therefore currently being abandoned or relocated. South of Gällivare, Boliden Aitik offers guided mine tours in cooperation with Visit Gällivare. On a mine tour of Boliden Aitik, visitors can see some of the largest machines in the world.

The cuisine in Gällivare is also one of the region's distinctive features: it reflects three cultures that once met there and uses ingredients from lakes, rivers, forests and the mountains.

Those travelling to Gällivare by car can use the E10 or E45. Gällivare has daily flights to Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

Other places in the regional context include Nattavaara, Gällivare, Koskullskulle, Puoltikasvaara, Skaulo and Ritsem. Övertorneå is also part of the shared regional context.

For the higher-level travel overview: Norrbotten.