JD Sweden 2024_1305.jpg
This photo gallery is from a 25-day trip through Sweden in October 2024.
The second week begins with the epic 17-hour journey north on the Arctic Circle train, passing through vast forests and frozen vistas on the way to Lapland.
The Northern Sami people, indigenous to Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, call their region Sápmi.
Čuonavággi, also known as Lapporten, the Gateway to Lapland, is a U-shaped valley close to the town of Abisko, and the national park nearby. Shaped by glacial ice, the mountain continues to exert a powerful mystique.
The journey north takes in Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost city and home of industrial giant Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB), operators of the world's largest iron ore mine.
In Kiruna, a remarkable civic reinvention is occurring. So much raw material has been removed from underground, the decision was taken to move the entire city rather than risk collapse. In the new location three kilometers away, some of the transformation is already complete.
Historic buildings including the Kiruna Church are being moved in one piece. The old city's clock tower anchors the new town square, surrounded by mixed-use commercial and residential buildings. Ringing the plaza is a beautiful town hall, a civic center with a library, a first-class hotel, and many shops and amenities.
The lakeside village of Jukkasjärvi, or "meeting place by the water" in Northern Sami, is just 18 kilometers from Kiruna, yet feels a world away, especially in the frozen winter months. The town is beautifully situated, where visitors can take in Jukkasjärvi Kyrka, an intimate wooden church built in the early 1600's, visit with reindeer and learn about Sámi culture at Nutti Sámi Siida next door, or relax at the Ice Hotel at water's edge.
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- Copyright Jay Dunn. All rights reserved.
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