See Rovaniemi, property of Santa Claus, on this virtual tour
Welcome to Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland and Formal Dwelling of Santa Claus, sits just five miles south of the Arctic Circle. This city at the confluence of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers has a historical past dating again some 8,000 many years, and a delightfully present day vibe. Get a journey by means of Rovaniemi with these 21 images.
A town rebuilt
Retreating Nazis ruined a lot of Rovaniemi in 1944, but the town bounced back. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto prepared much of the modern town, like roads, in the condition of reindeer antlers. Currently, the city is property to approximately 63,000 people.
Lumberjack’s Candle Bridge
Lumberjack’s Candle Bridge (Jätkänkynttilä in Finnish) spans the Kemijoki River. It opened in 1989 as the very first cable-stayed street bridge in Finland and ranks amongst the most recognizable landmarks of Rovaniemi.
Grand Opening of Xmas
As just about every calendar year methods its finish, Rovaniemi will take heart stage as the “Official Household of Santa Claus.” In November, Mr. Claus opens the Xmas season with a speech, adopted by much more than a month of holiday getaway festivities in Santa Claus Village.
In accordance to area legend, Santa’s first home occupies a secret area in Finnish Lapland. His Rovaniemi business opened in 1985, and the town grew to become the Official Hometown of Santa Claus in 2010.
Santa Claus Village
You really do not have to check out in winter season to say hello there to Santa. He retains an business in Santa Claus Village, the place far more than 50 % a million folks go to him each and every yr. Though checking out the village, visitors can also cross the Arctic Circle, take a look at Santa’s reindeer or send out a letter from Santa Claus’s Key Publish Office environment (stamped with an Arctic Circle postmark).
Reindeer
It need to arrive as no surprise that a town with a reindeer head-shaped avenue program has a bit of an affinity for the animals. No check out to Rovaniemi would be complete without getting a reindeer sleigh ride. Numerous reindeer herders and farms welcome visitors to understand more about their livelihood.
Winter in Rovaniemi
Winter (December to March) in Rovaniemi can be dark and cold, with daytime temperatures underneath freezing and polar evenings the place the sunshine under no circumstances makes it above the horizon. Thanks to Christmas and the northern lights, it can be also a well known time to pay a visit to Finnish Lapland.
Wintertime recreation
The cold and dim of winter don’t prevent guests and locals from taking pleasure in the snowy landscape. Snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing, skiing, ice climbing and extra fat biking characterize just a number of of the items on the winter journey menu.
Northern lights
The aurora borealis (revontulet or “fox fire” in Finnish) are visible in Finnish Lapland for close to 150 evenings just about every 12 months. In Rovaniemi, you can generally see them from late August to early April in between 10 pm and 2 am. They might past a few minutes or various hrs.
In accordance to community Sámi legend, the phenomenon is induced by a fox running by means of the snow and whipping ice crystals into the northern sky with its bushy tail.
Go mushing
Puppy mushing has prolonged served as an crucial manner of transportation in Lapland. Site visitors can encounter pet sledding for considerably of the year, or go to a sled doggy farm to master a lot more about the everyday living and operate of these higher-strength huskies.
Winter season swimming
If you affiliate swimming with very hot summer time times, you are not from Rovaniemi. Listed here, wintertime swimming ranks as a well-liked pastime, believed to market very good well being. A fast dip in a frozen river is generally followed by a stint in a warming sauna. Many Finns start their times with a winter season swim, proclaiming the ensuing power strengthen stays with them during the day.
The town hosted the Planet Winter season Swimming Championships in 2014.
Dine in an igloo restaurant
You might be common with ice resorts, but how about igloo dining places? Expend an night eating on Lapland cuisine within the Snowland Cafe. The igloo restaurant can seat 260 men and women and characteristics tables manufactured of ice and two ice bars.
A race across the ice
Every single January, brave drivers get in Rovaniemi for the Arctic Lapland Rally, a slippery race along the ice-protected roadways of Finnish Lapland. The party ranks among the most common in town, and earlier contributors have bundled present and previous Method 1 drivers.
Reindeer racing
Cars are not the only point racing in Lapland. One more common pastime? Reindeer racing. The racing period runs from mid-February by way of the starting of April, and a single of the PoroCup (reindeer racing) occasions takes put in Rovaniemi. Through a regular race, four reindeer contend at a time. The jockeys really don’t ride the reindeer but adhere to guiding on skis.
Land of the midnight sunshine
Summer season in Rovaniemi provides nightless nights (also termed polar days) where the sun in no way sets. You can see the midnight sun from early June to early July. This means you have 24 several hours a day for outdoor experience (something locals surely just take gain of).
Summertime recreation
Summertime brings its own menu of adventures to Finnish Lapland. Consider a quad bicycle experience in the Arctic Circle, spend the day kayaking, jet skiing or stand-up paddleboarding on the rivers, go horseback driving less than the midnight sun, or tee off at a neighborhood golf training course.
Wild berry finding
Rovaniemi in the summertime is a popular year for foraging. Head out into the Lappish forests to come across blueberries, cloudberries and wild mushrooms. Nearby guides give foraging tours that train website visitors how to determine which styles are risk-free to eat (and how best to get pleasure from them).
Autumn coloration
Autumn brings the very first snow and the 1st aurora sightings to Rovaniemi. It’s also an fantastic period for hiking and biking amid the drop foliage.
Hornwork
Reindeer antlers are one of the most common materials made use of for handicrafts in Lapland, alongside with bone, wooden, birch bark and leather. Cease into some of the retailers in city to find cosmetics produced from regional berries, handmade knives, wood cups and plywood prints.
Hidden gems
Finnish Lapland is residence to Europe’s only active amethyst mine. Get a day excursion to the mine to learn a lot more about the system of mining with no major machines, hear tales about the geological and human heritage of the location, and attempt your hand at digging for amethyst.
Korundi Home of Society
Korundi, a bus depot that survived the destruction of Planet War II, has been remodeled into a vivid cultural area. The Korundi Property of Lifestyle is household to the Lapland Chamber Orchestra and the Rovaniemi Artwork Museum, where by readers can see contemporary art of the North and the Arctic.
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