Åre is a
localityUrban area is a common English translation of the Swedish term tätort. The official term in English, used by Statistics Sweden, is, however, locality. There are 1,940 localities in Sweden . They could be compared with census-designated places in the United States.A tätort in Sweden has a minimum of...
and one of the leading
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n
ski resortA ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s situated in
Åre MunicipalityÅre Municipality is a municipality in Jämtland County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Järpen.The present municipality was formed in 1974 through the amalgamation of "old" Åre Municipality with the surrounding municipalities Hallen, Kall, Mörsil and Undersåker...
,
Jämtland CountyJämtland County is a county or län in the middle of Sweden consisting of the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with minor parts of Hälsingland and Ångermanland, plus two tiny uninhabited strips of Lapland and Dalarna. Jämtland County constitutes 12 percent of Sweden's total area, and is...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with 1,260 inhabitants in 2005. It is however, not the seat of the
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, which is
JärpenJärpen is a locality and the seat of Åre Municipality in Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,439 inhabitants in 2005. Järpen is located at an altitude of 324m/1,063ft above sea level, on the river Indalsälv....
. 25% of the municipal industry is based on tourism, most notably the
downhillDownhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
skiing and
bikingDownhill biking is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds , on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders come from all around the world. Riders are timed with equipment similar to...
resorts in
Åre and
Storlien. In the wake of it have grown hotel-facilities with
recreationRecreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
al and shopping opportunities.
History
For more than 1000 years people have lived in the foothills of Mount Åre. 1000 years ago Åre's surrounding areas were inhabited by Vikings and
Sami peopleThe Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
. This can be seen in the names of the nearby villages, like
Fröå and
Ullå which descend from names of two Norse gods.
About 900 years ago in the 12th century the
Åre Old ChurchÅre Old Church is a Romanesque church building situated in Åre, a parish within the Diocese of Härnösand and a locality in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden...
was built and people had to convert from their old beliefs. Saint Olaf the Holy is a historical figure who has influenced the village and for centuries pilgrims passed through the village on their way to
TrondheimTrondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. In the 18th and 19th century the copper mines in Fröå were important industries. Tourism started to grow in the early 19th century and Åre's first
Grand Hotel was erected in 1896. The kings of Sweden and
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
came to stay in Åre and Storlien for recreational purposes since the 19th century.
Geography
Åre is situated in Åredalen, approximately 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) AMSL at the coastline of
ÅresjönÅresjön is a lake situated at AMSL in Åredalen, Jämtland County, Sweden, with primary inflow and outflow being Indalsälven. The lake is large, it has of average depth and reaches at the deepest point. The European route E14 and Mittbanan railway runs along the northern coastline through Åre and...
. Through Åre goes the
European route E14European route E 14 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Trondheim, Norway and ends in Sundsvall, Sweden. The road is in length....
and the
MittbananThe Central Line is a long railway line between Sundsvall and Storlien in Sweden. It continues as the long Meråker Line through Norway to Hell Station and onwards to Trondheim. The railway shares line with Inland Line between Brunflo and Östersund while the line between Ånge and Bräcke is double...
railway, connecting the larger towns
ÖstersundÖstersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
and
TrondheimTrondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
.
Tourism
Tourism in Åre started as King Oscar II in 1882 built the railroad to
TrondheimTrondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
in Norway. With this new railroad many people came to Åre to breathe the fresh air and to walk to the top of
ÅreskutanÅreskutan is a high mountain at Åre in Jämtland in central Sweden is one of the better-known mountains in Sweden. The mountain is easily accessible by train. The mountain massif features the largest ski resort area in Sweden....
. They were soon known as “air-guests” (luftgäster).
There was no hotel, but in 1888 Albin Wettergren opened a restaurant by the railroad station. In 1891 Åre Tourist Station opened and even more guests were attracted to the village.
A woman from
ÖstersundÖstersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
saw this increasing tourism as a great opportunity to open a hotel and did so in 1895. It was called “Hotell Åreskutan”. Also Albin Wettergren opened a hotel (“Grand Hotell”). These were only a few of all the hotels that were going to be founded in Åre.
In 1910, the
Åre BergbanaÅre Bergbana is a funicular railway located in Åre, Jämtland County, Sweden. It is long and runs between the town square at amsl and Fjällgården at amsl...
was built and was the third one in Sweden after the one in
SkansenSkansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era....
(1898) and the one in Kirunavaara (1907). This was a more convenient way for the air-guests to reach the top of Åreskutan.
Winter events
Taking advantage of the
ÅreskutanÅreskutan is a high mountain at Åre in Jämtland in central Sweden is one of the better-known mountains in Sweden. The mountain is easily accessible by train. The mountain massif features the largest ski resort area in Sweden....
fell“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
, the major center for
alpine skiingAlpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
in Sweden has become
Åre Ski Area, sporting more than 30 modern ski-lifts. It hosted the Alpine World Championships in
1954The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1954 were held in Åre, Sweden, from March 1–7, 1954.Olympic champion Stein Erickson of Norway won three gold medalsÅre would host the event again in 2007.-Medals table:...
and 2007, and the annual
Jon OlssonJon Olsson born in Mora, Sweden is a professional freeskier and alpine ski racer.Olsson is known for his invention of several new double flips, including a D-spin 720 into a flatspin 540 , a switch double rodeo 1080 , a double flatspin 900 , and a switch cork 720 to flatspin 540 .Olsson made his...
Invitational freeskiing competition, ending in 2007. On March 9–10 2012 the Freestyle FIS World Cup will be held in "slalombacken" close to the village centre.
Åre would also have been the secondary site for the alpine events of
ÖstersundÖstersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
in its bid for the organization of the XXII Olympic Winter Games, the
2014 Winter OlympicsThe 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
.
Notable persons
- Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in...
- New York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
goaltender
- Joel Lundqvist
Joel Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre, currently playing for Frölunda HC of Elitserien. He serves as the team's captain.-Early life:...
- Frölunda HCFrölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...
checking forward
- Henrik Windstedt
Henrik Windstedt is a Swedish big mountain skier who has excelled at many aspects of skiing.He was one of Sweden's top moguls competitors as a junior, and has made big air and superpipe podiums....
- winner of the 2008 FreerideFreeride is a discipline of mountain biking closely related to downhill cycling and dirt jumping focused on tricks, style, and technical trail features. It is now recognized as one of the most popular disciplines within mountain biking....
World Tour
- Lars Börje Ericsson - Olympic alpine skiing bronze medalist
Summer events
Åre has since the 1990s become the largest mountainbike resort in Sweden. In 1999 it was the host for the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and it hosted the Nordic Championships 2007.
There are numerous graded biking trails
down the mountainDownhill biking is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds , on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders come from all around the world. Riders are timed with equipment similar to...
. The Åre Bikepark is open from 1 May until 15 October and is the host for the Mayhem Festival.
During summer Åre can also sport
hikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
,
paraglidingParagliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
,
kayakingKayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, and a
golf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
about 15 minutes form the village. In July every year there is a
multisportMultisport is a family of athletic competitions in which athletes race in a continuous series of stages or "legs", and rapidly switch from one athletic discipline to another in order to achieve the best overall time...
competition in Åre -
Åre Extreme Challenge. It counts as the Scandinavian championship in multisport.
"The world's best ski-resort"
In 2008 Åre was appointed as the number one ski-resort in the world at the list from the magazine
Condé Nast TravellerCondé Nast Traveller is published by Condé Nast Publications Ltd, from Vogue House in Hanover Square, Mayfair, London. It is a luxury travel magazine aimed at the upmarket, independent traveller....
Transportation
The airport is situated 99 kilometres eastward, outside
ÖstersundÖstersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
’s core, on the Frösön islet. Åre Östersund Airport is an
international airportAn international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
and the ninth biggest in Sweden with roughly 390 000 passengers 2005. The airport is one of few Swedish airports with incoming foreign charter traffic.
The
European route E14European route E 14 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Trondheim, Norway and ends in Sundsvall, Sweden. The road is in length....
runs through Åre from
TrondheimTrondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
via Östersund to
Sundsvall-External links:* - Official site from Nordisk Familjebok - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau. - The alternative guide to Sundsvall. - Blog with photos from Sundsvall....
, where it merges with the
European route E45The European route E 45 goes between Sweden and Italy, through Denmark, Germany and Austria. With a length of about , it is the longest north-south European route...
.
Åre has similar railway communications.
MittnabotågetMittnabotåget is a regional train service connecting Trondheim in Norway with Sundsvall in Sweden. It includes trains operated by Veolia Transport on the Mittlinjen between Sundsvall and Östersund in Sweden, and Norges Statsbaner’s cross-border Nabotåget services from Östersund on to Trondheim in...
operates both the Norwegian
MeråkerbanenThe Meråker Line is a railway line which runs from Hell, outside Stjørdal, through the municipalities of Stjørdal and Meråker in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway, to the village of Storlien in Sweden. On the Swedish side, it continues as the Central Line to the city of Sundsvall...
from Trondheim to
StorlienStorlien is a village and ski resort in the Åre municipality, in Jämtland, Sweden, a kilometre from the Swedish-Norwegian border.The village has only 78 permanent inhabitants. The work opportunities are based on tourism and shopping. Most tourists are Norwegians or Swedes. Shopping tourists arrive...
and the Swedish
MittbananThe Central Line is a long railway line between Sundsvall and Storlien in Sweden. It continues as the long Meråker Line through Norway to Hell Station and onwards to Trondheim. The railway shares line with Inland Line between Brunflo and Östersund while the line between Ånge and Bräcke is double...
from Storlien via Östersund to Sundsvall. Östersund is connected to Stockholm,
GothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
and
MalmöMalmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
through long distance
X2000X2000 is a 1998 short film directed by François Ozon.-Plot:A naked man wakes up in a luxury loft, which is a residential building in an unidentified European city, after a particularly wild New Year's Eve party of the year 2000. He finds a naked woman in his bed, and obviously he does not...
(high speed trains),
InterCityInterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
and night train.
External links