discover and enjoy our town in northern sweden

Umeå
D I S C OV E R A N D E N J OY O U R
TO W N I N N O RT H E R N S W E D E N
Young, bubbling
and culturally rich
Whether you are in the city’s centre or its outlying areas, there
is a lot to discover in Umeå. Here, in northern Sweden’s largest
city, you can combine shopping, good food and cultural
experiences with adventures in magnificent countryside.
Rushing rivers, sweeping beaches, rolling sea and mighty
forests are always close at hand.
As a university city with a young and creative population,
Umeå bubbles with ideas and optimism for the future. One of
the results of this has been that innovative companies in
biomedicine, power and IT have established themselves here
– something that has very much contributed to the feeling
that Umeå is constantly developing. The university, the highly
diverse economy and Norrland’s university hospital are just
some of the reasons why people move here, enjoy it and stay.
Nationally and internationally, Umeå’s dynamic cultural life
and Sámi roots put the region on the map. Umeå has been
chosen European Capital of Culture 2014 and is now gradually
taking further steps to reinforce this accolade.
By air, water, rail or bus, getting here is easy. Approximately
a ten-minute car journey from the city centre, Umeå Airport is
used by several airlines. Flying from Stockholm to Umeå takes
less than an hour.
Population: 116,200
Area: 2,317 km2
Average age: 37.5
Average temperature, Jan – Feb: -5.3°C
Average temperature, Jun – Aug: +14°C
Cycle paths: 180 km
Exercise trails: 160 km
umeÅ
helsinki
oslo
stockholm
Culture from rock to review
From Profilteatern’s performance of
“Varför är det så ont om Q?”
Umeå’s musical scene ranges all the way from intimate song and
jazz evenings to large concerts. Not least during the many music
festivals held throughout the year, local bands mix with
international artists. The internationally famous jazz festival in
October is one of the oldest in Europe to offer world-class music.
Featuring pop, rock and club music, Umeå Open is the country’s
largest indoor festival. It runs for several hectic days in April.
NorrlandsOperan, Sweden’s most northerly opera ensemble,
has acquired a formidable reputation for its boldness and its
interpretations of traditional works. NorrlandsOperan’s
symphony orchestra shares the same building.
From Shakespeare to review, Umeå has all sorts of theatrical
performances every year. Local theatre groups and visiting
troupes both tread the city’s boards.
Vibrant streets with added flavour
Umeå is a restaurant city. The variety of indoor and outdoor
eateries, bars and pubs is constantly developing and changing
– everything from à la carte to cosy cafés.
Lively centre
The city’s streets and squares are also full of life. When the
autumn reaches its darkest, the centre sparkles with exciting light
installations. In the winter, snow sculptures adorn the walks around
the town hall. Towards the end of May, Kulturnatta offers dancing,
theatre and music in the streets. Throughout the year, there are a
number of exhibitions and trade fairs. Stora Nolia, held in August
every other year, is the largest of these. It attracts people from all
over Sweden.
Conference city Umeå
Everything is within walking distance here. This means that,
with no added stress, delegates can enjoy so much more than
just the conference itself.
In addition to some 2,000 beds in the centre, Umeå also
has modern well-equipped conference facilities that can
accommodate up to 4,000 people. Two of Umeå’s largest
conference arrangers are Folkets Hus and Nolia. Aula Nordica
can also cater for large groups. In other words, Umeå offers
the optimum conditions for the success of any event.
Gammlia – fresh bread,
Sámi and grazing sheep
Freshly baked bread, newly cut hay and sheep grazing in
verdant enclosures. That is summer in Gammlia. This attraction
has houses from the end of the 19th century and guides who
talk captivatingly about farm life in Västerbotten 100 years
ago. Children are warmly invited to travel through time and
actually experience bygone days.
Gammlia also has the Fishing and Maritime Museum. This
stays open throughout the summer. Here, you can follow land
use along Västerbotten’s coast through the ages. Including
reindeer farming by the Sámi people and the life of the
settlers, the exhibits at Västerbotten Museum depict the
county’s many thousands of years of history. Then there is
the Swedish Ski Museum. When it comes to skis, this has
everything from the world’s oldest to more modern ski designs.
Tout doit disparaitre!
Images and visual arts a
stone’s throw from the centre
The exhibitions at the Museum of the Image (Bildmuséet) are
often own-produced. In recent years, the museum has established
itself as one of the country’s foremost for images and the visual
arts. All year round, the museum’s modern display halls host
exhibitions of contemporary art – photographs, paintings, set
designs and other visual masterpieces. Run by Umeå University,
the Museum of the Image stands beside the Umeälven river, a
stone’s throw from the centre.
Handicrafts in a serene setting
Many local artists and craftspeople have set up their studios and
workshops in Olofsfors. Children can enjoy try-it-yourself days at
the smithy. However, just being in Olofsfors is balm for the soul!
A bowl by Mattias Baudin, the smith at Olofsfors bruk
Mansion and sawmill outings
Olofsfors bruk is one of Sweden’s best preserved, historic iron mills.
The mansion house, the workers’ homes and the blast furnace are
all still here in this picturesque mill community. Although the past
pervades the mill, the present also makes itself felt through the
many artists and craftspeople who work in the old buildings.
Norrbyskär is also a part of our industrial heritage. Around the
end of the 19th century, it had Europe’s largest steam-powered
sawmill. In Norrbyskär Museum, those interested in history can
learn more of the island’s sawmill past.
For those who like challenges, there is an “adventure trail” that is
suitable for old and young alike. To explore the surroundings under
your own steam you can hire a bicycle or take to a canoe.
Alternatively, there are many fine walks that lead you round the
island. A guided tour is also available. The mansion house that,
during the sawmill era, was home to the mill manager now houses
Norrbyskär’s Wärdshus (inn). Besides accommodation and food,
the inn also has a pub and conference facilities.
Miniature time capsule
Lilla Norrbyskär offers a one-third scale reproduction of the
island community from the 1920s. Here, children can play and
learn more about how life was in the past.
Glassworks
creativity
At the Glödheta glass studio
in Röbäck, you can watch
glass blowers at work and
buy both everyday glassware
and works of art in glass.
Louise Bourgeoise, Eye Benches II, 1996-97
Art and power along the
Ume Älvdal river valley
In Umeå, the river and its shores are where the residents picnic,
walk and enjoy the changing seasons. The Ume Älvdal river
valley offer exciting destinations and sights. The award-winning
Umedalen Sculpture Park, for example, has some thirty works
by famous artists from all around the world. Because the
sculptures are outdoors, the park is always open.
In the summer, children and adults can learn more about
power generation through the ages by experimenting with
electricity and magnetism at Umeå Energy Centre. This is built
around Klabböle, Umeå’s first
power station.
An audience with the forest king
For many people, getting close to, and perhaps even stroking, an elk
is an unforgettable experience. This is what Älgens hus (Elk House)
in Bjurholm gives thousands of visitors every year. Young and old
alike are fascinated by this beast and can learn more about it in the
museum. Stuffed animals and many objects revolving around the elk’s
life are amongst the exhibits. The restaurant serves food with gamey
undertones. Also for sale is elk cheese, one of the finest delicacies
made from elk milk.
Heading for Holmön
The ferry from Norrfjärden takes forty minutes to reach the
Holmön archipelago reserve. Awaiting you is a bird-rich island
with its own distinct landscape. The latter is the result of the
action of inland ice sheets and the island’s exposed position in
the sea. Nonetheless, statistics show that, as regards sunshine
hours, this island is amongst Sweden’s sunniest places.
Even if the island is especially lively in the summer, people
live here all year round. In the annual song festival (Visfestival
Holmön), local talents and established artists bring music to
residents and visitors alike. Sweden’s smallest jazz festival, Sea
Jazz on Holmön, features a variety of artists over the course of
a few summer days.
The Holmön boat museum tells the island’s history in an
authentic setting full of the equipment used by yesteryear’s
fishers, seal hunters and smallholders. Folk music evenings, tem­
porary exhibitions and handicrafts courses are also held here.
Sail with the Holmö sloop
The Holmö sloop takes you further out into the seaward islands
and visits Stora Fjäderägg. Here, the views, the harsh landscape
and the sea are the experience. The houses that were once home
to the lightkeepers now offer overnighting possibilities.
Wilderness experiences
The sea, forests and rivers offer all sorts of activities. In the
summer, beach life and boat trips draw us to the sea. White
water rafting trips are run along the Vindelälven, one of
Sweden’s national rivers. A canoe is an excellent way to tour
our small rivers. For the fishers, the catches from our fine
watercourses include salmon trout, grayling and perch.
Our forests can be experienced from horseback or along
any of our exquisite walking trails.
The Umeå region also has many golf courses in beautiful
settings. Games can go on long into the light, summer nights.
The arrival of winter in Umeå is an experience in itself. Dark
autumn can often become sparkling, white winter overnight.
A popular winter pleasure is ice fishing on the frozen sea or the
Nydalasjön lake.
All year round, Umeå has many guises. A place where people
have the space to live, learn and work. A city where sky meets
river, forest and sea.
Bark out the orders
Embarking on a dog sled trek and experiencing the forest’s stillness
and quiet is a real adventure. Many companies offer such activities.
Try your hand at driving the dog team or simply sit back and enjoy
the speed. The Umeå region has many kilometres of illuminated
skiing trails, fine snowmobile routes and slalom hills.
An oasis in the centre
On the shores of the Nydalasjön lake, Nydala
leisure park is in central Umeå. For the active, it
offers exercise trails, tennis courts and lawns for
games. For water aficionados it has lake bathing,
sauna rafts, waterslides and the suchlike. Lovely
chalets and caravan plots are available at
First Camp, Umeå’s large camping site.
A stone’s throw away, Hemmanet,
with its animal farm and café, is an
oasis for young families.
gammlia
Umeå Tourist Centre
Renmarkstorget 15
SE-903 26 Umeå
Tel +46 9016 16 16
[email protected]
www.visitumea.se
PHOTOGRAPHS: Johan Gunséus,
masoud Emadén, Emma svensson,
MAlin arnesson, Calle Bredberg,
Tore Häggström/Norrlandia,
Juan Puente, Olofsfors bruk, daniel
olausson, Stefan Andersson,
Kenneth Sandelin, ulf holmgren,
Andreas Rothstein
text: Tanja Salminen
GRAPHICS: plakat,
pondus kommunikation
PRINTING: original 2012