Things To Do in Rovaniemi
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Rovaniemi Attractions
- Landmark
Administrative and Cultural Center
"The architect's job is to give life a more sensitive structure," wrote architect Alvar Aalto in 1955. This is exactly what he did when he created this elegant trio of buildings, which draws devotees of his designs from all over the world.The cultural complex, Lappla-Talo,… - Neighborhood
Napaiiri: The Artic Circle
All visitors want to visit the Arctic Circle, the southernmost line at which the midnight sun can be viewed. Bus no. 8 runs from the center of Rovaniemi to this location, 8km (5 miles) north of Rovaniemi on the Rovaniemi-Sodankylä highway. Don't think the Arctic Circle is permanently… - Religious Site
Rovaniemen Kirkko
This Evangelical Lutheran parish church was built in 1950 to replace the one destroyed during the war. Designed by the architect Bertel Lilje-quist, it stands on the same spot where three previous churches had stood. The interior is quite beautiful, noted for its wall and ceiling…
Rovaniemi Shopping
Lauri-Toutteet oy, Pohjolankatu 25 (tel. 016/342-25-01), is a log cabin in the center of town that houses workshops where craftspeople turn out both modern and traditional decorative pieces using such items as reindeer antlers and the gnarled roots of pussy willows. The store's cafe is a permanent sales exhibit, featuring curly birch products, wool and leather goods, jewelry, and Puukko knives. Open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm.
The Trading Post, Route 4 (tel. 016/356-20-96) at Santa Claus Village at the Arctic Circle, might be corny and overly commercialized, but it has some of the country's best handicrafts shops. On the two floors of elegant shops, you'll find cloudberry jam, engraved horn-handled knives, birch and pinewood children's toys, beautifully detailed hand-knit sweaters, and the best hand-woven Finnish tablecloths and textiles. There are also pieces of regional jewelry fashioned from silver and a semiprecious form of feldspar called spectrolite (found only in parts of Russia, Canada, and Finland).
One store sells Saga mink coats for perhaps half the price of similar coats in North America (excluding the Customs duty). Always popular among visitors is a certificate you can buy to prove that you've been north of the Arctic Circle; if you mail postcards from here, they'll receive a special Arctic Circle postmark. There's also an outdoor cafe for summertime midnight sun watching. Hours are daily in summer 8am to 8pm; off season daily 10am to 5pm. Bus no. 8 runs here from the center of Rovaniemi.
Rovaniemi Nightlife
The great cultural center of Lapland is Lappia-Talo, Hallituskatu 11 (tel. 016/322-2495), designed by Alvar Aalto in 1975. One of the town's architectural wonders, this concert hall and convention center houses the world's northernmost professional theater, the Rovaniemi Theater Company. It is also the venue for the Lapland Music School and the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland. It's closed from June to August, but if you're in Rovaniemi at other times, check to see what's playing.
For livelier action, head for the Onnella Disco, Poromiehentie (tel. 016/775-9492), the largest and newest in Lapland, with a trio of bars and three separate dance floors. Music features Finnish pop, house and garage, and even 1970s and 1980s disco. Open Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 4am, Onnella charges a cover of 10€ ($16) on Friday and Saturday nights.
