Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
transport iron ore from the Gulf of Bothnia for wintertime export at the ice-free
Norwegian port of Narvik, that Luleå's fortunes really started to flourish. Luleå was at
one end of the line, and its port was vital for lucrative iron exports (the main ironfields
were - and are - around Kiruna and Gällivare).
Domkyrkan
Rådhustorget
• Late June to mid-Aug Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; mid-Aug to late June Mon-Fri 10am-3pm • Free
Just to the south of
Storgatan
, the main street, lies Luleå's main square,
Rådhustorget
,
with the
Domkyrkan
in the corner. The medieval incarnation of the cathedral
disappeared centuries ago and the present one, built in 1893 on the same spot as its
predecessor, is a modern barrage of copper chandeliers hanging like Christmas
decorations. Unusually for northern Sweden, it's built of brick, in late-Gothic style to
the design of the architect Adolf Emil Melander. The interior was completely renewed
in 1938 when the original wooden walls and fittings were removed, revealing the
brickwork underneath which was then painted white.
7
Kulturens Hus
House of Culture
• Skeppsbrogatan 17 • Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat noon-4pm • Free
Northeast of the Domkyrkan,
Kulturens Hus
is not only home to the tourist office and
the city library but also the
Konsthall art exhibition hall
which is sometimes worth a look,
with interesting displays of changing work from modern Swedish artists and sculptors.
Konst & Hantverk
Smedjegatan 13
•
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-2pm
There's local art and
handicrafts
on sale at Konst & Hantverk, a treasure trove of a store
that sells everything from handmade coat hooks in the shape of rams' horns to the
seemingly obligatory “Välkommen” sign which no Swedish summer cottage is complete
without. It's all produced by local artists, and this is a great place to pick up a souvenir
or two without paying over the odds.
Norrbottens Museum
Storgatan 2 • Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun noon-4pm; closed Mon in winter • Free •
W
norrbottensmuseum.se
From the main square, walk 300m west along Köpmangatan, and you'll come to the
Norrbottens Museum
. Although most of the collection is an informative if rather dull
resumé of county history and the effects of the 1809 war with Russia when northern
Sweden's borders were redrawn following the loss of Finland, the museum is worth a look
mainly for the
films
which are available for viewing in the small cinema upstairs. In
particular try to see the superb hour-long
Herdswoman
(in Swedish with English subtitles),
about three generations of
Sámi
women from Nordmaling near Umeå and their ground-
breaking court case in 2006 to establish traditional indigenous grazing rights for their
reindeer herds; ask for the film at reception. The museum also has a pleasant
café
.
The beaches
When the weather's good, it's worth heading to the oddly named
Gültzauudden
, a
wooded promontory that has a great
beach
; it was named after the German
shipbuilder, Christian Gültzau, who helped to make Luleå a shipbuilding centre. It's
easily reachable on foot from the centre: head north from the cathedral along
Rådstugatan, which later changes its name to Norra Strandgatan and veers northwest
past the Norrbotten theatre to the junction with Fagerlindsvägen. Turn right and
