| Haparanda | |
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  Haparanda
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| Coordinates: 65°50′N 24°08′E / 65.833°N 24.133°ECoordinates: 65°50′N 24°08′E / 65.833°N 24.133°E | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Norrbotten |
| County | Norrbotten County |
| Municipality | Haparanda Municipality |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 3.97 km2 (1.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |
| - Total | 4,778 |
| - Density | 1,203/km2 (3,115.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Haparanda (Finnish: Haaparanta, meaning aspen + river bank) is a locality and the seat of Haparanda Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 4,778 inhabitants in 2005.[1] It is adjacent to Tornio, Finland. Haparanda has a population of approximately 4,800 (and an area 3,94 km²) of out of a municipal total of 10,200 inhabitants.
Haparanda is, despite its small population, for historical reasons often still referred to as a city. Statistics Sweden, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities.
The municipality itself, on the other hand, uses the term Haparanda stad (City of Haparanda) not only for the town itself, but for its whole territory (927 km2).
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When Sweden lost Finland in 1809, the border was drawn along the Rivers Tornio and Muonio. The town of Tornio, located on the island Suensaari in the river delta became part of the Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire as czar Alexander I insisted. (Finland declared independence in 1917).
At that time the town of Tornio where dominated by Swedish-speaking merchants and crafters, forming a linguistic island surrounded by Finns on the country side. After the war many of the Swedes started to develop the small village Haaparanta across the border instead, eventually leaving Tornio unilingually Finnish. Haparanda was made a market town (köping) in 1821 and received its city charter in 1842.
The relationships between the neighbouring towns have however always been friendly. A large portion of Haparanda's population speak both Swedish and Finnish. Today the two towns are closely interconnected economically and socially; they constitute a transborder conurbation marketed as "EuroCity". As Sweden and Finland are on different time zones, the time in Haparanda is one hour behind Tornio. Since 2005, however, the cities have changed their marketing name to "Haparanda-Tornio" in Sweden, and "Tornio-Haparanda" in Finland.
Haparanda has a railway station, but it is no longer open for passenger trains. The railway building nowadays serves as a youth center where people go to socialize. Concerts are also held there every now and then. The station buildings were built to incoporate customs clearance facilities. During World War I the only open route between Russia and Germany went here. During World War II approximately 80,000 Finnish children were evacuated to Sweden. Many arrived in Sweden by rail at Haparanda.
Haparanda is connected to the Swedish rail network with the Haparandabanan, which has only freight traffic. The railway bridge between Haparanda and Tornio is the only direct crossing point between the Swedish and Finnish railways. The two networks have different track gauges, requiring all freight wagons crossing the border to have their bogies manually changed, or the cargo reloaded. There is dual gauge track between Haparanda and Tornio. A automatic and quicker SUW 2000 variable gauge axle track gauge changing facility is proposed.
An IKEA department store has been opened in the town on 15 November 2006 being the northernmost IKEA store in the world[2]. Signage in the store is in both Swedish and Finnish, but prices are labelled in Swedish kronor. Purportedly, This one IKEA store alone brings in two million visitors to this tiny town and has provided a sort of economic revival to the city[3]. Shops in Haparanda accept euros.
Haparanda has a few interesting buildings. A fine example is the quite famous needle-shaped watertower[1], which was built in 1920. The tower is no longer the town's provider of water, but it is still active as a heating center, providing heat for Haparanda's residents. The Haparanda church, built in 1967, was made to replace the previous church in Haparanda, which was destroyed in a fire in 1964.
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Haparanda is one of 133 places with the historical city status in Sweden. |
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Haparanda [1] is a city in Norrbotten.
Most people arrive by car, either from the Finnish town of Tornio at the other side of the border, or from other places in Sweden. Haparanda is a border town, so there's a lot of car traffic.
Haparanda has what is considered the ugliest church in all of Sweden. It was opened in 1967 and welcomes both tourists as worshipers.
IKEA was brought to Haparanda just recently and attracts people not only from Sweden but also from Norway, Finland and even Russia. It is the northernmost IKEA in the world.
IKANO is a building right next to IKEA and has several stores selling clothes, candy, magazines, shoes, pets etc.
| Routes through Haparanda |
| Stockholm ← Luleå ← | W  E |
→ Tornio → END |
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Category: Outline articles
HAPARANDA (Finnish Haaparanta, " Aspen Shore"), a town of Sweden in the district (ldn) of Norbotten, at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. Pop. (1900) 1568. It lies about 12 m. from the mouth of the Torne river, on the frontier with Finland, opposite the town of Tornea in Finland. The towns are divided by a marshy channel, formerly the bed of the Torne, but the main stream is now east of the Finnish town. Haparanda was founded in 1812, and at first bore the name of Karljohannstad. It received its municipal constitution in 1842. Shipbuilding is prosecuted. Sea-going vessels load and unload at Salmio, 7 m. from Haparanda. Since 1859 the town has been the seat of an important meteorological station. Annual mean temperature, 32.4° Fahr.; February 10.5°; July 58.8°. Rainfall, 16.5 in. annually. Up the Tome valley (54 m.) is the hill Avasaxa, whither pilgrimages were formerly made in order to stand in the light of the sun at midnight on St John's day (June 24).
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