Kilpisjärvi

Lake Kilpisjärvi (Gilbbesjávri in northern Sámi) is a village in the northwestern corner of the municipality of Enontekiö, in the thumb of the Arm.

History

Kilpisjärvi has been inhabited by the Sámi since the 8th century at the latest and is located along the old trade route to the Arctic Ocean. The first permanent residents came to Lake Kilpisjärvi in 1915, and the first building, the state-owned tourist accommodation Siilastupa, was completed the following year. The first mountain hikers arrived in Kilpisjärvi in the 1930s, when Kaarina Kari, Anna Lehtonen and Inkeri Arajärvi also took the first guest book to the top of Halti. The Finnish Tourist Board's hostel was opened in 1937, although the road to Lake Kilpisjärvi was completed only during the Continuation War in 1941. At the end of April 1945, the last battles of the Lapland War between Finnish troops and the retreating Germans took place in Kilpisjärvi. The last Germans left the country on April 27, when Finnish soldiers hoisted the Finnish flag on the border of the three kingdoms. After the wars, the village of Kilpisjärvi began to grow strongly: state institutions, such as customs and border guards, and tourists arrived with the road, and a tourist center and hotel were opened to serve them. Kilpisjärvi was connected to the national electricity grid in 1981. Today, Kilpisjärvi has about 100 permanent residents. Tens of thousands of tourists visit there every year.

Geography

In the wig of the arm are Finland's only fells more than a kilometer high, the so-called great fells, which belong to the Skandie mountains. On the shores of Lake Kilpisjärvi rises 1,029 meters high Saana, which is relatively the highest of Finland's fells: the height difference to the surface of Kilpisjärvi is 556 meters. Saana's southeast wall is very steep but the northwestern slope is gentler, through which you can also drive to the top of the mountain. At the southeast corner of Saana, below the cliff, there is a wide avalanche slope, grown by millennia of rocks eroding from the cliff. Kilpisjärvi Hiking Center is located at the foot of Saana.

Attractions

The village of Kilpisjärvi with its services in the embrace of the great fells is the perfect place to take short day trips or longer hikes to unique attractions.

Saana

On the east side of Lake Kilpisjärvi rises the Saana holy mountain of the Sámi people, whose profile rising to a height of 1,029 meters is familiar to many Finns. Saana is named after a word in the Sámi language for a dwarf mushroom, which refers to the spongy shape of the fell.

Halti

The highest peak in Finland (1,324 m) Halti is about 55 km from Kilpisjärvi. The route to Halti is part of the Kalotti Route through Sweden, Finland and Norway. In good weather, the top of Halti overlooks the Arctic Ocean.

Malla Nature Park

Malla Nature Park is the oldest nature reserve in Finland. Thanks to the calcareous soil, rare mountain plants and butterflies thrive in the Pikku-Malla and Iso-Malla mountain plateaus. Some mountain plants are not found anywhere else in Finland.

Three-Country Cairn

Three-Country Cairn is a common border point between Finland, Sweden and Norway, located in Malla Nature Park. Three-Country Cairn is a popular destination for hiking in summer and snowmobiling or skiing in winter.

Military historical sites

The Lapland War between Finland and Germany at the end of the Second World War left lasting marks on the landscapes of Lake Kilpisjärvi and Käsivarri. In the landscapes of Saana, Malla Nature Park and Jehkastunturi, there are still plenty of remnants and maintenance roads of German defense stations.

Places to visit in Norway

It is 50 km from Kilpisjärvi to Skibotn on the Norwegian side. As you approach Skibotn, a picturesque fjord landscape opens up and the snow-capped Lyngen Alps on one side. Suitable destination even for a day trip.