Travel ideas for Sweden - unique sights, worth Guinness records

In Lapland, in the bowels of Kirunavara mountain there is the mine of the same name, where in the late 19th century iron ore was produced. The scale of the mine is just amazing; total length of tunnels is about 450 kilometers, and some of them go to a depth of 1,270 meters. According to scientists, the first time people began to mine iron in the foothills has been 6,000 years ago, as soon as the glaciers retreated. Large-scale mines, which travelers can visit today, began to develop in the 17th century. Iron mining is being carried out in some parts of the huge mine even these days.
Many tunnels have long remained outside the attention and gradually destroyed, so walk along them without a guide is not only very scary, but also life threatening. Meandering passages deprived of light are partially flooded with water, and you can see crumbling stones and ceilings everywhere. While walking through abandoned mine sites you have to be very quiet so as not to trigger landslides.
Tourists have free access to existing mine sites, so they can observe production and primary processing of the ore. Despite the huge scale, Kirunavara is one of the most comfortable mines in the world. Even people who are very sensitive to lack of oxygen can walk along its deserted corridors thanks to the modern air supply system. There are excellent conditions not only for work, but also for amazing tours. ... Complete sights collection

In Sweden there is a huge Goeta Canal constructed in the first half of the 19th century linking the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. It has been benefiting the country’s trading interests for almost 200 years. Besides, the canal has gained many other statuses in recent years. The opening of the Goeta Canal was held on 26 September 1832. It is now a well-known destination to lovers of sailing, as well as lovers of pleasure cruises and fishing. The length of the canal is very impressive and is about 420 000 metres. The canal includes 58 floodgates and a number of adjoining constructions.
The huge project required 22 years and the participation of more than 60000 soldiers to build. The construction has taken place day and night, people have worked 12 hours non-stop. The canal has a vast length and a width of 7 to 14 metres which allows large vessels pass through its certain sections.
The canal’s maximum depth is only 3 metres. But that doesn’t prevent from its actively using. Those travellers who go for a walk through the canal will be charmed with pristine beauty of forests and ancient towns and will have a unique opportunity to observe the size of agricultural lands in Sweden. ... Complete sights collection

On the banks of the beautiful Vättern lake in Sweden is the castle Vadstena, whose construction was completed in 1545. The castle was erected in fortifications by order of King Gustav Wasa. In the middle of the 16th century, the government of Stockholm expected the Danes to attack, which led to the construction of the new fortresses. One of the most important events in the history of the castle happened in 1552, when the king and Katharina married Stenbock.
The palace served as a royal residence until 1716 and was later converted to the grain storehouse. For the first time the castle was already renovated in the 20th century. Today the guests of the castle can see many of its original elements that have been preserved. In the course of a long history, the castle has never been significantly rebuilt, but some innovations have nevertheless been introduced.
The deep moat had been converted into the comfortable parking lot for the visitors a few decades ago, and one of the most beautiful rooms now serves as a concert hall. Today, the castle is the site of the various cultural events. In some of its rooms the valuable art exhibits are preserved. Since 1988 the visit of the castle is free. All those who are interested can walk through the extensive Schlosstersterorium and appreciate the furnishings of the ancient halls. In the halls you can see a lot of interesting things: ancient weapons, collections of furniture and hunt trophies, old paintings and sculptures. The old chapel has been preserved in the castle, which has changed the least compared to the other buildings. ... Complete sights collection

In the town of Örebro, on the Svarton river is the incredibly beautiful and interesting mysterious palace. Örebro is one of the most important castles in Sweden from a historical point of view. The exact date of its construction is however unknown. For the first time the castle on the great artificial island was mentioned in the 13th century. The founder of the castle is also unknown. According to one of the versions, the castle was founded by Jarl Birger, the ruler of Sweden and the founder of Stockholm.
The first owner of the castle, which greatly enlarged its size, was King Magnus Ericsson. On his orders, the new guard tower was built, which has been the highest construction of Örebro town for several centuries. Already in the 17th century, the mighty castle lost its strategic importance and was first converted into prison. Later it served as a warehouse. Since the middle of the 19th century the magnificent palace was used for the execution of the political events, and was opened in 1935 for a free visit.
A part of the huge building was re-equipped for the office space. In some rooms the local museum was arranged. In the old rooms were some classrooms, as well as hotel rooms and restaurants, so the castle is incredibly popular among the tourists. Many travelers visit the castle because of the excellent viewing platforms, to see the picturesque town from the height of 30 meters. The other tourists hope to meet the ghost 'the white lady' in the corridors. According to one of the legends, the spirit of the wife lives one of the former owners in the castle. ... Complete sights collection

In the world there are several ice hotels. The most famous of which has been for many years Ice hotel, which is located in the Swedish city Jukkasjarvi. It was the first ice hotel in the world, opened for the first time in 1991. The hotel design was developed by the famous architect Aimo Reisenen. The idea of ​​the Eishotel proved so appealing and interesting that the hotel was rebuilt every year for more than twenty years.
The hotel welcomes the visitors only a few months a year. It is usually opened in December. In case of favorable weather conditions you can visit the ice hotel until April. Ice and snow serve as main building material during the construction of the hotel. Each year, ice blocks with a total weight of 10,000 tonnes are cut from the frozen river Turne-Elva. In addition, 30 000 tonnes of the white snow are brought to the construction site. The hotel building and the entire interior are completely made of ice and snow. To preserve original crystal clear splendor, the special temperature control in the hotel is maintained.
Every year the hotel looks different. All rooms are individually decorated and decorated with ice sculptures. To make the cold hotel rooms more comfortable, the ice beds are covered with natural fur. One of the main design elements of the hotel is the original beautiful lighting. This unique hotel also offers many additional services. On its territory there is an excellent sauna and a magnificent ice bar. The active guests can bring variety into the recreation with the winter sports. ... Complete sights collection

The most unusual lift in Sweden can be found in Stockholm. SkyView is an original elevator that is located on the southern side of the spherical building Globen Arena. The latter is the largest spherical structure in the world, which makes the original circular elevator even more attractive. The SkyView elevator is a complex of two glass gondolas that run along the southern wall of the spherical sports arena and lift the passengers to their roof.
16 people can ride in each glass sphere, enjoying the incredibly beautiful panorama of the surroundings during the ascent. For the tourists who like the unusual entertainments, SkyView became a popular attraction. Hundreds of people come to the arena each day to climb the glass gondola to a height of 130 meters and watch the surroundings of Stockholm from the bird's eye view.
Many use the spherical elevator booths for celebration. Often, the newlyweds hire the elevator for wedding ceremonies. The ride with the elevator takes about 20 minutes. So the unusually gondola hoist can carry the passengers only three times in an hour. This must necessarily take into account those travelers who visit this attraction in the high season when a row to the elevator is always quite large. ... Complete sights collection

In the Swedish city of Harads takes guests an amazing ‘Mirrorcube’ Hotel. Its unusual design was developed by specialists of Tham & Videgård Arkitekter company. The construction is fixed on the trunk of a tree and is a regular mirror cube with a side of 4 meters. The main building material for the construction of the unusual treehouse is light aluminum. The outer walls of the cube are lined with reflective glass.
The last feature of the building allows it to completely merge with the surrounding landscapes. The hotel is almost invisible among the surrounding natural splendour. The original hotel is designed to receive two guests. For them, the Mirrorcube is equipped with a comfortable bedroom with a large bed, a cosy living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The interior decoration of the house is made of light wood, for admiring the surrounding landscapes it has small windows.
The Mirrorcube has one more interesting feature, its outer walls are covered with infrared film. Invisible to humans, it makes a mirror object visible to birds, which allows them to avoid collisions. The original hotel enjoys an incredible popularity among lovers of relaxation in picturesque and secluded places. Especially for nature lovers, there is a panoramic terrace on the roof of the Mirrorcube. The cost of accommodation in one of the most unusual hotels in Sweden is from 400 to 600 US dollars per night and depends on the time of the year. Travellers are recommended to book a hotel in advance. ... Complete sights collection

One of the most famous twisted skyscrapers of the planet is in the Swedish city of Malmo. The construction of the Turning Torso was completed in August 2005, its height is 190 meters. The structure of the high-rise building includes nine segments, each of which has a certain angle of rotation. The lower and upper segments are located at an angle of 90 degrees to each other. The author of the project of the unusual building is a famous architect from Spain Santiago Calatrava. The tower, created according to his design, has 54 floors.
At present, the beautiful skyscraper is the tallest building in Scandinavia and is one of the highest residential buildings in Europe. On the lower floors of the building have been opened offices, and the upper floors have become the location of 147 luxury apartments. The history of the construction of the building is very interesting and connected with the world famous sculpture of Santiago Calatrava, Twisting Torso. The sculpture depicts a man turned sideways, it was this famous white marble sculpture that inspired the Spanish architect to create an unusual project, and subsequently gave the name to the unique building.
The place of construction of the skyscraper has also been chosen by chance. A few years ago on the site of the building one could see a unique Kockumskranen crane. It was indispensable in the construction of ships and became a real symbol of the city. When in 2002 the construction company Burmeister & Wain went bankrupt, the crane was sold to Korea for a symbolic price - 1 dollar. The Turning Torso skyscraper that appeared in its place became a new symbol of the city and entered the number of the most incredible architectural constructions of our time. ... Complete sights collection

One of the most secret objects of Sweden is located in Stockholm, we are talking about the center "Pionen". The bunker was built during the Cold War as a shelter for the government, and later a secret complex began to be used as a data center. Currently, the center belongs to the Internet provider Bahnhof. To get to the place of storage of secret servers, you need to go through a long tunnel that goes deep underground.
Approximately, the bunker is located under the historical district of Stockholm, at a depth of about 98 meters. Today the most valuable military information of the state is stored here. In the underground storage, an autonomous power generation system was equipped, and one of the main features of the bunker is considered to be an incredible design. To make employees’ stay in a closed underground space more comfortable, it was decorated with living plants, beautiful underground waterfalls and aquariums.
Some employees are forced to stay in it for several weeks or even months. To make it easier for them to tolerate the absence of natural sunlight, a special system was integrated in the center that mimics the change of day and night. The old bunker is so reliable that it can easily survive even the impact of a hydrogen bomb. It is strictly prohibited to enter it. Numerous pictures of the "Pionen" centre allow to evaluate its ultramodern furniture. It makes the data center similar to an object from fantastic films about the distant future. ... Complete sights collection

In Sweden, there is a world-famous underwater Utter Inn hotel, owned by an artist Michael Genberg. To get to this hotel, you need to come to Västerås port, which is in the immediate vicinity of Stockholm, and then go on a swim in an inflatable boat on Lake Mälaren. It is among the peaceful waters of this lake that the Utter Inn hotel is located. For its customers it offers the only double room.
The hotel consists of a small platform with a pier, which houses a miniature red cottage. Outwardly, it is very similar to the classical Swedish "stog" cottage, which is often painted red. Guests can go down a special staircase to get to the underwater room. It is designed for two guests and decorated in white and red tones. The main attractive feature of the room are rectangular windows through which you can observe underwater inhabitants.
The opening of the hotel took place in 2000, it enjoys incredible popularity among fans of secluded rest. The hotel has a lot of incredible entertainments.Guests can swim in the lake and sunbathe on the terrace, and canoeing to the nearby uninhabited island. Travelers who like to relax in unusual places, should take into consideration that the Utter Inn hotel takes guests only in summer. The cost of accommodation in its double room is about $ 250 per night. ... Complete sights collection