Åre Ååre | |
|---|---|
 Åre in February 200312:34 PM | |
  Åre  Åre | |
| Coordinates:63°24′N13°05′E / 63.400°N 13.083°E /63.400; 13.083 | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Jämtland |
| County | Jämtland County |
| Municipality | Åre Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 649 km2 (251 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2018)[1] | |
• Total | 3,200 |
| • Density | 505/km2 (1,310/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Climate | Dfc |
Åre (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈôːrɛ];Southern Sami:Ååre) is alocality and one of the leadingScandinavianski resorts situated inÅre Municipality,Jämtland County,Sweden with 3,200 inhabitants in 2018.[1] It is, however, not the seat of themunicipality, which isJärpen. 25% of the local economy is based on tourism,[citation needed] most notably thedownhill skiing andbiking resorts in Åre,Duved andStorlien. The growth in tourism has resulted in the development of hotels, recreational and shopping opportunities in the area.
In the 12th century theÅre Old Church was built. SaintOlaf the Holy is a historical figure who has influenced the village and for centuries pilgrims passed through the village on their way toTrondheim.Sami people settled in the mid-17th century to take advantage of good reindeer pasture. In the 18th and 19th century thecopper mines in Fröå were important industries. Tourism started to grow with the establishment of a railroad in 1882, and Åre's firstGrand Hotel was erected in 1896. The kings of Sweden andNorway came to stay in Åre and Storlien for recreational purposes since the 19th century.
Åre is situated in Åredalen (Åre Valley), approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft)AMSL at the coastline ofÅresjön lake. TheEuropean route E14 and theMittbanan railway pass through Åre, connecting the larger townsÖstersund andTrondheim.
Åre has asubarctic climate (Dfc).
| Climate data for Åre-Björnänge V 1991-2020 (403m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.7 (27.1) | −2.4 (27.7) | 1.3 (34.3) | 6.3 (43.3) | 11.7 (53.1) | 16.2 (61.2) | 19.3 (66.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 12.9 (55.2) | 5.9 (42.6) | 0.6 (33.1) | −1.8 (28.8) | 7.1 (44.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.7 (21.7) | −5.9 (21.4) | −3.2 (26.2) | 1.5 (34.7) | 6.6 (43.9) | 11.0 (51.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 12.9 (55.2) | 8.6 (47.5) | 2.7 (36.9) | −2.0 (28.4) | −4.7 (23.5) | 3.0 (37.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −9.3 (15.3) | −9.2 (15.4) | −6.7 (19.9) | −2.3 (27.9) | 2.2 (36.0) | 6.8 (44.2) | 9.5 (49.1) | 8.6 (47.5) | 5.0 (41.0) | 0.1 (32.2) | −4.8 (23.4) | −8.2 (17.2) | −0.7 (30.8) |
| Source: NOAA[2] | |||||||||||||
Tourism in Åre started as KingOscar II in 1882 supervised construction of the Östersund–Trondheim railway. With this new railway, many people came to Åre to breathe the fresh air and to walk to the top ofÅreskutan. They were soon known as "air-guests" (Sw.luftgäster).[3]
There was no hotel, but in 1888 Albin Wettergren opened a restaurant by the railway station. In 1891, Åre Tourist Station opened and even more guests were attracted to the village.
A lady fromÖstersund saw this increasing tourism as a great opportunity to open a hotel and did so in 1895. It was called "Hotell Åreskutan". Albin Wettergren opened a hotel ("Grand Hotell") as well. These were only a few of all the hotels that were going to be founded in Åre.[4]
In 1910, the funicularÅre Bergbana was built and was the third one in Sweden afterSkansens Bergbana inStockholm (1898) and the one inKiruna (1907).[5] This was a more convenient way for the air-guests to reach the top of Åreskutan.
In 2008, the hotelCopperhill Mountain Lodge opened on the top of the Förberget hill. Designed by American architectPeter Bohlin, it is the only mountain hotel in Scandinavia referred to as a "Design Hotel".[citation needed]
Taking advantage of theÅreskutanfell, Åre Ski Area has become the major center foralpine skiing in Sweden, sporting more than 30 modern ski-lifts. It hosted theAlpine World Championships in1954,2007 and2019, and has hosted more than 100FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events throughout the years. On 9–10 March 2012, theFreestyle FIS World Cup was held at theSlalombacken slalom course close to the village centre, and on 18 Feb 2020 a sprint race in theFIS Cross-Country World Cup was held at the same place.[6]
Åre along withÖstersund were initially selected to host the2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games. It would have marked the first time that Sweden has ever hosted the Special Olympics.[7] However, due to a variety of issues including lack of funding, on 19 December 2019, the event will not take place in Sweden.[8] Instead it will take place inKazan,Russia and was delayed to 2022.
Åre has also been the site for the alpine events in Sweden's eight failed bids to host theOlympic Winter Games, including for the1984,1988,1992,1994,1998,2002,2022 and2026. This is because Åre has the onlypiste in Sweden suitable for top-leveldownhill races.
Åre has since the 1990s become the largestmountainbike resort in Sweden. In 1999 it was the host for theUCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and it hosted the Nordic Championships 2007.There are numerous gradeddownhill cycling trails. The Åre Bikepark is open from 1 May until 15 October and is the host for the Mayhem Festival.
During summer Åre can also sporthiking,paragliding,kayaking, and agolf course about 15 minutes from the village. In July every year there is amultisport competition in Åre –Åre Extreme Challenge. It counts as the Scandinavian championship in multisport.[citation needed]
In 2008 Åre was appointed as one of the ten best ski-resorts in the world at the list from the magazineCondé Nast Traveller[9]
The nearest airport is situated 99 kilometres (62 mi) eastward, on the island ofFrösön in Östersund.Åre Östersund Airport is aninternational airport and the ninth biggest in Sweden with roughly 390 000 passengers (2005).
TheEuropean route E14 runs through Åre fromTrondheim via Östersund toSundsvall, where it merges with theEuropean route E45.
Åre also has a train station.Norrtåg operates theMittbanan railway fromStorlien (where Trondheim-bound diesel trains connect), via Åre and Östersund to Sundsvall. Åre is connected to Stockholm,Gothenburg andMalmö through long distanceSJ 3000 (higher-speed trains) andInterCity. Åre is also served by seasonal overnight trains.
