Visit Jokkmokk(Sweden)
In the midst of remote, densely forested, marshy country, JOKKMOKK is a welcome oasis. Once wintertime Sami quarters, the town is today a renowned handicraft centre, with a Sami high school keeping the language and culture alive. The ájtte Museum (mid-June to Aug daily 9am-6pm; rest of year Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun noon-4pm; Oct-April closed Sat; 40kr) on Kyrkegatan is the place to see some of the intricate work. Have a glance, too, at the so-called Lapp Kyrka , in which corpses were interned in wall vaults during winter, waiting for the thaw when the Sami could go out and dig graves - the temperatures in this part of Sweden plunge below -35°C in winter. The great winter market still survives, now nearly 400 years old, held on the first Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each February, when 30,000 people gather in town. It's the best time to be in Jokkmokk, and staying means booking accommodation a good six months in advance. A smaller, less traditional autumn fair at the end of August is an easier though poorer option. The tourist office is at Stortorget 4 (mid-June to mid-Aug daily 9am-7pm; during winter market Thurs-Sun 8am-6pm; rest of year Thurs-Sat 8.30am-4pm; tel 0971 121 40, www.jokkmokk.se/turism ). In summer there should be no problem getting a place at the HI hostel at Åsgatan 20 (tel 0971/559 77; under £5/$8); just follow the signs from the station. The campsite is 3km east on route 97.
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