Muodoslompolo, Norrbotten | Exploring Sweden
Muodoslompolo is a small settlement in the province of Norrbotten, the far north of Sweden. It is a part of Pajala Municipality, but its population has decreased below 50 people, resulting in no official number of inhabitants. Today there is the white wooden church that watches over the few remaining inhabitants. The settlement lies just a few kilometers from the Muonio River and the border between Sweden and Finland. Just on the other side of the river is the small Finnish town of Muonio.
A Short History of Muodoslompolo
Muodoslompolo has been a part of the Muonionalusta Parish since its establishment in 1854. About a decade later in 1864 the church in Muonionalusta was built. It was completed in 1865, but its location would not stay the same for more than a few decades. The church was moved to Muodoslompolo in 1925, where it has remained since.
Statistics Sweden did earlier classify Muodoslompolo as a village, or rather a “småort” as it’s known in Swedish for villages smaller than 200 inhabitants, but larger than 50. That changed in 2010 when the village’s population fell below 50. The population has been around 100 as late as 1990. The declining population has resulted in the closure of the local school in 2009 and a limitation in available services.
Things to Do and See
Unless you come here to visit the mosquitos, it is the white wooden church that is the most prominent building here. This is not a place to explore historical buildings. The church might exist, but there are few others to see here. Instead, as with most of northern Sweden, it is the surrounding nature that is the main attraction. The lakes and rivers combined with the never-ending forests. Hiking among the mosquitos is one option, but as with nature elsewhere – it is all about the visitor’s preferences.
How to Get to Muodoslompolo
- Flights: The nearest airport is Pajala Airport (PJA) to the south.
- Car: Muodoslompolo is located along Road 99, between Karesuando and Pajala.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 1216 kilometers (13 h 20 min)
- Gothenburg – 1563 kilometers (17 h 20 min)
- Malmö – 1825 kilometers (19 h)
- Linköping – 1413 kilometers (15 h 10 min)
- Kiruna – 214 kilometers (3 h 20 min)
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