Kiruna is one of Sweden's leading tourist regions. It is easily the most important tourist district in the County of Norrbotten, attracting more than half the total amount of tourism in Norrbotten. What draws most visitors are the virgin rivers, the hundreds of crystal-clear waterways, the more than 6,000 lakes and the highly varied landscape.

It is truly a land of opposites, where the summer sun shines for two months without once setting and the polar night lays its soft, blue blanket over the countryside for 20 winter days. It is where the ancient Saami civilisation coexists with the ultra modern, high-tech industries which have made Kiruna into Europe's space research centre.

It is a special place for another reason: Kiruna is a social and cultural experiment like no other. When the town was planned a mere hundred years ago, it was according to a plan that used nature to stop the winds. In order that the miners should live well, the most modern buildings were constructed; most of them designed by the leading architects in the land. An enlightening model, which influenced the design of Kiruna, was the English garden city. The world's northernmost tramway was built, and used free of charge both by miners and the rest of the population. The planning of Kiruna was one of the century's greatest social experiments.

It is this experiment which still permeates the community and makes it a very interesting cultural-historical site.

Out in the countryside, you can drink clean water and enjoy clear air, something very rare these days on our densely built-up globe. That natural setting provides the greatest leisure interest here, and it is Nature that draws the most visitors. There is plenty of good hunting and fishing abounds, beginning right in the city lake, Luossajrvi. What's more, it's relatively inexpensive to hunt and fish here. But for the particular and well-heeled enthusiast, exclusive tours are composed that include skiing, hunting, canoeing and seeing everyday Saami life - all in the same day!

Kiruna boasts the best canoeing in Sweden. And since its seven rivers course without hinder from any power stations, it isn't surprising that white water rafting began just here. Around the mid 1970's, a specially built rubber raft came to Jukkasjrvi and the rest is history.

Rapid-running has become one of the country's most popular wilderness adventures, but it was here it all began and here that new "Jukkas" ideas are still being born. The giant igloo is one of them, built on the river bank each winter and one of Jukkasjrvi's biggest successes ever. Thousands visit the world's largest igloo each year and many stay in the rather special hotel inside it. Here - if you are lucky - you may even meet the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus who in the light of the legend had their arctic retreat in this area. Murmurs say you won¥t find them in the bar.
Though the actual design varies from year to year, hotel, gallery, chapel, bar and exhibit hall are always included. Other Kiruna tourist draws include panning for gold in Lannavaara, the Laestadii botanical gardens at Karesuando, Lainio's lovely and quiet village, tours of the Esrange rocket base and mountain tours in the Kebnekaise area.

Kiruna is Sweden's leading winter city in more ways than one. From October to May there are many kilometres of well-prepared ski trails. It is even possible to ski year-round! The Riksgrnsen and LÂkta ski trails lure skiing's world elite to train on natural snow at a time when other ski-resorts still offer only swimming. In addition, there is a biathlon track in central Kiruna which is one of the best in the country. During the summer, the ski trails become excellent jogging tracks. There are ski lifts in Kiruna, Abisko, Bjrkliden and at Riksgrnsen.

Abisko, with its national park, the starting-point for the famous Kungsleden trail (the King's trail) which draws many hikers and skiers seeking genuine, untrammelled vistas, while Bjrkliden focuses on the family in both seasons. The large cave system and Tornehamn, with its unimaginably lovely navvy graveyard, both lie near Bjrkliden. For the skier seeking challenges, Riksgrnsen's slopes are among the best in the country. This area has also become something of a favourite with snowboard enthusiasts and ski-extreme fans. Summer offers popular terrain cycling in the mountains - what is perhaps the most exclusive trip begins with summer skiing at Riksgrnsen and finishes with a bicycle tour to the greenery on the shore of Norway's Rombak Fjord.

Tourist attractions in Kiruna are the church, City Hall, the old mining director's mansion named Hjalmar LundbohmsgÂrden, the handicrafts co-operative M·ttar·hkk·, the tourist mine and mine museum, SamegÂrden for Saami culture, Elis Aldanp's studio and pioneer museum, the outdoor Norrskensbadet - the Northern Lights Pool - and Esrange rocket base.

A few years ago, the municipality and its business community decided to focus on tourism - the range of activities was broadened, visitors were offered guided, tailor-made activities and the various tourist companies began to co-operate. The result was the formation of a joint organisation for marketing Kiruna as a tourist area - the Kiruna Lapland Ekonomisk Förening.