Åre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Åre
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Åre in February 2003 12:34 PM
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 Åre
Location in Jämtland
Åre
Location in Sweden
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| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Jämtland |
| County | Jämtland County |
| Municipality | Åre Municipality |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6,49 km2 (251 sq mi) |
| Population
(31 December 2018)
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| • Total | 3,200 |
| • Density | 505/km2 (1,310/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Climate | Dfc |
Åre (pronounced like "oh-reh") is a small town in Sweden. It's famous for being one of the best ski resorts in Scandinavia. About 3,200 people lived there in 2018.
Even though it's a well-known place, Åre is not the main town of its municipality. That's Järpen. A big part of Åre's economy, about 25%, comes from tourism. People especially love the downhill skiing and biking here. Because so many tourists visit, Åre has lots of hotels, fun activities, and shops.
Contents
History of Åre
In the 12th century, the old Åre Old Church was built. A famous person named Saint Olaf the Holy had a big impact on the village. For hundreds of years, pilgrims would travel through Åre on their way to Trondheim.
Around the mid-1600s, Sami people settled here. They found it a good place for their reindeer to graze. In the 1700s and 1800s, copper mines in a nearby place called Fröå were very important.
Tourism really started to grow when a railway was built in 1882. Åre's first big hotel, the Grand Hotel, opened in 1896. Even the kings of Sweden and Norway would visit Åre for holidays starting in the 1800s.
Geography of Åre
Åre is located in a valley called Åredalen. It's about 400 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level, right by the Åresjön lake. The main road, European route E14, and the Mittbanan railway pass through Åre. These connect bigger towns like Östersund and Trondheim.
Åre's Climate
Åre has a subarctic climate. This means it has long, cold winters and short, cool summers.
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Tourism in Åre
Tourism in Åre really took off when King Oscar II helped build the Östersund–Trondheim railway in 1882. With the new train, many people came to Åre. They wanted to enjoy the fresh air and hike up Åreskutan mountain. These visitors were soon called "air-guests" in Swedish.
At first, there wasn't a hotel. But in 1888, Albin Wettergren opened a restaurant near the train station. Then, in 1891, the Åre Tourist Station opened, bringing even more visitors.
A woman from Östersund saw how popular Åre was becoming. She decided to open a hotel in 1895, called "Hotell Åreskutan." Albin Wettergren also opened his own hotel, the "Grand Hotell." These were just the first of many hotels that would open in Åre.
In 1910, the Åre Bergbana funicular (a type of cable railway) was built. This made it much easier for "air-guests" to reach the top of Åreskutan. It was the third funicular ever built in Sweden.
In 2008, a special hotel called Copperhill Mountain Lodge opened. It was designed by an American architect named Peter Bohlin. It's the only mountain hotel in Scandinavia known as a "Design Hotel."
Winter Sports and Events
Åre is a major center for alpine skiing in Sweden. It uses the slopes of the Åreskutan mountain. The Åre Ski Area has more than 30 modern ski lifts.
Åre has hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships three times: in 1954, 2007, and 2019. It has also hosted over 100 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events. In 2012, a Freestyle FIS World Cup was held near the village center. In 2020, a sprint race for the FIS Cross-Country World Cup also took place there.
Special Olympics World Winter Games
Åre and another Swedish city, Östersund, were chosen to host the 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games. This would have been the first time Sweden hosted the Special Olympics. However, due to problems like not enough money, Sweden couldn't host the event. It was then moved to Kazan, Russia, and happened in 2022 instead.
Winter Olympics Bids
Åre has also been the planned location for the alpine events in Sweden's attempts to host the Olympic Winter Games. Sweden has tried eight times to host the Winter Olympics, including for 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2022, and 2026. Åre is chosen because it has the only ski slope in Sweden suitable for top-level downhill races.
Famous People from Åre
- Henrik Lundqvist – A famous ice hockey goalie for the New York Rangers. He won a gold medal in 2006 and the Vezina trophy in 2012. He is the twin brother of Joel Lundqvist.
- Joel Lundqvist – The captain of Frölunda HC in ice hockey. He is a two-time world champion and used to play for the Dallas Stars. He is the twin brother of Henrik Lundqvist.
- Jon Olsson – A professional freestyle skier and X-Games Champion. He is also a social media influencer.
- Henrik Windstedt – He won the 2008 Freeride World Tour (a competition for skiing or snowboarding off-piste).
- Lars-Börje Eriksson – An Olympic bronze medalist in alpine skiing.
- Henrik Harlaut – A professional freestyle skier.
Summer Activities
Since the 1990s, Åre has become the biggest mountainbike resort in Sweden. In 1999, it hosted the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships. It also hosted the Nordic Championships in 2007.
There are many different downhill cycling trails in Åre. The Åre Bikepark is open from May 1st to October 15th. It also hosts the Mayhem Festival.
During the summer, you can also enjoy hiking, paragliding, kayaking, and a golf course about 15 minutes from the village. Every July, Åre hosts a multisport competition called Åre Extreme Challenge. This event is considered the Scandinavian championship in multisport.
"One of the World's Ten Best Ski Resorts"
In 2008, Åre was named one of the ten best ski resorts in the world by Condé Nast Traveller magazine.
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Åre cable car
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Åre central square
Getting to Åre
The closest airport is Åre Östersund Airport. It's about 99 kilometers (62 miles) east of Åre, on an island called Frösön in Östersund. It's an international airport and one of the busiest in Sweden.
The European route E14 road goes through Åre. It connects Trondheim to Östersund and then to Sundsvall.
Åre also has a train station. The Norrtåg company runs trains on the Mittbanan railway. These trains go from Storlien (where you can connect to trains going to Trondheim), through Åre and Östersund, to Sundsvall. You can also take long-distance trains like SJ 3000 (faster trains) and InterCity to Åre from cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. During certain seasons, there are also overnight trains.
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Åre railway station
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Åre Östersund Airport terminal
