Lessons from the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre in Enontekiö

 

Last May, on our way to Kautokeino, Kamil and I stopped overnight in Hetta/Enontekiö. I had heard from the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre while searching the web for information on Kilpisjärvi and its visitor centre. But I had no idea of what we would find there: an impressive exhibition on Sami culture
and some very useful and practical information on the Kalottireitti.

The Exhibition

The permanent exhibition called Vuovjjuš - Wanderers - describes the Nomadic Sámi, the autochton people who dwell in the fells and is made up of several different sections, Wanderers in the North, 8 Seasons, the Yrjö Kokko Library and Nestling Children´s Exhibit.
"The Wanderers portion of the exhibition's name describes the species and landscape of Fell-Lapland. One of the best survival methods in this harsh environment is to keep moving. The reindeer is the central feature of the exhibition and is the thing that connects man with nature. Reindeer are untamed animals that must stay on the move to ensure their survival. The Nomadic Sámi have always lived on the terms of the animal and yet again and again reindeer and nature mould different aspects of the livelihood."

Films

One can also watch a large choices of documentaries related to the Arctic, to the Fell and Wilderness or
to Nature Protection and Care. We were lucky enough to be offered a private showing!

Design and Architecture

Both Kamil and I were impressed by the beauty of the exhibition created by the Finnish architect Kari Leppänen. Beautiful pictures. Elaborate staging. Interesting content. Powerful texts. It is really worth Read more about the design and architecture of the Fell-Lapland Visitor Centre.
seeing!

Fresh from the field

At the reception we met Jaana Laakso who happened to be the person I had email contact with; we also soon discovered that her cousin is a colleague of Kamil... Such a small world!
It turned out that Jaana is the one who wrote most of the information available on the Outdoor.fi Nordkalottleden pages. And she said.. it is not really up-to-date... For instance, according to the feedback from hikers, some the wilderness huts are no longer existing. She only had time to detail a part of the trail, explaining why there is so little on the stretch from Abisko to Kvikkjokk. She also mentioned some stretches that are pretty poorly marked. I offered to take notes along the trail, check and amend the information provided and to forward her the updated version for the website.
Indeed the Visitor Centre in Hetta was definitely worth visiting!