Close your eyes and calm your breathing. Focus on your senses one by one. What do your ears hear? What does your nose smell?..

“In the summer and winter, Ounasvaara and Pöyliövaara are each as green and beautiful as the other, but in the spring, when the light of the sun brings the leaves back to life, there’s no missing just how different their trees are. Ounasvaara, covered in conifers, is as evenly green as ever, but Pöyliövaara is dotted with spots of a brighter shade – broad-leaved trees waking up after the winter. In the summer, the conifers and broad-leaved trees take on similar colours and blend together once again, but in the autumn, when the leaves turn red and yellow, Pöyliövaara glows warmly in its bright colours, while Ounasvaara remains as green as ever. Look closely at the view in front of you...

Which ones are conifers and which are broad-leaved trees? How do they differ from each other? What kinds of characteristics do different tree species have? Find a birch tree and examine it with all your senses...

“‘You’re useless,’ said the little pine, still so short it barely poked out from between the rocks. ‘You’re no use to anybody. Look at my needles. The little pine was so self-assured because no danger had ever approached it...

Together, think about what it means to feel longing. Give examples from your own life of when and how you’ve experienced longing. How does longing affect you? How do you deal with longing?..

“That night was the first moonlit night of the winter and the wedding of the smallest elf boy and the smallest elf girl. The bride was the youngest and smallest of 365 siblings. That was why her wedding was so late. Her siblings had celebrated theirs in the summer, when the cherry trees and the lilies bloomed...

At Rovaniemi Cemetery, on top of a small hill, stands sculptor Wäinö Aaltonen's monument in red granite to those who have fallen in war. The sculpture depicts two standing soldiers with their heads bowed down, their dying comrade lying between them. The sculpture is monumental and exudes a sense of melancholy peace...

The current Kukkola company building was built in 1939 to serve as facilities for the Ahon Auto car shop. The building housed also a service station. The building is one of the few pre-war buildings representing functionalism in Rovaniemi...

The Ahvenlampi Lean-to is around 35 km north-west of Rovaniemi, on the north side of the Sonka village. The log-built lean-to is by a pond on a hillside, featuring a campfire site with firewood provided under the shelters at both ends of the lean-to. An outhouse is nearby. The old-growth forest conservation area Kuusikkoselkä – Paljukkalaki is 3 km from the lean-to...

The Alakorkalo Lean-to is by the Kemi River, 5 km from the city centre toward Kemi. In the winter, a ski trail on the Kemi River ice ends at the lean-to, making it a popular rest stop for cross-country skiers. The log-built lean-to is right on the riverbank, featuring a campfire site, woodshed and boat ramp...

The architectural legacy of Alvar Aalto can be seen in the cityscape of Rovaniemi, both in the city center and a little further away. In the city center, along a walking route, there are five notable sites. A bit further, in Korkalovaara, there is a garden-like residential area called Korkalorinne. Aalto's famous reindeer antler plan, known as the "poronsarviasemakaava" in Finnish, served as the basis for construction during the post-war reconstruction period from 1944 to 1946...

The Autti Lean-to is around 65 km east of Rovaniemi in Autti. The spacious, log-built lean-to is on the riverbank. It features a campfire site, woodshed and outhouse. Nearby, there is a boat dock, berths, and a boat ramp...

The Auttijärvi Lean-to is around 70 km east of Rovaniemi, on the beautiful shore of Auttijärvi, or Autti Lake. The log-built lean-to features a campfire site, woodshed and outhouse. There is also a boat ramp, beach and dressing rooms near the lean-to...

The log-built Auttijoen Lean-to is 70 km east of Rovaniemi, along the Auttiköngäs Nature Trail by Auttijoki, or the Autti River. It features a campfire site, benches, a woodshed and outhouse. There is a regular bus connection between Rovaniemi and Posio, with a bus stop at the Auttiköngäs intersection...

The Auttiköngäs Accessible Trail is around 70 km from Rovaniemi toward Posio. It is an ideal place for day trips: easily accessible and magnificent scenery. The area’s main attraction is the 16-metre-high Auttiköngäs, or Autti Falls. The forest in the area is so old that it can be called a primary or virgin forest...

The Auttiköngäs Lean-to is around 70 km east of Rovaniemi, near the parking area in the shoreline forest of the Auttiköngäs Rapids. The lean-to features a campfire site and firewood, and accessible toilets. There is a short accessible trail from the parking area to the lean-to...

The Auttiköngäs Log-Driving Cabin is located at the edge of the Auttiköngäs conservation area, 70.3 km east of Rovaniemi. The log cabin stands on the beautiful shoreline of Auttijoki, close to the Auttiköngäs waterfall. A photograph exhibition about the log-driving culture is on display in the cabin. It is equipped with a natural-stone fireplace for frying sausages and making coffee...

The Auttiköngäs Nature Trail is located about 70 km from Rovaniemi toward Posio. Auttiköngäs, or Autti Falls, is an ideal destination for day trips. It is easy to reach and has a magnificent landscape. The area’s main attraction is the 16-metre-high waterfall...

Remains of numerous man-made earthworks can be found alongside Ounasvaara railroad, including both trenches and machine-gun nests as well as auxiliary trenches related to guard activities. At least some of these probably date from the Lapland War. On the side of the hill, next to the railroad, there is a long trench, machine-gun nests and foxholes. No actual fighting took place in this area, however...

Before the war, the Tornio porter and beer factory operated in Rovaniemi along the current Koskikatu street. The factory building was completely destroyed in the war. After the war, the company considered transferring all beer manufacturing operations to Rovaniemi, but the new town plan did not allow for the factory site to be expanded. The factory was, however, rebuilt at the previous site and operated until 1972...

The bridges crossing River Kemijoki were destroyed in the Second World War. A temporary trestle bridge was constructed every spring between 1946 and 1951 after the ice had broken at the site of the current Jätkänkynttilä Bridge. For a few winters, the Kemijärvi trains crossed the river on rails that were installed on the ice. A ferry boat also crossed the rivers Kemijoki and Ounasjoki...

The former children's home was used as a hospital by the German Army during the Continuation War. The building still exists. The hospital and its area were mined during the Lapland War, but no mines were detonated. After the destruction of the town of Rovaniemi, the town's administrative offices were located there...

Tom Engblom explains: Reindeer can of course be found in the forests, provided one has the chance or time to venture into them. Most commonly, we encounter these creatures walking on the road, getting in the way of humans. This gave rise to the idea of creating a work asking just that, "Am I in your way". The concrete reindeer is inspired by the concrete barriers commonly found in cities, called 'concrete pigs' in Finnish...

There are three sculptures by artist Ensio Seppänen (b. 1924 in Kemi) in Rovaniemi. One of these is the monument to the Jäger Movement, completed in 1981 in Jääkäripuisto on Lapinkävijäntie. The sculpture is made of stone...

The Eräsaari Lean-to is in Hirvaa, on Iso Eräsaari Island in the Kemi River, around 18 km south of Rovaniemi. The log-built lean-to is on a small hill in the southern tip of the island. It features a campfire site with log benches, a woodshed, outhouse and waste bin. In the summer, you can access the island by boat...

The 6th Division during the Continuation War was formed in 1941 mainly from men from Lapland. The monument is made of quartzite stone found in the village of Jaatila. Heraldist and graphic artist Olof Eriksson was by 1953 the most prolific designer of coats of arms for towns, municipalities and cities in Finland. In addition, he has designed medals and, together with Heikki Häiväoja, the Finnish 1-mark coin (1964)...