THE Generous Lake
Arvidsjaur is a Swedishization of the Ume Sami word árviesjávrrie, which is a combination of árvies ("generous" or "one who gives abundantly") and jávrrie ("lake"). 'Arvidsjaur' thus means 'The generous lake' and refers to the rich fishing water.
Sweden's most charming municipality is located in the heart of Lapland in Norrbotten County, about 110 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle and 160 kilometers west of Luleå. Here you'll experience everything from starry skies and aurora borealis to the midnight sun.
Arvidsjaur municipality in numbers
6,126 km²
6,143 (2022)
997,557 m² / person
"You'll find everything Here!"
In Arvidsjaur municipality you will find everything you need! From shops, to cafes, to restaurants, to hairdressers. There is a cinema, library, riding stables and swimming pool.
Arvidsjaur's community has a lively business street where you can find most and many of the villages has its own grocery stores, shops and innovative companies that provide energy to the entire municipality.
Then it is always close to the coastal cities if you are hungry for even more pulse for a day. Our local airport also takes you to Stockholm in 1 hour!
Sami culture
Arvidsjaur municipality is an old traditional Sami area with active forest Sami villages, where reindeer husbandry and grazing areas take place in the forest land instead of on the bare mountains.
The Sami culture is important for the municipality to preserve and its character is clearly visible in everything from food to interior design, but also in the mentality around nature and lifestyle. In addition, the municipality's road signs are written in both Swedish and Ume Sami, which have traditionally been spoken in the area.
We have an airport!
Did you know that Arvidsjaur municipality has its very own airport with daily flights to and from Arlanda? In one hour you can get to the big city or go further out into the world!
During the winter months with tourism and car testing, Arvidsjaur municipality becomes an international gathering place and the airport receives flights from all over the world.
Our story
In Lapland between the coast and the mountains is our municipality Arvidsjaur, in Swedish translated to Givmild Sjö. Our large municipality, which has an area of about 10 x 100 km, is enriched with magnificent nature and stately forests where reindeer, moose, cloudberries, blueberries and lingonberries are found in large quantities. From a top-down perspective, you can see many low mountains, untouched wilderness, all the municipality's 4,000 lakes, railways and country roads that meander.
Among the lakes, in the villages and in the community today live Arvidsjaur's municipal residents who from 1606 and for more than 400 years have grown from 25 Sami families to today just over 6,000 people. Our early ancestors found generous and generous natural areas where they laid down their stakes. A generous place became the old Arvidsjaur, today a local history museum, which in 1606 was declared an official market and church site by King Charles IX. There, for several centuries, trade took place with e.g. reindeer meat, skins, fish, salt and flour between the Sami people and traders from the coast. In 1757 he found the first settler for the parish. The Sami culture and reindeer husbandry are still a strong part of Arvidsjaur's identity.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the market and church square was moved to the site of the current society. From 1884, the new Arvidsjaur developed from a church and trading place to an expanded modern society. The first map was drawn up in 1884 of the new church village with proposed plot divisions by Axel Orstadius, whose grid division of streets was also followed and can still be seen in the community today.
Arvidsjaur's importance as a central town developed in step with the expansion of the modern road network during the first half of the 20th century. The important Inlandsbanan, which was inaugurated in 1937, also enabled freight and passenger traffic along the railway. A hunter regiment is located in the municipality and an airport was established in 1990. Winter car testing of new car models from around the world is tested on the many ice and roads that exist in the municipality.
Welcome to Arvidsjaur, The generous lake!
THE Armed Forces
Here you can feel safe! In Arvidsjaur municipality are Norrland's dragon regiment K4 and the Swedish Armed Forces' winter unit, which trains soldiers in subarctic environments.
In addition to the unit's soldiers and conscripts from all over Sweden, there is also great interest among international units that send staff here for winter training. Right now, K4 is growing every day and contributes many vacancies for those who want to challenge themselves!
Car testing
In winter, 90% of the world's car brands are tested on snow and ice in the area. It is an industry with a turnover of just over SEK 1 billion per year. This mainly involves testing of components and electric cars, and now also the development of autonomous cars on both lakes and roads.
The car tests have also been developed for tourism events where you can try to skid different types of cars in the middle of the lake!
Winter activities
During the winter, Arvidsjaur's municipality is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world who want to experience the Nordic winter with cold, aurora borealis and all that it entails. But even as a citizen, you can treat yourself to a ride on a dog sled, ice fishing or any of the other winter activities offered within the municipality.
Summer activities
After the dark winter comes a brighter spring and summer that gives new energy. The midnight sun makes one forget what time of day it is and makes it possible to be out longer on the evening twig. Fishing in the rich fishing waters, boating, picking berries, grilling sausages, camping or hiking in the beautiful nature are just some of the activities you can indulge in during the summer season.