Jukkasjärvi
Place in Lapland, Sweden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jukkasjärvi (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjɵ̂kːasˌjærvɪ]; Sami: Čohkkiras) is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 548 inhabitants in 2010.[1] It is situated at 321 meters elevation.
 July 2002 view over Jukkasjärvi | |
| Coordinates: 67°51′N 20°37′E | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Lapland |
| County | Norrbotten County |
| Municipality | Kiruna Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.44 km2 (0.56 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2010)[1] | |
• Total | 548 |
| • Density | 379/km2 (980/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
The name is of Northern Sami origin, where Čohkkirasjávri means lake of assembly, as the area by the lake by which the village was founded was a Sami marketplace. The village got its first Finnish-speaking resident settlers in the 17th century, who changed the name into the more Finnish-sounding Jukkasjärvi, thereby removing its meaning, although järvi (jávri in Sami) still means lake in Finnish. This was also the name used by Swedish officials.
The village is a popular tourist accommodation during the winter months, from December until April, and is best known for its annual ice hotel, a hotel literally made from ice.[2]
The wooden church is the oldest building in the village (built around 1607/1608) and is well known for its wooden carved altar piece triptych by Bror Hjorth. It is the only surviving example of a block-pillar church in Sweden.[3]
See also
- Dislocation of Sámi people from Jukkasjärvi and Karesuando
- Thure Johannson, Olympian and native of Jukkasjarvi
