Haparanda

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title: "Haparanda" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["haparanda", "populated-places-in-haparanda-municipality", "coastal-cities-and-towns-in-sweden", "norrbotten", "municipal-seats-of-norrbotten-county", "swedish-municipal-seats", "divided-cities", "finland–sweden-border-crossings"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haparanda" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
official_nameHaparanda
image_skyline18.07.23 Haparanda X52 9034.jpg
image_captionHaparanda railway station
pushpin_mapSweden Norrbotten#Sweden
pushpin_label_positionleft
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameSweden
subdivision_type3Municipality
subdivision_name3Haparanda Municipality
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_name2Norrbotten County
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Norrbotten
area_footnotes
area_total_km24.43
population_as_of31 December 2010
population_footnotes
population_total4,856
population_density_km21097
timezoneCET
utc_offset+1
timezone_DSTCEST
utc_offset_DST+2
coordinates
::

| official_name = Haparanda | image_skyline = 18.07.23 Haparanda X52 9034.jpg | image_caption = Haparanda railway station | pushpin_map = Sweden Norrbotten#Sweden | pushpin_label_position = left | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Sweden | subdivision_type3 = Municipality | subdivision_name3 = Haparanda Municipality | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_name2 = Norrbotten County | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Norrbotten | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 4.43 | population_as_of = 31 December 2010 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 4,856 | population_density_km2 = 1097 | timezone = CET | utc_offset = +1 | timezone_DST = CEST | utc_offset_DST = +2 | coordinates = | website = Haparanda (; Meänkieli and Finnish: Haaparanta, ) is a locality and the seat of Haparanda Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. It is adjacent to Tornio, Finland. Haparanda has a population of 9,166 inhabitants (2024).

Haparanda is located near the Sweden-Finland border, at the northerly extreme of the Swedish coastline, as well as the easternmost point in Sweden, far removed from large cities. Its summers are very warm for a coastal location so far north, and winters are normally not extremely cold in spite of the relative proximity to the Arctic Circle.

As a twin city, Haparanda has strong connections to Tornio and the Finnish side of the river and bilingualism of Swedish and Finnish is common although Swedish is the sole official language and the mother tongue of a vast majority of inhabitants. In 2010, it was estimated that 70% of Haparanda's inhabitants spoke Finnish as a second language.

Haparanda, for historical reasons, is often still referred to as a "city" despite its small population, although Statistics Sweden only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities. The municipality itself, on the other hand, uses the term Haparanda stad (City of Haparanda) not only for the town itself, but for its whole territory (927 km2). At 24° 8' E, Haparanda is Sweden's easternmost settlement.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Haparanda_hotel_and_city_hall.JPG" caption="Haparanda Hotel (left) and City Hall (right)"] ::

When Sweden ceded Finland to Russia in 1809, the Finnish–Swedish border was drawn along the Rivers Tornio and Muonio. The town of Tornio, located on the island Suensaari in the river delta, became part of the Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire as demanded by czar Alexander I. (Finland declared independence in 1917.)

At that time the town of Tornio was dominated by Swedish-speaking merchants and craftsmen, forming a linguistic island in a Finnish-speaking countryside. After the war many of the Swedes started to develop the small village of Haaparanta across the border instead (Haparanda and Tornio are within walking distance), eventually leaving Tornio unilingually Finnish. Haparanda was made a market town (köping) in 1821 and received its city charter in 1842.

Into the early twentieth century Haparanda enjoyed commercial and political significance out of proportion to its size because of its position at the mouth of the Torne river at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. Timber and furs from across northern Scandinavia and Russia arrived by water for shipping on to the rest of the world via the Baltic. Arctic and Antarctic expeditions of the 19th and 20th centuries, including that of Admiral Peary of the US, wore furs supplied by Hermansons, whose shop still stands in Haparanda, albeit closed now. Haparanda was the only open railway border crossing at the border to Russia during World War I, and was used by Lenin on the journey by which he returned from exile.

Sports

Haparanda/Tornio play in the second tier bandy division in Sweden, allsvenskan. Haparanda hosted matches in the Bandy World Championship 2001.

Other sports clubs located in Haparanda include:

The impact of the Finland-Sweden international border

Relations between the neighbouring towns have always been friendly. A large portion of Haparanda's population speak both Swedish and Finnish. Today the two towns are closely interconnected economically and socially; they constitute a transborder conurbation marketed as "EuroCity". Since Sweden and Finland are in different time zones, Haparanda is one hour behind Tornio. This allows a unique spectacle on New Year's Eve, when people can welcome the arriving year twice. Since 2005 the cities have rebranded themselves as "Haparanda-Tornio" in Sweden, and "Tornio-Haparanda" in Finland.

In 2020 and 2021, this interconnectedness has experienced economic interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the differing national responses in Sweden and Finland. Sweden has generally speaking implemented slightly laxer restrictions while Finland has closed borders and slightly stronger restrictions. Some Swedes have also experienced prejudice on the Finnish side of the border, by Finns, due to the worsening pandemic situation in Sweden.

Haparanda has a railway station, which is served by three trains per day on weekdays. The line was closed to passenger trains between 1992 and 2021, when passenger services restarted. This was the only route open between Russia and Germany in World War I, and during World War II many of the approximately 80,000 Finnish children evacuated to Sweden entered the country here. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Mia_Green_mail_sorting_station.jpg" caption="Karungi Overseas post sorting was established in December 1914. Photo: [[Mia Green"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Tornio-Haparanda-ilmarata.JPG" caption="A ropeway conveyor was build across the river 1916-1917 to transfer the mail before the railway bridge."] ::

75,000 WWI prisoners of war were exchanged between the warring sides and 27,000,000 kg of mail, mostly from or to prisoners of war, was sorted at Haparanda.

The nearest airports are both located on the opposite sides of the Sweden-Finland border:

Rail gauge

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Haparanda-Tornio_rail_bridge_Sep2008.jpg" caption="tracks]]."] ::

Haparanda is connected to the Swedish national network by the Haparandabanan (Haparanda railway). The bridge between Haparanda and Tornio is the only direct connection between the Swedish and Finnish rail systems. The two networks use different track gauges, requiring all freight wagons crossing the border to have their cargo reloaded or their bogies exchanged. Between Haparanda and Tornio there is a dual gauge track, with Swedish and Finnish , in a four-rail gauntlet track formation.

Buildings

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/HaparandaKyrka.JPG" caption="Haparanda Church, built 1967"] ::

An IKEA retail store opened 15 November 2006 in a new commercial enterprise zone at the Haparanda-Tornio border, and is the northernmost IKEA store in the world. Though goods are priced in Swedish kronor only, instore signage is in both Swedish and Finnish. This single store attracts a claimed two million visitors every year, and has triggered "piggy-back" development of other large-scale retail outlets and a prototypical US-style shopping mall on the site. Although shops in Haparanda itself accept euros and Swedish kronor, many have closed in the face of competition from the out of town development.

Notable buildings besides the rail station (1918) include the Stadshotell (hotel and former town hall) of 1900, which has a first floor stateroom with magnificent chandeliers of Orrefors glass, and the landmark pepperpot-shaped watertower, erected in 1920. It no longer provides all the town's water, only the communal hot water supply. Haparanda's uncompromisingly modern church is by Bengt Larsson of the ELLT studio, and dates from 1967, its predecessor being destroyed by fire in 1964.

Plans for a new building containing a multipurpose arena seating 2,500 and more commercial development were announced in 2013. It will be sited on the border. Construction started in 2016 with a planned completion date in 2018.

Climate

Haparanda has a subarctic climate courtesy of its northerly position, but in spite of this classification the climate is often quite mild. The marine airflow from the mild North Atlantic tempers winters in spite of the low sun, whilst Haparanda retains enough continental influence for summers to be relatively warm, especially for a coastal city so far north. This is due to the large landmass surrounding the city in most directions as well as the brief midnight sun that normally lasts around 10 days. During summer, daylight is prevalent enough to allow daytime activities around the clock for a longer period than that. During the winter solstice however, Haparanda only experiences 2 hours and 56 minutes of daylight.

Daytime temperature average ranges normally goes between 20 C in summer to -6 C in winter, with winters being milder than many continental climates. Due to summer temperatures rapidly dropping once daylight diminishes, Haparanda does not reach such a classification.

|collapsed = |metric first = yes |single line = yes |location = Haparanda (2002–2020; extremes since 1901) |Jan record high C = 8.4 |Feb record high C = 8.0 |Mar record high C = 11.8 |Apr record high C = 18.5 |May record high C = 28.8 |Jun record high C = 31.4 |Jul record high C = 33.6 |Aug record high C = 31.1 |Sep record high C = 24.0 |Oct record high C = 17.0 |Nov record high C = 11.5 |Dec record high C = 7.2 |year record high C = |Jan avg record high C = 2.5 |Feb avg record high C = 3.4 |Mar avg record high C = 7.5 |Apr avg record high C = 12.7 |May avg record high C = 22.3 |Jun avg record high C = 25.2 |Jul avg record high C = 27.1 |Aug avg record high C = 24.6 |Sep avg record high C = 18.7 |Oct avg record high C = 11.8 |Nov avg record high C = 6.4 |Dec avg record high C = 3.7 |year avg record high C = 28.1 |Jan high C = -5.9 |Feb high C = -5.1 |Mar high C = -0.3 |Apr high C = 5.4 |May high C = 12.3 |Jun high C = 17.8 |Jul high C = 21.1 |Aug high C = 18.7 |Sep high C = 13.3 |Oct high C = 5.6 |Nov high C = 0.4 |Dec high C = -2.4 |year high C = |Jan mean C = -9.8 |Feb mean C = -9.1 |Mar mean C = -4.9 |Apr mean C = 1.1 |May mean C = 7.4 |Jun mean C = 12.9 |Jul mean C = 16.5 |Aug mean C = 14.4 |Sep mean C = 9.4 |Oct mean C = 2.4 |Nov mean C = -2.4 |Dec mean C = -5.8 |year mean C = |Jan low C = -13.6 |Feb low C = -13.1 |Mar low C = -9.5 |Apr low C = -3.3 |May low C = 2.5 |Jun low C = 8.0 |Jul low C = 11.8 |Aug low C = 10.1 |Sep low C = 5.5 |Oct low C = -0.8 |Nov low C = -5.1 |Dec low C = -9.1 |year low C = |Jan avg record low C = -27.6 |Feb avg record low C = -27.3 |Mar avg record low C = -22.3 |Apr avg record low C = -12.1 |May avg record low C = -4.3 |Jun avg record low C = 1.8 |Jul avg record low C = 5.3 |Aug avg record low C = 2.0 |Sep avg record low C = -2.5 |Oct avg record low C = -10.1 |Nov avg record low C = -16.0 |Dec avg record low C = -21.5 |year avg record low C = -29.7 |Jan record low C = -40.8 |Feb record low C = -41.7 |Mar record low C = -37.5 |Apr record low C = -26.0 |May record low C = -10.5 |Jun record low C = -1.5 |Jul record low C = 2.2 |Aug record low C = -1.8 |Sep record low C = -8.1 |Oct record low C = -23.0 |Nov record low C = -32.3 |Dec record low C = -37.3 |year record low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 56.5 |Feb precipitation mm = 44.9 |Mar precipitation mm = 35.8 |Apr precipitation mm = 32.4 |May precipitation mm = 45.5 |Jun precipitation mm = 52.8 |Jul precipitation mm = 60.7 |Aug precipitation mm = 57.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 64.8 |Oct precipitation mm = 59.2 |Nov precipitation mm = 68.9 |Dec precipitation mm = 63.6 |year precipitation mm = |Jan snow depth cm = 47 |Feb snow depth cm = 67 |Mar snow depth cm = 76 |Apr snow depth cm = 62 |May snow depth cm = 7 |Jun snow depth cm = 0 |Jul snow depth cm = 0 |Aug snow depth cm = 0 |Sep snow depth cm = 0 |Oct snow depth cm = 4 |Nov snow depth cm = 13 |Dec snow depth cm = 26 |year snow depth cm = 77 |source 1 = SMHI Open Data |source 2 = SMHI Monthly Data

Notable people

References

References

  1. (14 December 2011). "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010". [[Statistics Sweden]].
  2. (1979). "Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter".
  3. "Folkmängd och befolkningsförändringar - Kvartal 1, 2024".
  4. (25 January 2010). "Tvåspråkighet högt på dagordningen". NSD.
  5. {{Cite EB1911
  6. Merridale, Catherine. (2 October 2016). "In Lenin’s footsteps: a journey to Haparanda, Sweden". The Observer.
  7. "Korona Ruotsissa".
  8. (24 November 2020). "New start for passenger trains in northern Sweden".
  9. "Haparandas historia".
  10. "HAPARANDA".
  11. https://www.ft.com/content/10abe038-cd6f-11dd-9905-000077b07658 {{Dead link. (February 2022)
  12. "Home - HaparandaTornio Tourism".
  13. "Watertower".
  14. "Haparanda Arena – Concent".
  15. "Haparanda, Sweden; sunrise and sunset for June 2016". Sunrise and Sunset.com.
  16. "Haparandra, Sweden; sunrise and sunset for December 2016". Sunrise and Sunset.com.
  17. "SMHI Open Data". [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]].
  18. "SMHI Average Monthly Data 2002–2018". [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]].
  19. "Mia Green".

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haparandapopulated-places-in-haparanda-municipalitycoastal-cities-and-towns-in-swedennorrbottenmunicipal-seats-of-norrbotten-countyswedish-municipal-seatsdivided-citiesfinland–sweden-border-crossings