Umeå in Sweden

Get into the Groove - Umeå

Out of the ashes came IQ

The Townhall in Umeå © Marie Johansson

The year was 1622. Umeå was granted town status after a second royal attempt at bullying the reluctant merchants and farmers of the Umeå region to build the town. A state tax exemption got the ball rolling and afterwards the people of Umeå decided they´d like to keep their town. Umeå has risen from the ashes on several occasions after disastrous fires - Russians burned down the town in 1714, 1720 and 1721, but they changed their minds in the summer of 1809 and occupied the town instead.

Take a leaf...
After a raging fire on 25th June 1888, the rebuilt town became the "City of Birches". This time, rows of birch trees were planted along the streets to prevent any new fires from spreading at the same alarming, fire-storm pace. (Now you have an explanation about "city of birches"...:-))

While other Northern towns were developing into industrial centres, Umeå was trying to persuade the corridors of power to give it a University. Umeå officially became a University town in July 1963 and soon after, another university, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) with the Faculty of Forestry was established.

...out of our book!
Umeå University has grown rapidly. Students in their droves has been attracted by its modern, convention free outlook. On its 30th anniversary, the young university had 110 educational programmes, a thousand of so different courses and approximately 20 000 students. There's even room for a design, art, and business school. Umeå University educates around 1 200 research students under the supervision of 150 professors in different fields.

The Campus in Umeå © Marie Johansson

The university hospital, Norrlands Universitetssjukhus (NUS) is a research
establishment and regional hospital with a
catchment of one million patients,
offering a vast resource of experience
for the benefit of medical students
and researchers. Moreover, a number
of institutes and informative bodies
are recognised as being
world leaders in their fields.

A northern way of life
Umeå - the rapidly expanding university town in Northern Sweden to which people are flocking in their thousands. And they like it, so they stay. Umeå is not only a source of terrific diversity and "get up and go", but you´ll find a sense of harmony and security too.

Quite frankly Norrland...
Quality of life is the prize attained by many people here in Umeå, a town situated in an unspoilt, peaceful part of the world with university, research hospital and the right kind of new enterprise. The locals are active and well-educated, companies invest in quality and the future, and public life is hallmarked by the open, frank approach of the north.

...at the heart of it
Obtain good qualifications and exciting employment - the kind that can be seen as an active investment in the people of today and tomorrow. Relax in the knowledge that your children can have a solid upbringing in a mentally stimulating environment. Urban amenities such as an airport, sports stadium, theatre and pub entertainment are just as close at the countryside with its forests, river an sea.

That's Umeå - you won't be the first to fall in love with it!..:-)

Urban energy with a mellow mood
Equipped with an opera, theatre and four annual culture festivals Umeå's no wallflower on the cultural scene. Five upper-secondary colleges, Umeå university and university hospital (NUS), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and The Institute for Working Life amongst others, provide a firm foundation for intellectual interests.

A creative crowd...
Extensive development in the area of IT, an airport, buses, the Finland ferry, Umeå harbour, the European highways (E-routes) and the forthcoming Botniabana (a new railway linking major towns along the coast) ensure a top-notch communication and transport network.

Creativity? That's where new enterprise and the Colleges of Art and Design, come into the picture. As much as 55% of Umeå's residents are people who have moved into the area, and if you're enterprising enough to make the move, you won't loose that enterprising spirit once you arrive.

...in an enlightened and open town
Umeå has a lot of good points. How about a proper winter for a start?
You won't find that raw, icy dampness that plagues Southern Sweden. People converge on Umeå in order to study, attend conferences, go to cultural events - there's always something going on.

Bathed in 24 hr sunlight, the summer landscape nestling between sea and mountains provides the perfect setting in which the people of Umeå can recharge their batteries.

New areas, as large as small towns themselves, have been built around the original town to accommodate a population which has grown at a rate of 1000-2500 persons a year.
Since Umeå is situated in an unspoilt part of the world, many of its inhabitants can live in rural surroundings and yet be within cycling distance of local amenities and the town centre.

Recreation and adventure
If you´re looking for recreation combined with adventure, Umeå has a whole host of things on offer; from pleasant walks and cave exploration to canoeing in Sävar and white-water rafting on the Vindel river. The sunny islands of Norrbyskär and Holmön each have their own unique characteristics and are also well worth a visit.

"Umeleden" is a foot and cycle path stretching along both sides of the river, upstream. A stroll along this route is an experience combining cultural history and the beauty of our natural surroundings - visit the power station and museum, or take at the rock carvings.

Sun, sea and sand? There are a number of different sand of pebble beaches and if you feel like some aquatic action, try the water slide at UmeLagun, Nydala. Oh, and don´t forget that Umeå has mile after mile of cycle paths and cross country ski tracks!

Cultural fizz, happening hub
The importance of a thriving cultural scene to the development of other, unrelated areas was recognised by Umeå municipality at an early stage. One could hardly expect a grey, miserable town to attract business investments, key figures or students.

Culture vulture...
In Umeå we have Norrlandsopera, Umeå Symphony Orchestra, permanent drama ensembles at the theatres "Ögonblick" and "Profil" and amateur dramatics groups for anyone who wants a bit of the lime light.

Scores of Swedish and International guest apperances keep Umeå's stage schedules full. Feel like stretching your vocal talents beyond bathroom renditions of "Singing in the Rain"? Choose between no less than forty choirs. And don't forget the kids - Umeå's day-care centres and school have professional culture initiatives on their curriculum, theatre repertoires are crammed with children's drama, and there's a stage school and a drama workshop centre "Teatermagasinet", which keeps hundreds of theatre-mad youngsters happy.

...groove on down!
Perhaps the development of Umeå's cultural scene has contributed to its rise as entertainment hub.
We have a wide range of cinemas, pubs, restaurants and night clubs. Record companies launch groups which climb the charts abroad; new cabarets, pub, extravaganzas or shows pick up where others leave off.

Umeå is renowned for its much acclaimed festivals, which are large, popular events. The oldest of these is Umeå Jazz Festival. September give way to Umeå Film Festival, which is currently the second-largest in Sweden.

Text: with permission from the author Stefan Back at Information & Media, The township in Umeå
Photography: Marie Johansson

[ Umeå in painted winterlandscape ]

The temperature at Umeå Airport, Sweden

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