Boden between Fortress History, Art and River Valleys

Rödbergsfortet is one of five forts belonging to Boden Fortress and was built to protect Sweden from attacks in the north. For almost 100 years, it was one of Sweden’s most secret locations; since 2000, it has welcomed visitors to showcase this unique military heritage.

Culture and History

The grounds around Rödbergsfortet are open to visitors during opening hours, while the fort itself can be experienced as part of guided tours. These explain its history, the personnel stationed there and the guns used in the past.

The permanent exhibition “Norrlands lås” at the Boden Defence Museum traces Swedish defence history from the late 19th century to the present day. The museum also has a café serving coffee, tea, soft drinks and pastries. The Boden Defence Museum can be reached by bus route 1 towards “Gamla Sävast” to the “Kanslihusvägen” stop; from there, it is a few minutes’ walk to the museum.

Havremagasinet Länskonsthall in Boden is one of Sweden’s largest spaces for contemporary art, with a total of 3,600 square metres that enable encounters with and engagement in art. The exhibitions address some of the most pressing questions of our time. Bodens konsthall regularly presents changing exhibitions spanning painting and sculpture as well as installations and digital art.

In central Boden, public artworks such as murals, sculptures and wall reliefs can be experienced on a walk through the city. Boden Fortress’s salute station has been one of Sweden’s official salute stations since 2 June 1931 and is located at Kvarnängen by Bodträsket.

Trails and Open Spaces

The municipality of Boden offers numerous jogging and hiking trails, including in Gruvberget, Pagla and the river valleys. A 2.5-kilometre trail begins at Gruvbergsstugan and is used for skiing in winter and for running, walking or cycling in summer.

Boden has scenic cycling routes and challenging cycling activities, as well as a mountain bike arena and a pump track facility in Gruvberget. The 183-metre asphalt pump track is designed for bicycles, inline skates and scooters and is open to beginners and experienced riders alike.

The Pagla trails begin at the campsite and include ski tracks measuring 2.5, 6.9, 8.4, 9.7 and 14.6 kilometres. A central recreational area offers a toboggan slope, ice-skating rink, ski tracks, an outdoor gym, beach volleyball courts, a disc golf course, barbecue areas and large green spaces for playing and exercising all year round.

Nature, Water and Swimming

Aldersjön is a family-friendly swimming area with a warm sandy beach, surrounded by pine forest and located close to the town. The beaches and swimming areas in Boden include family-friendly spots with shallow shores, play areas and diving towers.

The Stabbtjärnbäcken Nature Reserve encompasses a lush stream ravine with old aspens, spruces and willows, old spruce forest, abundant dead wood, and valuable cryptogam and vascular plant flora. In the nature reserve, camping, hiking, making fires, picking berries and edible mushrooms, as well as fishing and hunting, are permitted in accordance with applicable laws.

Brännspiken, Björnberget and Hänghuvudet offer varied terrain and beautiful views. The Råneälven is considered Sweden’s longest free-flowing forest river. In the Råne Valley, there are opportunities for fishing, hiking and paddling, either independently or together with local guides.

Laxholmen has an open-air exhibition on the history of salmon fishing and a nature trail for visitors. Salmon fishing has been carried out there since the 14th century. In Harads, marked trails lead through varied terrain, from deep forests to open viewpoints overlooking the Luleälven and the surrounding landscape.

Valleys and Places

The Lule Valley in the Boden area includes Harads and Svartlå, as well as smaller places such as Edefors, Södra Harads, Unbyn and Bodträskfors. The Råne Valley extends through Gunnarsbyn, Lassbyn, Sörbyn and Överstbyn.

To the overarching travel overview: Norrbotten.

More about the destination

Relevant information for planning your trip:

Boden.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Roknäs, Jokkmokk, Pajala, Överkalix.