| Åre | |
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Åre
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Jämtland |
| County | Jämtland County |
| Municipality | Åre Municipality |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 1.57 km2 (0.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,260 |
| • Density | 802/km2 (2,077.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Åre ([o:re]) is a locality and one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts situated in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,260 inhabitants in 2005.[1] It is however, not the seat of the municipality, which is Järpen. 25% of the municipal industry is based on tourism, most notably the downhill skiing and biking resorts in Åre and Storlien. In the wake of it have grown hotel-facilities with recreational and shopping opportunities.
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For more than 1000 years people have lived in the foothills of Mount Åre. 1000 years ago Åre's surrounding areas were inhabited by Vikings and Sami people. This can be seen in the names of the nearby villages, like Fröå and Ullå which descend from names of two Norse gods.
About 900 years ago in the 12th century the Åre Old Church was built and people had to convert from their old beliefs. Saint Olaf the Holy is a historical figure who has influenced the village and for centuries pilgrims passed through the village on their way to Trondheim. In the 18th and 19th century the copper mines in Fröå were important industries. Tourism started to grow in the early 19th century and Åre's first Grand Hotel was erected in 1896. The kings of Sweden and Norway came to stay in Åre and Storlien for recreational purposes since the 19th century.
Åre is situated in Åredalen, approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft) AMSL at the coastline of Åresjön. Through Åre goes the European route E14 and the Mittbanan railway, connecting the larger towns Östersund and Trondheim.
Tourism in Åre started as King Oscar II in 1882 built the railroad to Trondheim in Norway. With this new railroad many people came to Åre to breathe the fresh air and to walk to the top of Åreskutan. They were soon known as “air-guests” (luftgäster).[2]
There was no hotel, but in 1888 Albin Wettergren opened a restaurant by the railroad station. In 1891 Åre Tourist Station opened and even more guests were attracted to the village.
A woman from Östersund saw this increasing tourism as a great opportunity to open a hotel and did so in 1895. It was called “Hotell Åreskutan”. Also Albin Wettergren opened a hotel (“Grand Hotell”). These were only a few of all the hotels that were going to be founded in Åre.[3]
In 1910, the Åre Bergbana was built and was the third one in Sweden after the one in Skansen (1898) and the one in Kirunavaara (1907).[4] This was a more convenient way for the air-guests to reach the top of Åreskutan.
Taking advantage of the Åreskutan fell, the major center for alpine skiing in Sweden has become Åre Ski Area, sporting more than 30 modern ski-lifts. It hosted the Alpine World Championships in 1954 and 2007, and the annual Jon Olsson Invitational freeskiing competition, ending in 2007. On March 9–10 2012 the Freestyle FIS World Cup will be held in "slalombacken" close to the village centre.
Åre would also have been the secondary site for the alpine events of Östersund in its bid for the organization of the XXII Olympic Winter Games, the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Åre has since the 1990s become the largest mountainbike resort in Sweden. In 1999 it was the host for the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships and it hosted the Nordic Championships 2007. There are numerous graded biking trails down the mountain. The Åre Bikepark is open from 1 May until 15 October and is the host for the Mayhem Festival.
During summer Åre can also sport hiking, paragliding, kayaking, and a golf course about 15 minutes form the village. In July every year there is a multisport competition in Åre - Åre Extreme Challenge. It counts as the Scandinavian championship in multisport.
In 2008 Åre was appointed as the number one ski-resort in the world at the list from the magazine Condé Nast Traveller[5]
The airport is situated 99 kilometres eastward, outside Östersund’s core, on the Frösön islet. Åre Östersund Airport is an international airport and the ninth biggest in Sweden with roughly 390 000 passengers 2005. The airport is one of few Swedish airports with incoming foreign charter traffic.
The European route E14 runs through Åre from Trondheim via Östersund to Sundsvall, where it merges with the European route E45.
Åre has similar railway communications. Mittnabotåget operates both the Norwegian Meråkerbanen from Trondheim to Storlien and the Swedish Mittbanan from Storlien via Östersund to Sundsvall. Östersund is connected to Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö through long distance X2000 (high speed trains), InterCity and night train.
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