Hellsten - English

The small village of Kvikkjokk, by the Saggat lake, was, throughout Carl von Linné’s time, quite a central spot in these parts of Lapland, mainly because of the silver ore found in the mountains north of Kvikkjokk. Apart from Linné, Olof Rudbeck also visited the area during one of his many scientific excursions and found Kvikkjokk to be an interesting and flourishing place. Many years later, Jokkmokk, another place approximately 11 miles down Lilla Luleälv, came to be the most significant village in the area.
The fact that Carl von Linné had visited Kvikkjokk, contributed to arousing STF’s interest in placing a mountain station there, but the impression that Sulitelma was Sweden’s highest mountain also had an impact. Much of the Tourism board’s earliest history can be traced back to this area and in 1887, the first marked hiking trails were worked out, Kvikkjokk being the starting point for these. The trails are still walked today as shorter day trips and they run up onto Sjnjierák and Vallespiken.
One year later, in 1888, STF (Svenska Turistföreningen) built their first mountain cabin, situated in between Kvikkjokk and Sulitelma, named Varvekhyddan. Along the trail between Kvikkjokk and Sulitelma STF also built Tarraäälvshyddan, a small cottage which still stands there. You will find it approximately one kilometer downstreams, across the bridge over Tarraälven, in between the Tarrekaise- and Sommarlapp cottages.
Finally, in 1928 STF constructed the mountain station in Kvikkjokk, which was meant to serve as the finishing point of the main hiking path from Abisko going southwards, which they had planned to clear away earlier on. The trail led all the way through the most beautiful, dramatic and majestic passages of the Lappish mountain world and so, it was decided that it not be removed. The mountain station’s architect was, as always with STF’s buildings, was John Åkerlund.