Arctic Garden named 1 of country’s 100 best parks
Published : 30 Aug 2017, 19:22
The Finnish Association of Landscape Industries has named the Arctic Garden in Rovaniemi as one of the best 100 parks in the country.
The Arctic Garden is the lone park selected from Rovaniemi by the association for the distinction under its 100-Park campaign. A total of 670 parks were nominated for the competition.
The Association of Municipal Green Area Managers, the Finnish Association of Landscape Industries, and the Network of National City Parks jointly organised the campaign as a part of Finland’s centenary celebrations.
The Arctic Garden is the best park in Rovaniemi where visitors have the opportunity to enjoy birds, trees and the Ounasjoki River in the same place, said Arctic Centre Event Coordinator Kivilahti Raija.
“People from disparate strata of life visit the park set up on a plot of about seven hectares to watch various species of trees and birds, to walk their dogs, to enjoy picnic etc in the nature,” Raija told the Daily Finland.
Children from kindergarten schools visit the garden to know the trees, while students of the University of Lapland Education Faculty use it for environmental studies and students of Art and Design of the university use the place for creating ice-and-snow artworks during the winter, she added.
“There are about 500 Arctic plants of 14 different species in the garden now,” said Head Gardener Mikko Helenius while taking care of the trees and grass with Environment Specialist Tuomas Määttä on 25 August.
Helenius said the garden was set up in 1992 by the Arktikum in cooperation with the University of Oulu and the local garden school Pöykkölä.
Mättä said a large number of people, particularly the pensioners, throng the garden every day. People also enjoy swimming in the river during the summer. Spanning a small island, this arboretum park boasts a scenic location along the banks of the Ounasjoki.
The park displays a variety of species of plants and alpine vegetation that have uniquely adapted to survive the harsh northern climate of Lapland.
The Arctic Garden is maintained by the University of Lapland. Copies of ancient rune stones and runic symbols as well as the sculptor and artist Risto Immonen’s ‘Nätti-Jussi’ inspired by the legendary woodcutter and lumberjack Johan Viktor Nätti (1890-1964) are also found here.
During the summer months, the midnight sun sheds its light on the beach park from the north, making an ideal spot for enjoying a picnic or going for a refreshing swim.
As summer gives way to autumn and winter, the days get shorter. It is during this darker period that the garden transforms into an enchanting place from which to observe the aurora borealis or the northern lights.
Three parks located in Lapland have also been placed on the list of the country’s 100 best parks. They include the Pyrevo Park in Pello and the Utsjoki Hautausmaa Park in Utsjoki.
Among other parks that made onto the list include the Kirjurinluoto Park in Pori, the Sapokka Water Garden, the seaside Katariinan Meripuisto in Kotka, and the Ainola Park in Oulu.
The selection of the parks was based especially on their diversity of use, functionality, atmosphere, memories, and visitors’ experiences as well as the park’s accessibility.
The selection criteria overlooked the facts of whether the park is small, big, known, less known, natural or manmade. The criteria was whether the park or the green space is a public place and accessible to all.
Sanna Kärkkäinen, the Managing Director of the Visit Rovaniemi termed the park as one of the best places for the visitors to get nice nature experience within short walking distance from the city centre.
“Located next to Arktikum, this scenic arboretum presents arctic vegetation and northern plant biotopes in summer,” Kärkkäinen told Daily Finland, adding that in the winter the garden is a good place for seeing the northern lights.