The banks of the beautiful Torneälven where the municipality of Pajala now offers building-sites for sale.
Photo: Odd Iglebaek
It is late in the afternoon of the 18th of August 2009. Many people, at least those with local roots would probably consider this place, i.e. the village of Pajala and its surroundings, to be one of most beautiful places in Northern Scandinavia. One particular distinguishing feature is that many of the houses in the village are of the traditional type – constructed of timber and painted in falu-röd (deep red) with white window-frames. The spire of the Lutheran Pajala-church is easily seen from the bridge. This is also a wooden construction, originally more than two hundred years old and subsequently adorned with rich neo-classical ornaments and painted a warm yellow. And contrasting all this are the river-banks at this time of the day an intense green with straws and grasses and forests of pine or deciduous trees. In the distance brown-and-white grazing cows can be glimpsed. Yes, harmony reigns, at least on the surface.
Bengt Niska is the Commissioner of the Pajala. He is an elected politician and represents, like most municipal heads in North-Sweden, the Social Democratic Party. Overall, he exudes the impression of friendliness and seems like a guy who likes a joke, but then he says rather seriously: - In 1956 we had 16 000 inhabitants. By 1969 it was down to 10 000 while today we are more or less stable at just a little more than 6000. We are also a poor municipality and almost everything must be spent on operational costs. There is unfortunately hardly anything left for investment.
According to the figures in the budget the municipality has an annual turnover of 400 million SEK. Incomes are generated by 225 million in personal taxes, 37 million in interest and property taxes while 150 million is received in transfers from the state.
Green gold
Like many other municipalities in the relatively sparsely populated northern parts of Nordic countries, particularly in Sweden and Finland but also in some parts of Eastern Norway, it is the forest areas that have first and foremost generated jobs and incomes for generations: Firstly to cut the timber, secondly to split, plane and dry it in the sawmills and thirdly, and more recently, further treatments in factories to make boards, laminates and various other types of products including pellets and briquettes.
In this perspective Pajala is in many ways quite typical: - It is always the timber and forests which have been the basis of our existence. The total area of the municipality is 8000 km2 of which 4500 km2 is woodland. It is not without reason then that we call it 'green gold'. We reckon that the export value of what we take out of the woods in the municipality is around one billion SEK annually, says Jan-Erik Blomqvist. He is the managing director of Pajala Utveckling AB a municipally-owned development company.
Jobs disappear
- In terms of jobs, however, life is not what it used to be. One machine today does the work of thirty men some fifty years ago. Forests nevertheless remain very important for employment. We have two large and very modern sawmills here. They provide 60-70 jobs. We also have a new pellet-factory, creating opportunities for another ten people.
Pajala also has an electronics factory Mikromakarna which provides work for 40 people. Culture and tourism are also growing in importance partly due to the success of the writer Michael Nemi. His book "Populärmusik från Vitula" – later also made into a film - is set in Vitula, a distinct part of Pajala consisting of smaller villas built in the 1960s. The number of jobs related to tourism is 70. In total approximately 530 persons are employed in the private sector and 1 300 in the public domain 900 of whom work part-time.
Airport wants traffic
The airport in Pajala has a 2300 metre long runway. Except for two daily flights to Luleå there is however not much traffic. Airport supporters are busy however collecting signatures in order to try to attract charter-flights. – The point is that we are only 45 minutes away from the ski-centre at Ylläs and 90 minutes from Levi, explain the two Pajala-community representatives.
The total cost of the airport, opened in 1999 and further extended in 2007, amounts to around 100 million SEK with 80 million SEK being provided by national, regional and EU (Interreg) funding. The cost to the municipality has thus been 20 million SEK. – We must admit that some of our inhabitants think this has been too much for a small community like ours, and that we should have spent the money differently, note both Niska and Blomqvist.
One should also add that Ylläs and Levi are just across the border in Finland, the latter being part of the municipality of Kittilä, which already has its own international airport with charter-flights. – Thus the question arises, is there really a need for two large airports so close to each other?
Iron is the future
- Well, Kittilä sometimes needs some extra capacity, says director Blomqvist while Commissioner Niska adds: - It still is a good investment for the future. Just think of all the air-traffic we will have when the iron-mines open. It is only some 25km up the road, and will create hundreds of new jobs. I would say that if everything goes well we can reach 16 000 inhabitants once again – perhaps in a couple of generations. We can become the second Kiruna of Sweden! Now he is all smiles.
In other words, Pajala-community is planning to double, perhaps even treble, its population within a few decades: - This will however represent quiet a challenge to attract so many people and experienced mine-workers in particular who are already most likely in high demand elsewhere across the many other mining communities in these parts.
- Fair enough, but we do not see this as the main problem. We think that many people with their roots here would like to come back. Secondly, I think we can attract people who already live up here in the north to move to Pajala.
- In the new mine in Kittilä they have opted, in part, for a system of fly-in and fly-out, or drive-in and drive-out, one week on work and one week off with the workers living in barracks while at work. Is that an option for the new iron-mine in your community?
- No, we want people who come here to live here permanently, to bring their children here and eventually for them to retire here. One should also be aware that there are an increasing number of women working in the mining sector particularly in operations and production.
Later the head of Pajala Utvecling Jan-Erik Blomqvist takes us to see the site of the Stora Sahavaara, where the test-drilling has been done. It is another beautiful day with panoramic views over the large forests and with the mist covered mountains providing a distant backdrop. Here and there one catches a glimpse of a collection of houses. In fact around 4000 of the municipality's 6000 inhabitants do not live in the centre but in one of the many small communities dotted around the forest and mountainous areas, some as much 90 km from the centre.
– Do you think the Dutch would like it up here, asks Jan-Erik Blomqvist. – Here they would have plenty of room, in fact maybe too much. On the other hand I think they are culturally very similar to ourselves. So yes, we are definitely thinking of attracting people from the Netherlands to migrate to Pajala.
I answer that in Norway where I come from there have recently been a few Dutch immigrants to sparsely populated communities. But also that in all probability there have been more non-refugee immigrants, in particular women, to such communities from the Philippines or Thailand.
It is early morning on the 2nd of September 2009. The morning news on the national Swedish broadcast announces that Pajala wants a very liberal interpretation of the national planning regulations which forbid new construction in the 100 metre-zone by any shoreline. The reason for this is that the municipality wants to offer up attractive sites on the Torneälven riverbank for new houses for possible newcomers into the community. In other words, beauty is up for sale, even in a future iron-mining community!
Jan-Erik Blomqvist (left) and Bengt Niska.
Photo: Odd Iglebaek
By Odd Iglebaek