Things to see and do Ivalo

The Finns are also gifted with talented designers. This design house, created by a passionate couple, Hanneli and Pekka Sillfors, opened its doors in 2005. Set in the heart of nature, its workshop and showroom are housed in a handsome wooden building complete with a Lappish tent. Here you'll discover the full range of contemporary design: glass, wood, metal and lighting in all shapes and materials. The exhibition changes every year, with several designers in the spotlight each time.

Ivalo was a gold mining town in the 1870s. The gold- and platinum-bearing Ivalojoki River attracted dozens of gold seekers in search of their fortune. Several symbols can be seen in Ivalo today. A statue of six gold miners at work stands in front of the Kultahippu ("gold nugget") hotel, while a giant Finnish sieve stands on Ivalo's northern traffic circle.

To find out more, visit the Gold Prospector Museum in Tankavaara, 60 km south of Ivalo.

This sculpture depicts 3 men and a woman holding a child. This monument commemorates the evacuation of the Petsamo (now Russian) region between 1920 and 1944. In the 1920s, this formerly Finnish region, populated by Sami Skolts, was annexed by the Soviets. The Treaty of Paris (1947) confirmed the annexation. During these 20 years, the Finnish population, mainly Skolt Sami, left the region, settling on the other side of the border, east of Lake Inari, in the villages of Nellim and Sevettijärvi.