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Welcome to Ånnsjöbygden!

Ånnsjöbygden is a countryside full of life, comprising villages around the lake of Ånn in the western mountain area of Jämtland in Sweden. It is thus well suitable for different tourist activities during both summer and winter seasons. Ånnsjöbygden provides e.g. bird watching, cross country skiing, fishing, hunting and travelling by canoe in vast areas of untouched nature. You will find panorama views of flat moors, steep mountains, rivers and waterfalls. After sunset, the constellations are shining brightly in the clear sky. If you are lucky, the northern light will appear.

Ånn

If you would pass Ånn either by car or by train, only a handful of houses and a big mansion would be seen. However, if you would take your time to stay, all the hidden roads, lanes, houses and the beautiful landscape will appear. This was the ground where people have strived to survive since decades principally by small scale farming, hunting and fishing. The village was relatively isolated until the railway was constructed in the late nineteenth century, when the village was developed. In 1920 a big sawmill was built close to the lake to get wood products delivered to different places in Sweden.

Many pensions were established at Ånn, e g. Vallagården and Åsengården to harbour many guests principally from southern Sweden. People from the big cities suffering from allergic illnesses then went to Ånn to recover, respiring fresh mountain air. The community of Stockholm also set up two big colonies at Ånn: Granlunda and Fjällåsen, where a great number of school children were staying from 1960.

Since 1950 the road of E14 was constructed parallel to the existing railway giving an excellent, 140 km long communication both to Trondheim in Norway and to Östersund in Sweden. Ånn was later surpassed by Åre, which now is one of the greatest winter sport resorts in northern Europe, representing a million Euro industry with a high cost of living similar to Stockholm. However, Ånn may still offer splendid recreation, and with only 25 minutes of driving to Åre, it will provide cheap lodging to people working there.

The Lake of Ånn

The lake of Ånn has to be mentioned by itself. Like the village, it is situated 500 meters above sea level. It has a diameter of about 10 km with a total size of 62 square kilometres. Late autumn, together with the first coating of ice, long distance skaters will arrive at the lake of Ånn. It is also a unique bird watching area as one of the biggest sanctuary of Scandinavia and the only one in Sweden which is protected by EU. Five minutes walking from Ånn on prepared lanes along the moors will take you to different towers for ornithologists during the summer season. Finally, one has to mention the tremendous view over the lake of Ånn with the mighty Bunner mountains in the background.

Handöl

The village of Handöl, situated at the mountain of Storsnasen, is the location of the unique, Swedish quarry of soapstone. The first signs of a soap stone quarry at Handöl was documented in the sixteenth century. The farmers of Handöl prepared the soapstone, which was famous for its unique capacity of storing heat. They were marketing stoves, ovens and pots both in Sweden and in Norway. In 1882, the railway was constructed and the small scale soap stone quarry was industrialized.

In 1719, dramatic events of the Swedish war history took place. Three thousand soldiers of the so called Karoliner army were frozen to death while escaping from Norway. A number of them were buried at Handöl. The historical events are documented at the museum.

Two rivers are joined at the delta of Handöl. One of them, Handölan, is passing through the village with the longest waterfall in Sweden, giving a spectacular view during Spring time. You may thus find exciting historical monuments in the beautiful surroundings of Handöl.

Enafors

The small village of Enafors, situated at the river of Enan close to the mountain of Storsnasen, has since long been the departure point of many mountaineers. They are arriving by car, bus or train to stay at the pensions of Jemtlandia and Enaforsholm or in private lodgings. The most popular destination, either by foot or on skis, will then be the mountains of Sylarna, Blåhammaren and the pension of Storulvån. The panorama obtained will cover the mountain areas of Åreskutan, Bunner mountains, Sylarna, Snasahögarna and Storlien close to the border of Norway. Another popular destination is the waterfall of Silverfallet passing down from highland mountains into the forest area. Additional recreation is fishing of salmon trout and char close to Enafors.

Gevsjön

Gevsjön is a small village close to E14 and the railway passing from Duved to Storlien. It used to have a school, shop, railway station and sawmill, however, nowadays there are few inhabitants and mostly spare time houses. A scooter club is located in the old school building organizing different activities. In the summer Gevsjön has an excellent beach of sand with shallow water to offer, particularly suited for families with children.

Fishing opportunities are excellent. Around Gevsjön there are usually many big animals, like elks. You will have to be careful with driving!

Tångböle

Tångböle is small village. It used to have a railway station which was withdrawn in 1980. At present, there are a number of spare time houses. Good fishing opportunities are available in the lake of Gevsjön and in the small river of Tångböle. Interestingly, British visitors were in charge of the fishing resort until 1914.