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(rshsdepot) Santa Claus & the Aurora Borealis live in Rovaniemi, Finland (Hauskaa Joulua) (A stamp, a station, a Gingerbread Man, the Arktikum)

Santa Claus used to live at Santa's Village in the Santa Cruz Mountains outside San Jose, but evidently he has moved..

Today he lives on the Arctic Circle in northern Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland! Read about it here:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/living/travel/10453431.htm

With the Sámi people.
Santa says Hauskaa Joulua from his hometown of Rovaniemi!:
http://christmas.rovaniemi.fi/images/2002111210066suuri_kuva.jpg
http://home.att.ne.jp/apple/iceandsnow/finland/rova/image/rovaniemi.gif
http://www.emagine-travel.co.uk/lapland/images/rovaniemi-main.jpg
Santa's office at Rovaniemi: http://madda.firenze.net/trips/interrail99/santaoffice.jpg
Even the Gingerbread Man hangs out in Rovaniemi!:
http://christmas.rovaniemi.fi/images/20031116201425.jpg

Here is a stamp from the local post from Rovaniemi, Lapland:
http://www.stampshows.com/rovaniemi-lapland.jpg
And a Polar Circle postmark from Rovaniemi:
http://www.geocities.com/seulanto/leimat/kuva1c.jpg
(I think that's Dasher pictured)

A city and a county, the capital of Lapland, where the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki meet.:
http://tourism.rovaniemi.fi/?deptid=6430

When the sled is in the shop, when the reindeer are on strike, Santa has used the train, he leaves from the Rovaniemi Railway
Station:
http://www.mystinenportaali.com/lauri/joukkol/lomapassi/rovaniemi.jpg
Haameenlinna, north of Helsinki is where Mrs. Kringle's family is from so they usually got off the train at Haameenlinna Railway
station:
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/fi/station/vr_bahnhof_haameenlinna_1.jpg

If you look close you can see Santa getting a ride in the cab of this VR Dr16 diesel pulling a passenger train waiting at Rovaniemi
station platform, Feb. 27, 2002:
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/fi/diesel/Dr16/P2270557.jpg
The Dr16 are the newest diesel engines on the Finnish State Railway, built 1985, here also at Rovaniemi in 1997:
http://www.saunalahti.fi/rautatie/rstock/dr16.jpg
For technical minded here are the specs:
http://www.saunalahti.fi/rautatie/rstock/dr16.shtml

Here is a picture of Santa at his home, and he is interviewed, and at the bottom it seems he is in a picture with Mrs. Santa, what a
babe!:
http://www.finpop.net/tourism/rovaniemi.php

Here is a neat aerial view of Rovaniemi, note how Santa lights the town up! :
http://www.hut.fi/~milvonen/rovaniemi.gif

The suspension bridge is festive:
http://www.julkaisut.fi/lip432/media/rovaniemi.jpg
It is the Lumberjack Candle Bridge, is that the moon or the sun in this picture?:
http://www.lions.fi/district107-L/Rovaniemi/silta.JPG

http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~y0013301/images/urlaubsbilder/finnland_august_2001/postkarte_rovaniemi.jpg

Here are amazing pictures of the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi, click on pictures for large versions, very cool looking:
http://poinvirgulman.free.fr/aurores/rovaniemi_janvier_2002.htm
Did you know that in the first half of the 19th century, at times people in Manhattan could see the Northern Lights, the Aurora
Borealis, there was no artificial light, so the sky was dark and clear...

Across from Rovaniemi is Ounasvaara, a mountain where the Nordic Junior ski championships will take place in February. On this great
aerial map you can see the ski slopes, the small town of Icegolf, even where the Santa Claus SWports Institute is located:
http://www.jwsc2005.net/kuvat/oukku_ilmakartta.jpg
If you want to go to the ski meet, see here:
http://www.jwsc2005.net/
The Rovaniemi Ski Jumps. Prancer and Vixen are known to slide down the smaller one, the elves frolic on the large ones:
http://skispringen.com.rtl.de/aktuell/0303/pics/rovaniemi.jpg

Santa's reindeer, Prancer on the left: http://www.reisverhalen.travelmarker.nl/media/foto/landen/finland/rendieren_tl.jpg

The University of Lapland is located there too, many of the elves attend classes. Here is a good map of someof Rovaniemi, not the
race track where Santa sometimes places bets:
http://www.ulapland.fi/home/atk2001/roi_kartta.htm

Here is a map of central Rovaniemi. Note the railroad tracks. The overnight train to/from Helsinki is here; Santa rides on it in the
off season. This is an intercactive site, you can click on some things but it is all Finnish to me:
http://www.nic.funet.fi/resources/maps/rovaniemi.html

Do you think Santa sails on Harjulampi? The Harjulampi, and a snow church:
http://jdmoncada.tripod.com/finn/rovaniemi.html

Here is a sunset or sunrise in Rovaniemi. At this time of year you can see both in two hours of time!:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~vq4s-szk/photo/rovaniemi.jpg

The Lumberjack Bridge (the tiger lives there too):
http://www.kelt.com/hippo/travels/suomi/images/rovaniemi.jpg
http://www.chez.com/translap2000/rovaniemi.jpg
http://tramp.travel.pl/zdjecie.php?p=idz910
http://jumi.lut.fi/~kotimaki/kuvat/summ1997/ROVANIEM/Jatkanky.jpg
After some young reindeer got tangled up in the bridge on a training flight with the sleigh, the bridge was hereafter well lit:
http://www.suomiopas.fi/matkailuhaku/kuntakuvat/nahtavyyskuvat/9620Rovaseutu1.jpg

All roads lead to Rovaniemi:
http://www.moto.gr/arthra/travel/cap/photos/finland/ROVANIEMI.jpg
And trains and buses:
http://www.hotelpagina.nl/img2/finland.rovaniemi.cumulus.map1.jpg
All planes as well: http://www.ski.ru/imgs/resorts/rovaniemi19.jpg
Helsinki Central Railway station: http://madda.firenze.net/trips/interrail99/helsinki1.jpg

When in Rovaniemi you can stay at the fabulous Hotel Santa Claus:
http://www.moimoifinland.com/areas/images/rovaniemi-hotelsanta.jpg
http://www.hotelsantaclaus.fi/images/20020423175942hsc_iso_ulkokuva01_270x200.jpg

The Scandic Hotel?:
http://www.his-euro.co.uk/hotel_j/scandinaviahotel_j/rovaniemi/scandic_rovaniemi_map.gif
http://www.hotelsupermarket.com/bw_bilder/europe/finland/Scandic_Hotel_Rovaniemi.jpg

Go to the Rovaniemi Forest Tree Nursery and Seed Centre:
http://www.forelia.fi/html_eng/rovaniemi_ohje.html

Rovaniemi in the off-season: http://www.engbrink.de/Urlaub/Nok/img/Rovaniemi.jpg

The reason given for there being so many different maps of Rovaniemi is given that the elves (or elfs if you will) believe that most
accidents occur close to home so they have supplied Santa with as many maps as he has toys for he world. A close up road and rail
map showing the local area names, how many do you think live here? In all northern Lapland in Sweden, Norway, Finlamd are 70,000,
but they no longer are the majority population.: http://www.ysyh.fi/rovaniemi.htm

Swimming under a glass arch in Rovaniemi:
http://194.111.94.20/images/content_images/uima-yrittajat.gif

There is a Grand Prix motor car race in Rovaniemi:
http://koti.mbnet.fi/mmracing/images/radat/Rovaniemi.jpg

The Rovaniemi musem, the Arktikum:
http://lvb.net/media/1/20030606-rovaniemi-articum-voorgevel.jpg
http://lvb.net/media/1/20030606-rovaniemi-articum-binnen.jpg
http://lvb.net/media/1/20030606-rovaniemi-articum-koepel.jpg
http://zoology.fns.uniba.sk/album/0307_Lemenjokki/030721_001_Rovaniemi.jpg
Exhibits at the museum:
http://www.omstilling-netstafet.dk/dansk/udstillinger/udstilling-rov.html

Here is a neat glass enclosure in Rovaniemi, maybe just for the view:
http://www.beyers-nordseite.de/images/finnland/rovanimie/rovani02.JPG
I think it is the other side of the Arktikum, this museum is not only of art but of the people of  the Arctic Circle, a Natural
History museum, here ius the broader view of the glass rear:
http://jumi.lut.fi/~kotimaki/kuvat/summ1997/ROVANIEM/Arktikum.jpg

Rovaniemi: http://lvb.net/media/1/20030606-rovaniemi-detail.jpg

Rovaniemi location in the Northern Hemisphere:
http://lvb.net/media/1/20030606-rovaniemi-articum-migraties.jpg

Rovaniemi location in relation to Scandanavia, Russia and the North Pole:
http://lvb.net/media/1/20030606-wereldbol-met-tekst.jpg

Rovaniemi in relation to Kuopio: http://lvb.net/media/1/route-dag8.jpg

Radio reception at Noordkap: http://lvb.net/media/1/20030605-autoradio-nostation.jpg

Someone playing a three string instrument at the 2002 Midnight Sun Music Festival:
http://www.finlandtravelguide.com/web/touring/index.nsf/(images)/Rovaniemi_jutajaiset/$file/Rovaniemi_jutajaiset_iso.jpg

A very big windmill in northern Finland: http://www.mystinenportaali.com/lauri/joukkol/lomapassi/tuulimylly.jpg

A detailed map of the other shore:
http://www.pm-netti.com/lapin_kartta/rovaniemi/ita.html

My guess is the Ajo-ohje section of Rovaniemi is where the elves must live:
http://www.metla.fi/ro/ro-ajo-ohje.htm
(if Ajo-ohje is a place designation!)

I bet its a nice drive on the Yliopistonkatu.

When in Rovaniemi do as the Rovaniemis do:
http://home.d07.itscom.net/ten/hp/syumi/finland-1.html

And you thought Santa lived in an igloo somewhere didn't you?
There is a webcam there, here is a snowy scene:
http://www.arnold-cremer.com/webcams/webalbum/ROVANIEMI_Finland_06-02-02_groot.jpg

Rovaniemi:
http://membres.lycos.fr/mogwhyland/finlande/photos/rovaniemi_01.jpeg
http://membres.lycos.fr/mogwhyland/finlande/photos/rovaniemi_02.jpeg
Rudolph and friends: http://membres.lycos.fr/mogwhyland/finlande/photos/rovaniemi_03.jpeg

When Mrs. Santa's mom comes she stays in the igloo:
http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/to228/Rovaniemi/slides/Igloo.JPG

How to get to Oulu from Rovaniemi:
http://cc.oulu.fi/~emk/suomi.gif
A snow castle in Oulu: http://membres.lycos.fr/mogwhyland/finlande/photos/sodankyla_01.jpeg

Anyway you have one more day to get there to see Santa, well he will be home on Sunday, here's how:
http://vacc-fin.net/services/fly_in/santa03/
The airport designation is EFRO

http://www.uni-giessen.de/intlaw/ects/partnerdat/Rovaniemi-Dateien/image005.gif


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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