hidden europe 68

The story of Storlien: A Scandinavian border community

by Nicky Gardner

Picture above: Trains from Norway and Sweden meet at remote Storlien (photo (c) hidden europe).

Summary

There’s not much ado in the Swedish ski resort of Storlien off-season. It’s a classic border station where the trains from Trondheim in Norway terminate. Few linger, but we decided to stay and see what Storlien has to offer.

We slipped into Storlien, crossing the border without formality, and stepping off the train from Norway onto a wet railway platform. We were the only passengers on the train to this outpost in the hills. With the mountains all around shrouded in mist, Storlien seemed like the most forlorn spot on earth. Within a few minutes, the red train which had brought us up from the Norwegian village of Hell, had set off back to Norway, slipping back down Teveldalen and following the fast flowing waters of the Størdalselva down towards the coast.

Not all arrivals in Storlien are so low-key. This scattered community in the hills happens to have royal connections, for it is to Storlien that the Swedish royal family repair each Easter to enjoy snow and seclusion. The latter is not guaranteed for with the royals come the paparazzi. But on a midweek day in late September, there are no crowds on the railway platform and the streets of Storlien are deserted.

Storlien is one of those places which in the last century figured more prominently than now in the mental maps of rail travellers. It was one of those important routing points for passengers making international journeys, like Vallorbe, Ventimiglia and Cerbère, respectively on France’s borders with Switzerland, Italy and Spain. Cast back half a century, and the very first Interrailers tumbled onto the night train from Stockholm and slept in seats and corridors. Some slumbered right through to Storlien, where the train had a 20-minute stop just after ten in the morning before crossing the border into Norway.

The through trains from Stockholm via Storlien into Norway are long gone. Anyone travelling to Trondheim on this route — the second most northerly rail crossing between the two countries, — must now change trains in Storlien.

This community on one of Europe’s open borders cuts a dash on account of its royal residence, which is in truth a modest wooden dwelling of a kind that many Swedes might have as a second home in the hills. But there is more: Storlien is the starting point for a longdistance hiking trail that runs south to Sälen, broadly parallel to the Norwegian frontier for much of its 360-km length.

Related articleFull text online

Pure theatre: homage to Lake Lucerne

Swiss lakes are in a class of their own. But is there one that just has the edge over the rest? Some may cast their vote for Léman, and others will argue the case for Lugano. But for us it’s Lake Lucerne, where the lake’s unusual vaguely cruciform shape changes a boat journey into pure theatre.

Related article

Marking Time: New Train Services for 2020

The hidden europe award for ingenuity in creating new European rail travel opportunities is awarded to Austria's state rail operator, Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB). We look at what ÖBB will offer anew for 2020, and examine too what's new on the rails in Russia, Germany and elsewhere across Europe.

Related article

An Essex backwater: Discovering Harwich

The old town of Harwich, a port in the county of Essex on England's North Sea coast, is tucked away on the end of a peninsula. Maritime connections have shaped the development of Harwich. It's a place for sea breezes, rock oysters and watching the ferries come and go.