Lumparland
Lumparland[dead link] is a municipality on Åland. It is one of the smallest municipalities in the Nordic countries in terms of both land area and number of residents. Långnäs harbor makes it a notable transport hub though.
Understand
Lumparland got its name from the village of Lumparby, which in turn got its name from the bay of Lumparn on the west side of the municipality. Lumparby is mentioned in the historic tax documents as early as 1494. Also the four homesteads of the current municipal center, Klemetsby, were listed as early as 1537. The Klemetsby school was founded in 1876 and it is one of the oldest schools in Åland.
The bay of 1 Lumparn is actually a meteor crater but the round shape of the crater itself is completely covered by seabed sediments. The exact dating of the impact in unsure, but based on the sediments accumulated into the crater and the bedrock that serves as its base, the crater was formed no earlier than 530 million but no later than 1570 million years ago. Thanks to the limestone formed in the Ordovician period, the Lumparn region is one of the few places in the Nordic countries where it is possible to find fossils.
Today, Lumparland has 360 permanent residents on an area of 37 square kilometers, which makes it the smallest municipality in "mainland Åland" and one of the smallest municipalities in the Nordic countries both in terms of population and land area. However, the municipality offers its residents basic services such as daycare, school (grades 1-6), library, and nursing home.
The port of Långnäs is Åland's second most important port after Mariehamn and the main port for cargo traffic.
Get in
By car
Lumparland is at the end of highway 3, connecting it to Mariehamn.
By bus
Lumparland is served by Ålandstrafiken bus line 5. Terminus is 1 Klemetsby bus stop, next to the grocery store. Some departures pick up passengers at Långnäs and Svinö harbors. See Ålandstrafiken timetables for details. The bus stop is located at the pier in Svinö and between ferry piers in Långnäs. One-way bus ticket from/to Mariehamn cost €2.5/adult.
If you are arriving from Föglö, notice, that you have only few minutes to get the bus. Even though the bus is waiting at the pier it is advised to make sure you depart the ferry before the cars.
By boat
The 2 Långnäs harbor is one of Åland's main ports – and the main port if Mariehamn is not available due to weather conditions. Cruise ships between Finland and Sweden call at Långnäs around midnight, and therefore the port is of little importance to those traveling on them.
However, Långnäs is also the western end of two services of Ålandstrafiken: the southern line going to Överö, Sottunga, Kökar and Galtby, as well as the cross line going to Överö, Sottunga and Kumlinge. For these passengers it is of major importance.
Finally, there's a ferry from/to Degerby from 3 Svinö ferry jetty.
Both Långnäs and Svinö harbors are served by Ålandstrafiken bus line 5. Single ticket from/to Mariehamn cost €2.5 per adult. Notice that there is no night service. For those who leave a cruise ship in Långnäs at night, Viking Line operates bus connection to Mariehamn with price €19 per adult.
Get around
See
- 1 Sågkvarnen, Fridhemsrundan 67. Historical mill turned into a farming museum. Farmer's markets on certain days during the summer.
- 2 Lumparland church (Lumparlands kyrka), Kyrkvägen 1, ☏ +358 18 34042. Built in 1728 this is the oldest remaining wooden church in Åland and dedicated to both Andrew the Apostle and Bridget of Sweden. According to historic documents there has been church at this same site at least since 1544. Altarpiece painted in 1887 by professor Victor Westerholm.
- 3 Lumparsund strait. The view to the narrow strait that separates Lumparland island from Lemland island is absolutely scenic. For cars, there is a circulation on the south side of the main road on the Lumparland side. There are sideways on both sides of the road. free.
Do
Buy
- 1 K-Matboden (Lumparlands Andelshandeln), Lumpovägen 22, ☏ +358 18 35511. M-F 9:30-18:00, Sa 9:30-14, Su closed. Grocery store downtown Klemetsby. The store has been operating in this same building since 1932. Most common non-prescription medicines available. Mail service.
Eat
The cabin village at Svinö has a café, other than that you apparently need to make your own food. There's a grocery store in Lumparby village.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Svinö stugby, Stugbyvägen 26 (Svinö hamlet), ☏ +358 45 759 57 652, info@svinostugby.com. Cabin accommodation. There's a café.
Connect
Go next
Unless you have your own boat or use Ålandstrafiken ferries, Lumparland is a dead-end. Next stops would be: