Vuollerim
Vuollerim is a small village in the middle of Swedish Lapland by the Arctic Circle, neighbouring the beautiful Nordic woods. The Northern Lights in the winter and the Midnight Sun in the summer are among the reasons that inspire the villagers to stay and work hard for this extraordinary place.
With around 800 inhabitants, the village has managed to launch about 40 non-profit associations. Entrepreneurship is well-embedded in the local culture, which is evidenced by the number of local companies. Nowadays, there are about 60 companies in Vuollerim. Seven of them are Bygdebolag, limited liability companies, all of which re-invest their profits in the local community and are open to anyone in the world to invest in.
The current goal is to create more visibility for Vuollerim, to attract young people and families to move into the village. Vuollerim has very good internet connectivity offering a lot of possibilities, as well as a physical infrastructure that can be compared with that of a bigger community.
One way of how Vuollerim could achieve its goal is the ongoing project ‘My Best Village’ – its involves an app that matches rural places with people who want to move to the countryside. The premise is that villages would create digital profiles and people could get all the information they need to make the move, including job opportunities, schools, and services. The project was awarded the ‘BOLD Social Impact’ prize in Italy.
The Smart Rural 21 project has been a good opportunity to get inspiration and network with other smart villages with similar challenges and ideas.
(Photo credit: Elisa Echeverria)
Smart Rural Journey
Follow along with our Village Roadmap here :
News
Vuollerim recognised at international competition for ‘My Best Village’ app
Vuollerim’s 'My Best Village' mobile application project won the Boldest Social Impact category in the international competition BOLD Awards in April 2022.
The app intends to provide a matchmaking service between people and places: on one hand, for urban dwellers seeking to relocate to a rural area, on the other, for villages looking to market their assets, thus addressing the challenge of depopulation. The app helps people with their decision-making to move; increases the visibility of the rural areas; and improves the connectivity by matching people with rural community organisations.
The idea to develop the app came about in 2019 during a hackathon in Vuollerim, which brought together villages, students, researcher professors and other experts to discuss rural challenges. The ‘My Best Village’ app was selected from 565 projects in 39 countries as a semi-finalist in the European Social Innovation Competition ‘Skills for Tomorrow’ 2021.
Eat like a Sámi
Discover Swedish Lapland specialties: dried reindeer meat and cheese dipped in coffee – watch this brief Deutsche Welle (DW) documentary video describing a tradition which is keeping locals warm.
The video is inspired from stories about the coffee cheese told by the Vuollerim food craft market (Mathantverket Vuollerim) which produces it from the rare breed cow Fjällko, food creator Eva Gunnare, and the Essense of Lapland food and culture tour agency.
Videos
Vuollerim community spirit and teamwork
Find out how the Vuollerim village community comes together to restore, maintain and upgrade vital functions and services, such as the local school, post office, a hardware store, a closed-down hotel, as well as various forms of entertainment.
Sustainable Busines Inspiration: Lapland Vuollerim
Near the Arctic Circle in the midst of Swedish Lapland, the village of Vuollerim is creating value and strengthening their community!
Resources :
( 12/2020 )
The Summary Highlights of the Smart Village Strategy of Vuollerim has been developed in the context of the ‘Preparatory Action for Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century’ project funded by the European Commission.
Language : English
Main village contact
Facebook: @Lapland Vuollerim Instagram:
Contact the village directly via the form below.
