Torne River

Kukkolaforsen / Kukkolankoski rapids, look at the Swedish bank

The Torne älv [ tɔ ˌ ɳə ɛlv ] also Torneälv or Torne ( Swedish) or Tornionjoki [ tɔrniɔnjɔki ] (in Finnish ) is a 410 km long river in Lapland. It is the outflow of Tornetrask, a large lake in the Swedish-Norwegian border mountains in Lapland.

Course

The river joins the lower reaches at the level of the city Pajala with the Muonio älv / Muonionjoki, flows through the border between Sweden and Finland, the Torne Valley and ends at Haparanda and Tornio in the Gulf of Bothnia, the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea. At the height of Junosuando around 150 km before its confluence with the river water sharing in a bifurcation. The eastern of the resulting flow of arms retains the name Torne älv, while the western name Tärendöälven (Finnish Tärennönjoki ) bears. The Tärendöälven opens after a length of 30 km in the Kalixälven.

Name interpretation

The river's name comes from the Häme dialect of Finnish settlers who settled in the 9th century AD at its lower reaches, and is derived from tornio, an old word for " spear " from which, in turn, an early Scandinavian borrowing is.

Special

Every winter is built a Icehotel Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden from the ice of the Torne Älv. The ice blocks are also exported worldwide and used for various events, especially for the Icebars of spirits manufacturer Absolut Vodka in several European cities as well as in Shanghai and Tokyo.

Just before crossing the mouth of an extension of the railway line floor - Haparanda railway bridge over the Torne älv which carries a four- rail track to standard gauge and Finnish broad gauge, the river.