Järämä WWII Fortification Camp
Järämä renovated fortification camp, known as Sturmbock-Stellung to the Germans, is located in Enontekiö municipality, in the north-west of Finland, about 20 km from Karesuvanto village, in the direction of Kilpisjärvi.
Originally it was built by Germans and is just one part of a larger network of fortification camps, built during the Lapland War, to protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean. The camp is dug partly into the bedrock. No real battles were ever fought in this fortification camp.
Renovated section of the camp
Altogether there are about 1209 m of renovated battle, connection and crawling trenches. In the trenches there are about ten different types of shooting points for heavy and light machine guns and normal rifles. One anti-tank cannon firing point has been renovated, as well as two rocket launching points. Three look-out points and fire-command points have also been completely re-built. There is a total of five renovated dug-outs; two corrugated iron roofed dug-outs and three different types of wooden dug-outs. The idea was to reconstruct only one of each of the types of dug-out which featured in this area. An additional 11 dug-outs have been left in their original state, so they can be compared with the renovated models.
When plans were being made for the renovations, help was sought from archaeologists, and information obtained from German Federation Archives and Military Archives, as well as from the German Veterans Association.
Järämä exhibition and cafe were opened in 1997. In the exhibition building there is a 100 m2 permanent exhibition. There is enough room in the hall for temporary exhibitions. The German built Sturmbock-Stellung, renovated fortification camp, is situated on the fells rising behind the exhibition building. It is also possible to get a guided tour of the camp, with information about the areas history.
Järämä is open
- daily 11 am - 6 pm from 25th of June until the 16th of September, 2012.
Tickets and guiding
- 5 €/person
- children 0-6 years free
- family ticket 12,50 € including two adults and 6-16 year-old children
- 3,50 €/person/group (at leat 10 persons in a group)
- 30 €/guided tour (must be reserved beforehand)