Tankavaara


Tankavaara is a village and a tourist attraction in the municipality of Sodankylä in Lapland, Finland. It is located by the E75 highway 90 kilometres north of Sodankylä and 30 kilometers south of the Saariselkä ski resort. Tankavaara is famous of its gold prospecting that started in the 1930s. Since the 1970s, the village has been a tourist attraction including hotel, restaurant "Old Gold Prospector" and the Gold Prospector Museum.

History

The Tankavaara gold was found in 1934 by the Sami people of the nearby Purnumukka village. The discovery attracted several gold prospectors Finland as well as some foreign mining companies. Since 1950 the Tankavaara area was used for research work by the Geological Survey of Finland and the tourism finally started in 1970.
The Battle of Tankavaara was fought during the Lapland War in 26–31 October 1944 between the retreating German troops and the Finnish Army.

The Gold Museum

The International Gold Museum presents the history of Finnish gold, as well as the history of the world's major gold rushes. A display called Golden world, tells the story of gold in more than 20 countries. The outdoor museum is housed within several historic buildings and the courtyard is decorated with a large bronze statue of a gold prospector, by the artist professor Ensio Seppänen. The museum's stone and mineral collection has more than 2500 samples on display from around the world.

Tankavaara Gold Village: Activities and accommodation

Tankavaara is known for the gold prospecting and gold rush and the small village is full of life in the summertime. The winter season is more about the Northern Light hunting and snow activities as snowshoeing and skiing in the Urho Kekkonen National Park next to the Gold Village. Location near the road E75 is excellent for travellers, the bus stop "Tankavaara th" is 200 meters from the restaurant and the reception.
Tankavaara Gold Village offers accommodation year around, both in small authentic wilderness cabins and more modern Korundi apartments. The cottages have been built to reflect the simple living of the gold prospectors while Korundi apartments and rooms have more commodities. New twin rooms are available from February 2019.
In The Old Gold Prospector restaurant, you will find all the colourful stories and tastes from the world, but ingredients are always from the local area, depending of the season.