Kiruna · SE

Pitkäjärvi

Pitkäjärvi is a small, long-drawn sub-arctic lake lying in the fell country east of Kiruna, high in Swedish Lapland. The name is Finnish/Meänkielien for "the long lake," a reminder that this far north the place-names carry the region's Sámi and Tornedalian heritage. Sitting at roughly 331 metres above sea level and covering some 56 hectares, it is the kind of quiet, mirror-still water that defines Kiruna's vast lake landscape rather than a built-up sight. What draws people here is fishing and the surrounding wilderness. Officially rated in "high" ecological status, the lake holds cold-water species typical of the sub-mountain zone—brown trout and arctic char for the serious angler, alongside pike, perch and the local favourite whitefish (röding). It lies within Kiruna municipality, a region marketed as a fishing paradise with thousands of lakes, guided summer and ice-fishing trips, and easy-to-reach water within half an hour's drive of town.