Törefjärden

One of the great things about working in the field during the summer is that you get to see many interesting places that you wouldn’t generally get the chance to.

Picture of the the yellow buoy marking the northern most point of Baltic Sea — At Töre harbour next to the yellow buoy marking the northern most point of the Baltic Sea (Photo by Linnea Bergdahl, County Administrative Board of Norrbotten)

Törefjärden is the northern most point in the Baltic sea. At the end of the bay you find the outlet of Töre river and next to it Töre harbour is located. By Töre harbour sits a yellow buoy, which is a landmark pointing out the northern most point of the sea.

Törefjärden is located just 2 km south of Töre. The area is known for being a beautiful location with only a small town and the famous yellow buoy in the harbour. There is a club boat house, a museum, and places for camping in the summer. During winter, when the sea freezes, many people choose to ski, snowmobile, and ice skate on the water.

Picture of Töre river estaury — Water lilies (Nuphar lutea) in the estuary where Töre river run out into Törefjärden (Photo by County Administrative Board of Norrbotten)

However, in older times this place was a centre of a lively industry and commerce.

The town was born in the early 1800s after a mill was constructed in the area. Samuel Gustav Hermelin constructed the mill which included sawmills, forges, and mills! He also built houses and schools for all his employees, which created the town we have today.

Samuel Gustav Hermelin built the mill here due to its good location, the town is also the location of the first iron ore rail in Norrbotten and was the largest blast furnace in Norrbotten. Samuel Gustav Hermelin once famously said “I’ve got a few barrels of gold in cash to use in Lappmarken” and was briefly known as the king of Lapland!

Of the original mill, 7 of the buildings still existent in their original condition. The Törefors furnace/iron works closed in the 1890s. Now the town has gained a bit of a boost as more companies and houses have begun to get more established in the area.

As the most northern part of the Bothnian Bay it has the same unique ecosystem and mixture of freshwater and marine species as the rest of the Bothnian Bay. However, as the most northern area it is even more at risk than the rest of it. The land in Bothnian Bay is raising by around 8 mm per year and Törefjärden will slowly shrink in size as time goes on.