Boden Fortress

Boden was fortified from 1901 to hold the northern railway and the routes inland, with five forts cut into the hills around the town, armoured with steel cupolas and connected by tunnels, barracks and magazines underground. The forts were blasted out of the bedrock with hand-drilled charges, and the whole area stayed classified for decades; photography in the area was restricted well into the postwar period and the town was effectively closed to foreigners. Declassification came in the 1990s. Rodbergsfortet is now open to visit on guided tours in summer, with the tunnels, the gun positions and the living quarters shown; the other forts remain closed or partly used.

What to look for

• Forts cut into the hills - armoured with steel cupolas.
• Tunnels, barracks and magazines - underground at Rodbergsfortet.
• A classified site until the 1990s - closed to outsiders for decades.
• One fort open to tours - the others closed.

When to go

June to August, when tours run. Two to three hours.

Before you go

Only one fort is open and only by booked tour, mostly in Swedish. Underground sections are cold and damp year round. The season is short. Boden is a long way north.

Nearby

Lulea and the archipelago are south-east; Gammelstad is on the way.

Key facts