Heden

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In Boden we live a life of #Närhetsliv. By that we mean the life where you’re close to everything that matters and more – your children’s activities, your job, schools, cultural events, attractive homes, shopping and nature.

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“The freedom of being in the countryside near the city”. One of the oldest villages in the Lule River valley is Heden, located less than seven kilometers west of Boden. The village was established on meadow and forest land by the river and grew in connection with the expansion of the garrison, the establishment of the Central Hospital and the construction of the power station in the 1960s. Heden is both an agricultural and residential area and is home to hundreds of small businesses in a wide range of activities, from agriculture and forestry to hair care. The older part of the village is closest to the river with a number of traditional Norrbotten farms, open fields and barns. There is also Hedengården, a village hall and baker’s cottage run by Heden’s village association. The younger part of the village is made up of a variety of detached houses built in the 1970s. The area is child-friendly and varied with nice pedestrian and bicycle paths, a traffic-safe route to school, its own primary school (age 6 to 12) with recreation and proximity to the city center as well as forests, rivers and lakes.

City center

6,7 Kilometer

Farmacy

6,7 Kilometer

Health center

6,4 Kilometer

Grocery store

5,5 Kilometer

Hospital

28 Kilometer

School

0 Kilometer

Preschool

1,2 Kilometer

1. Nature Wherever you live in Heden, it is easy to get out into nature. In winter there is a well-maintained snowmobile network and ski trails. In summer you can choose to swim in the river or lake. (Both Alträsk and Vändträsk have family-friendly bathing areas). Seabird life in the area is rich. In Hednoret, the migratory birds gather to continue their journey north or south, depending on the season. Långberget offers plenty of opportunities for hiking, berry and mushroom picking. Hedens byalag sells cards for both regular fishing and crayfish fishing.
2. primary school (age 6 to 12) Heden's school is located in the middle of the village and has two after-school departments. As of fall 2023, the preschool department will move to the newly built preschool in Trångfors. The school takes advantage of the outdoor learning opportunities made possible by its proximity to forests and land.
3. Village hall and baker's cottage Hedengården is the village's main meeting place and is run by Heden's village association. The building houses bookable facilities such as meeting rooms, a bakery and a small apartment for temporary rental. The association organizes several seasonal events such as a May bonfire, fermented herring tasting and a Christmas market. Every two years, the 'Hedendag' is held to highlight themes in agriculture and forestry. Log driving with horses and herding with dogs were some of the recent activities.
4. Sports ground Hedens Idrottsförening has a long history and has extensive youth activities. The newly renovated Olympia sports facility - shared by the Heden and Trångfors sports clubs - includes a sports yard, grass pitches and an artificial turf pitch. As a curiosity, the village's first soccer field was jokingly called "Dammvalla" (dust field), because the dusty composition of the ground made it difficult to play. The name Olympia was taken from the association formed in 1952 for youth activities in the village, IF Olympia. The club was initially financed by the dance floor, but above all the bingo became a steady source of income. During the 1970s, bingo fever peaked and busloads of gambling enthusiasts arrived from places like Arjeplog, Arvidsjaur, Älvsbyn, Skellefteå and Malmfälten. In the early 1990s, bingo activities were moved to Olympia and now car bingo is organized on Saturdays during the summer.
5. Michael's Church At Heden there are said to be ruins of an early church, suggesting that the site has been inhabited and resourceful since the early Middle Ages. Today, the village lacks its own church building (or mission house), but an important meeting place for the entire Heden area can be found in St. Michael's Church, located in Hamptjärnsmoran. In addition to services and talks, the church offers activities for different target groups: children's and parents' groups, singing and crafts for 2-6 year olds, lunchtime music, dinner meetings and more. In the church hall there are five icons painted and donated by the artist Uno Öhlund. The beautiful bell tower with the church bell was donated by the village elders and church volunteer groups.

About the area

Heden is one of the oldest villages in Luleå parish and bears clear traces of important periods in Norrbotten’s history. Early finds in the area indicate trade with southern Sweden during the early Iron Age. For a long time, the annual market was also held here.

The so-called English Channel, which was optimistically started to transport ore from Gällivare to Luleå, stopped in the Heden area. The company Gellivare Co Ltd had received the go-ahead to start construction in 1864 and employed almost 1500 workers. Just three years later, the company went bankrupt and the lack of wages sparked the country’s first workers’ uprising – which was ruthlessly suppressed by the military. It was not until the 1880s that attempts to transport ore were resumed, using the newly constructed railroad (Malmbanan). The remnants of the canal – dry canal ditches in the Heden area and water-filled ditches and stone piers in Edefors – have had listed building status since 1989.

A modern historical memory is the Air Force airfield, Field 32, which was built in 1940-41 and served as a satellite base for the Norrbotten Air Force. The field included an expeditionary barracks, an air service building and a deployment barracks. The field currently covers more than 240 hectares, which in addition to the runway consists of open land, deciduous and spruce forests. The field, like other military training fields, has limited public access. Updated information on accessibility is available on the Armed Forces’ website.

An extensive intervention that also constitutes an important industrial historical monument is the Boden power plant, which was built in the 1960s. The construction resulted in the disappearance of the last spawning grounds for salmon and sea trout in the Lule River. To secure salmon stocks, Vattenfall established a fish farm in Heden. Every year, 100,000s of salmon and trout are bred here and placed in the lower reaches of the river for further migration to the sea. It received an award in 2022 for its work on reducing its environmental impact.

Facilities

Fiber / District heating / Local public transport / Playground / Recycling station / Preschool / School grades age 6-12 / After-school care / Beaches / Snowmobile trail / Bakers cottage / Sports area / Ski trails

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