The family’s forest land was acquired for the new industrial expansion in Boden. Twice! The last time, they chose not to take replacement land. Instead, they invested in a cabin in the alpine resort Storklinten and a new chapter in life.
Rickard Robbegård, Maria Hussami, and their son Neo open up to the spring sun in their new cabin in Storklinten. Outside the panoramic windows, the expanses of Storklinten and Lule River Valley spread out. Neo unpacks his games and toys that always come along to the cabin. Rickard checks the temperature and values in the hot tub in the yard, and Maria places some of her artworks from her studio back home in Boden. Her creations, some of which are pattern-protected, get to take space and set the tone for their new vacation home.
Maria works at Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan and Rickard at the adventure pool Nordpoolen in Boden. The family lives in an apartment in Boden and through the cabin in Storklinten, they’ve gained a whole new life in their own local area, just a half-hour drive from Boden. They have about the same distance to the archipelago and the sea.
Here in Storklinten, Rickard, with a background as an alpine competitive skier, spent many hours in his youth. Today, their son Neo, seven years old, has 23 ski days behind him this season, in his dad’s old home slope. The next generation of Robbegård is making tracks on the slope with a wide smile from ear to ear.
“Skiing is life,” he says, bouncing with eagerness to get outside.
IN THE WAKE OF SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION
Their investment in the growing ski resort Storklinten is a direct result of the ongoing societal transformation in Boden municipality. The world’s first large-scale green steel plant is being built here. Within a few years, 5000 people are expected to move here. New industry, infrastructure, and buildings meet history, tradition, and emotions. Gradually, Boden municipality has acquired land to create Boden Industrial Park, which is now the site where H2 Green Steel’s operations are emerging in Svartbyn, just outside Boden.
ROOTS IN SVARTBYN
The Robbegård family’s properties and ancestry in Svartbyn have been intertwined with Boden’s history in several ways before. Their surname comes from Robbgården, which has stood in Svartbyn since the 17th century. The farm has been owned by Boden municipality since the 1970s. Today, it is one of the culturally protected log buildings in the cultural area by the church cottages in central Boden.
“My dad grew up in Svartbyn, and I’ve been with him a lot on the land there, he knows every ditch,” says Rickard.
Rickard owned land in Svartbyn, around the substation that now has a central place in Boden Industrial Park. In an initial phase, the municipality bought up land to prepare for a larger establishment. To retain hunting opportunities, Rickard took exchange land as compensation. A few years later, they received an inquiry from the municipality to also buy that land.
“Then we felt a bit like, how fun is it to have that land if it becomes a large industrial area there,” says Rickard.
A NEW LIFE
At the same time as the question about the land was raised again, Maria’s mother retired. They discussed whether they should start looking for a shared holiday home in Spain, or a cabin. As if on cue, a cabin came up for sale in Storklinten where Rickard’s old alpine buddy was now CEO and several friends used to be regularly.
They decided to take money this time instead of replacement land.
Suddenly they were cabin owners in Storklinten, together with Maria’s mother who chose midnight sun and northern lights in Storklinten instead of the Spanish sun coast.
“On June 1st last year we signed the papers and on July 1st we got the key,” says Maria.
Over the past year, the family has created a cabin life tailored to their needs and dreams, but also to make the cabin attractive and comfortable to rent out through Storklinten.
“We thought there should be a bobsleigh, sled, games, children’s books, and magazines to be able to socialize and do more than just skiing,” says Maria.
PERSONAL TOUCH
They renovated the cabin with personal colors, furnished it with six beds, and built a sauna and hot tub. Faster than they anticipated, the cabin was rented out. First to guests connected to the autumn’s national team training in Storklinten. Then to Volvo, which had a big event in the nearby area for several weeks.
“Now we look forward to being here more and during different seasons, and just being. We will continue to rent out the cabin sometimes but also enjoy it ourselves,” says Maria.
“What’s happening in Boden might not feel entirely positive right now for everyone living here who has to make sacrifices. But in our case, it led to something new. We see that there are ripple effects and a lot of exciting things are happening here in Storklinten too now,” says Rickard.
TEXT: ANNA BERGSTRÖM
