Every design for Skutskär

The smell of river and forest, the low pulse from the pulp mill and a horizon opening towards the Gulf of Bothnia - that is how daily life feels in Skutskär. The place is a classic works town where Skutskär mill, owned by Stora Enso, has long set the pace of life. The Dalälven makes its way through the town towards the sea, and around its mouth lies a string of beaches the locals call their own.

Here you walk out to the Billudden nature reserve early in the morning, or follow the shoreline at the Häcksören nature reserve when the evening light settles over the water. Trösken draws those who want to get close to nature, and at Harnäs, on the other side of the county and provincial boundary, there are traces of the old Harnäs defence position. The Folkets Hus gathers people when there is something to share - for this is a town where people know one another.

Skutskär is the main town of Älvkarleby municipality and actually stretches across three provincial and county boundaries, from Uppland into Gästrikland. Perhaps it is exactly that mixture that makes the place what it is. For anyone who grew up with the river and the beaches, the map of Skutskär is more than lines - it is the feeling of being home.