SantaPark

Useful Information

Location:	8 km from Rovaniemi, near the airport. (66°33'7.00"N, 25°50'51.00"E)
Open:	23-NOV to 08-JAN Tue-Sun 10-18. Summer Tue-Sun 10-18. [2005]
Fee:	Adults EUR 20, Children (4-15) EUR 15, Children (0-3) free. [2007]
Classification:	artificial cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	D=40 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	SantaPark Ltd., Rovaniemi, FIN-96930 Napapiiri, Tel: +358-16-333-0000, Fax. +358-16-333-0020, E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1998	opened to the public.

Description

The central chamber. Look at the ceiling to get a glimpse of the cavern... © Santa Park, used with kind permission.

SantaPark is the high-tech version of Santa Clause's home. The (American) Santa Claus, a combination of a Coca Cola commercial and a Disney animation, lives in a cave at the arctic circle and works all year to make all the gifts for the children all over the world.

So it is rather logical, to build a Santa Clause theme park here, as Rovaniemi lies on the arctic circle. The airport of Rovaniemi is just a few kilometers away, the idea is that visitors from all over the world fly to Finland for a weekend or a couple of days, to visit Rovaniemi and SantaPark.

The reason, why this park is mentioned in a website about subterranean cavities, is the "architecture": it is built into a huge artificial cavity in the hard rocks of Finland. A 200 m long tunnel leads to a central chamber with a ring around it. The chamber and the ring are connected by tunnels. The whole layout looks rather futuristic, a little bit like a space station from the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey".

There is not much to say about the theme park itself. Seems to be fun for small and big children.

All images on this page by SantaPark Finland, with permission.