Mora (Sweden)

An open-air museum about forestry and Mora's industrial heritage.

Mora is, along with for instance the North Pole and Rovaniemi in Finland, claimed to be the home of Santa Claus. The Santaworld theme park is 17 km south of Mora by the Gesunda Mountain. It is a village of wooden houses with actors dressed as Santa, his helpers, trolls and the like. No Disney-style park based on a lot of rides. During high season, which means summer and the weeks before Christmas, the entrance fee is 395 kr for adults (13+) and 325 kr for children. During low season there are fewer actors present (sometimes none at all) and tickets are cheaper.

A museum dedicated to the race. It has exhibitions about great skiers and interesting events during the 80-something years the race has taken place. Entry for adults is 30 kr, and that includes blueberry soup, the energy drink of choice for Vasaloppet racers.

It's the former home of one of Sweden's most famous painters, Anders Zorn (1860-1920). Together with Carl Larsson (whose home can be visited in Falun) he is the artist who has had the strongest influence on the image of Dalarna and Sweden. The main part of Zorngården consists of Zorn's home and a museum with his art, but there are two other museums that also are part of the Zorn Collection. Gammelgården is in the southern part of Mora and consists of 40-something timber houses that Zorn bought to make sure that the old art of building such houses wasn't forgotten. Gopsmor, Zorn's refuge when the pressure got too high, is in the municipality of Älvdalen and is only open for visitors in July.

Dating back to the 13th century, this impressive red-painted stone church is best known for its tall tower, beautiful interior with vaulted ceilings, and an intricately carved wooden altarpiece. The church overlooks Lake Siljan and serves as a key gathering place for the local community. It holds strong ties to Swedish traditions, especially as the ceremonial starting point of the famous Vasaloppet cross-country ski race.

The world's third longest cross-country skiing race, takes place every year on the first Sunday of March. It is a memory of how Swedish king-to-be Gustav Vasa went on skis between Mora and Sälen, where he was talked into staying in Sweden and lead the fight against the Danes. The memorial race goes in the opposite direction and around 16,000 skiers try to make it from Sälen to the goal in Mora, a distance of 90 km. The goal now stands in the middle of Mora (Vasagatan, near the corner with Björnramsgatan) all year round, a portal consisting of two red pillars and a banner with the classical inscription "I fäders spår - för framtids segrar" ("In fathers' tracks - for future victories"). The event has grown into Vasaloppet's Week (Vasaloppsveckan), an entire week in late February filled with ski races and other activities.