A story in 14 chapters
THE COASTAL TRIP
KUST Hotel & Spa is a journey of discovery along the Pite River – from the mountains in the north to sea and archipelago in the south. A story in 14 chapters, or floors if you will, inspired by the surrounding nature, shapes, and flavors. Here begins your KUST journey. Read more about the floors and their significance below.
Here, the primal forces of nature have shaped people, ideas, and society throughout history. The silence of the forest, the salt-sprayed fishing life, and the opportunities of reindeer husbandry have inspired today’s traders, creators, and entrepreneurs.
On the first floor, you will find our conference floor. There, we want to harness the energy from history and inspire new achievements in the meeting between history and the present.
Through the centuries, the people around the Pite River valley have lived with and from nature’s own resources. Today, the basics from the same pantry can be found in delicatessen shops and on the menus of star-rated restaurants. Here, anyone can discover new flavors at any time and who knows, perhaps some taste memories from childhood will be rediscovered.
On the second floor, you will find our breakfast and party floor. A floor where taste buds come to life and the evening’s festivities go hand in hand.
For centuries, fishing enthusiasts have flocked to Stenskär to fish for herring, whitefish, trout, and salmon. The unique environment is immediate. The long sandy beach, the lagoon-like natural harbor, the ancient stone labyrinths, and charming fishing cottages are all proud evidence of Stenskär’s status as a nature reserve.
On the third floor, the third chapter of the KUST history begins – amidst windblown landings, salt-sprayed environments, and traditional fishing camps.
Follow the wings of history through the villages and all the colorful personalities who have grown up and left their marks along the Pite River – on the journey from mountains to coast. The people who dared to go against the grain. Those who took on challenges, thought both new and high and contributed to the naturally inherited curiosity that still characterizes the region today. Get a little closer to the local legends – those who deserve their very own place in history.
The Pite River is reborn every day at Sulitelma, Sweden’s largest glacier. The journey towards the Gulf of Bothnia continues in three chapters along the way past historical fishing villages and picturesque Norrbotten villages. The journey starts in the mountain area Mavasjaure, continues through the forest area Tjeggelvas, and rounds off after Storforsen where it merges with the coastal landscape and sums up the region’s blue-green lifeline.
Join our loving interpretation of the national river’s journey – all the way from the mountains to the coast.
Carl von Linné laid the foundation for modern nomenclature in Swedish biology. On May 12, 1732, he embarked on his famous Lapland journey where he depicted the wonders of nature and marveled at the Sami culture. And indeed, the diverse flora and fauna of the region and the Piteå river valley are still fantastic today – home to the now protected freshwater pearl mussel.
On the sixth floor, we proudly present the history of the region’s plants and animals.
Have you heard the legends of Trollforsarna and the robber in Eliasgrottan? Here, on floor 7, we highlight some different exciting places on our journey along the Pite River. How did the names come about, and what can a visit to the place offer?
Please continue along the journey of discovery with the help of art, images, and stories from the region’s mixed soils.
It is said that the Sámi have more than two hundred words for snow, the truth is rather that they instead have two hundred words for the property’s and quality of the snow – or the snow’s soul if you wish.
Imagine all these fantastic expressions, all for a form of frozen water – so perhaps you get entirely new perspectives on one of the Earth’s most significant elements. Water has different tempos, shapes, and expressions that can be interpreted with the help of color, shape, light, and material.
Here at the spa on the eighth floor, we utilize the life-giving properties of water to sharpen your senses and give you and your body new, magical energy.
Two children from opposite sides of the world can, in just a few seconds, understand, respect, and delight in each other, even though they don’t speak the same language. Perhaps they instinctively sense how similar and different they are and are fascinated by it.
Pitemål, or “bonschkan” as it is also called, is a local dialect that originates from Old Norse and is spoken throughout the Pite River Valley, from the coastal villages by the Gulf of Bothnia and further westward several miles up the river. The dialects in Norrbotten follow the old parish boundaries, and Pitemål transitions to Lulemål as soon as you pass Rosvik.
On the ninth floor, you get a small glimpse of Pitemål’s expressive, delightful character.
Australia in the 1700s was an exciting place – so interesting that Piteå native Daniel Solander went there on the journey to become a recognized botanist worldwide. Since then, Piteå has been a stimulating place for entrepreneurs, musicians, writers, and athletes.
Here is our little tribute to all the people who have contributed to the development of Piteå and the region – our very own mark in world history.
The ice cave in the Sulitjelma Glacier at the border between Sweden and Norway is a legendary place said to be the portal to the magical ice kingdom. The powerful presence of the glacier wall is a popular destination for adventure and the inspiration for the eleventh floor at KUST.
On the eleventh floor, the pure, fresh spring water is united with the rugged and majestic feel of Sweden’s largest glacier.
Here, the temperature can differ by up to seventy degrees between sunny midsummer days and the coldest, clear winter nights. Here, we are guided by the northern lights in winter and gain new energy from the life-giving light that gently warms our senses with the help of the midnight sun. These unique contrasts – between midwinter hibernation and summer splendor have been the inspiration for floor twelve.
An odyssey from dark to light, through cold and warmth to the moments where the different expressions of the seasons make you pause and think about how life is, after all, fantastic.
KUSTkronan is dedicated to the eternal dream and the constant desire to change and succeed with what seems impossible. 1963 – the same year the pedestrian street saw the light of day – the idea was also born that helped enable new growth and, more recently, the realization of KUST Hotel & Spa.
That was when Tage Skoog founded the family business whose award-winning business sense has never compromised with the proud, beating heart of Piteå.
It is no coincidence that KUST’s concluding chapter bears his name. Step inside and discover the flavors at the top of Piteå.
The river ends where the sea takes over as we write the final chapter in the COAST story. The journey, which started with the birth of the Pite River at the Sulitelma Glacier, gently lands at the Gulf of Bothnia – Europe’s largest inland sea in a distant future.
On the fourteenth floor, you come a little closer to the wide-open sky. Maybe it’s your final destination. Or the beginning of something new?
Now you are at the top, in any case.
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