Örnsköldsvik: the High Coast World Heritage site

On the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia in Sweden, Örnsköldsvik remains the gateway to the Höga Kusten, a UNESCO World Heritage site for its post-glacial uplift.

A car remains helpful for exploring the coast and the surrounding islands.

The High Coast, or Höga Kusten, preserves the lands that are rising most rapidly in the entire world after the disappearance of glaciers from the last great ice age.

A few minutes away, the imposing High Coast Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in all of Scandinavia, crosses the fjord with spectacular views of the rocky coast.

Proceeding inland, one reaches Skuleskogen National Park, a large nature reserve with hiking trails through rocks and coastal forests.

As evening approaches, local restaurants serve smoked fish fresh according to the culinary tradition of the Bothnian coast.

The Höga Kusten, declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2000, is rising still today at approximately one centimetre per year due to post-glacial rebound, the most rapid rate ever documented on the entire Earth.

Örnsköldsvik, grown thanks to the pulp and paper industry along the Bothnian coast, remains today an important economic centre of all northern Sweden despite its rather modest dimensions.