Ivalojoen Kultala (Gold Village)

The State built the Kultala Gold Mining Village, also known as the "Crown Station", on the banks of the River Ivalojoki in 1870 in order to control gold digging and the gold trade. In the 1900s, Kultala was used less than before, and by the 1920s the buildings were in a bad condition. Today, the main building displays a few pieces of furniture and maps. In addition to the main building, the bakery and the open wilderness hut are also open to visitors.

Lapin Kultala Foundation took the initiative to renovate the buildings under the instruction of the National Board of Antiquities in 1972 and 1982. The worker's quarters, the bakery and the storage building were in such a bad condition that they had to be renovated according to old photographs and drawings. The buildings were renovated for second time in 2000. The spacious Väentupa now serves as a shared rental hut.

In 1970 Metsähallitus built a two-room hut below the workers' quarters for the use of hikers. The hut burned down in 1995. The new hut was completed in 1996 on the eastern side of the main building. One of its two rooms serves as an open wilderness hut and the other as a reservable wilderness hut.

By the river at Kultala stands an old sauna building, which is no longer in use. There is plenty of space for camping in the yard area.

Sources:
Mäkipuro, Viljo 1975: Kulta - Lappia ja kullankaivajia. Porvoo. WSOY. p. 303.
Stigzelius, Herman 1987: Kultakuume. Lapin kullan historiaa 2. Helsinki. Suomen Matkailuliitto. p. 256.