Turn off the main road, follow the gravel road signposted “Håltebyn”, and the world grows quieter with every kilometre. Spruce and pine close in on both sides, a meadow opens up, and then the first red house appears with its white corners and a stack of firewood under the eaves.
Håltebyn lies in Årjäng Municipality in western Värmland, not far from the Norwegian border. It is not a place of sights so much as a place of moments: mist lifting off a meadow at dawn, a moose at the edge of the forest, the smell of a wood-fired sauna on a cold evening.
A small, living community
Families from Sweden, Norway, Germany and England live here today. It is an unusual mix for such a small place, and it gives Håltebyn its open, welcoming character. Ask for directions and you may well be invited in for coffee.
Just west of the village lies Håltebyns brandfält, a nature reserve formed after a forest fire in 1994, and further into the forest lies Lake Rinnen, the largest lake in the local fishing area. Between them: endless forest, quiet roads and the time to enjoy them.
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