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Palace of the Snow Queen

An exploration of the winter wonders and entangled histories of Scandinavia’s northernmost landscapes—now back in print with a new afterword by the author After many years of travel in the Nordic countries—usually preferring to visit during the warmer months—Barbara Sjoholm found herself drawn to Lapland and Sápmi one winter just as mørketid, the dark time, set in. What ensued was a wide-ranging journey that eventually spanned three winters, captivatingly recounted in The Palace of the Snow Quee

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HIB127
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History and Heritage
An exploration of the winter wonders and entangled histories of Scandinavia’s northernmost landscapes—now back in print with a new afterword by the author After many years of travel in the Nordic countries—usually preferring to visit during the warmer months—Barbara Sjoholm found herself drawn to Lapland and Sápmi one winter just as mørketid, the dark time, set in. What ensued was a wide-ranging journey that eventually spanned three winters, captivatingly recounted in The Palace of the Snow Queen. From observing the annual construction of the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, to crossing the storied Finnmark Plateau in Norway, to attending a Sámi film festival in Finland, Sjoholm dives deep into the rich traditions and vibrant creative communities of the North. She writes of past travelers to Lapland and contemporary tourists in Sápmi, as well as of her encounters with Indigenous reindeer herders, activists, and change-makers. Her new afterword bears witness to the perseverance of the Sámi in the face of tourism, development, and climate change. Written with keen insight and humor, The Palace of the Snow Queen is a vivid account of Sjoholm’s adventures and a timely investigation of how ice and snow shape our imaginations and create a vision that continues to draw visitors to the North.   Paperback, 352 pages.

Danish Windmill · A shop with a story

Windmill testimony

A Million Stars

“If I could give this place a million stars I would. It is an oasis in Iowa. Here you find an authentic 1848 Danish windmill brought over from Denmark and lot of interesting Danish and Viking cultural items, a fantastic gift shop with a huge selection and things you can't find anywhere else (like Aebelskiver cast iron pans!) and a friendly and knowledgeable staff. What more could you ask for? It's really worth it to make a stop here!”

— Patty Z. | Yelp
Troll testimony

Lots of History and Small Town Charm

“A beautiful, authentic working Danish windmill. I learned not every windmill is the same. Lots of history to learn. Very cool to tour the inside and learn about how it was transported from Denmark. You can tour the inside the windmill and walk up a few floors even walk outside on the catwalk around the windmill. The grounds are well kept and feature a neat Viking house replica. A tiny church. A wooden troll and gnome home. A great gift shop full of Danish imports. I liked that the gift shop had a variety of pamphlets of other interesting things to do around the area.”

— Cat | TripAdvisor

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HIB127

Palace of the Snow Queen

An exploration of the winter wonders and entangled histories of Scandinavia’s northernmost landscapes—now back in print with a new afterword by the author After many years of travel in the Nordic countries—usually preferring to visit during the warmer months—Barbara Sjoholm found herself drawn to Lapland and Sápmi one winter just as mørketid, the dark time, set in. What ensued was a wide-ranging journey that eventually spanned three winters, captivatingly recounted in The Palace of the Snow Quee

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The Little Winter Book of Gnomes

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$13.95

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