Tornedalen

Forest Hotel lies in Tärendö village, which is in Pajala Municipality, Tornedalen. Since 2000, this region has also been a territory with the officially recognised minority languages Finnish, Meänkieli and to some extent Sámi. Pajala lies on Torne River, 10 km from the Finnish border, and is a centre of commerce for Upper Tornedalen.

The community originally grew up around the now-defunct ironworks in Kengis, where today the manor (Sweden's northernmost) is the most important relic. There is also a museum dedicated to Lars Levi Laestadius, a revivalist priest who worked in Pajala and who is buried here.