With Rudolph statues on display, elves running around, and visitors snapping festive photos on Santa’s lap under sparkling lights, Lapland’s SantaPark feels like pure Christmas magic. But if you look past the fairy lights and candy canes, you’ll spot something unexpected: thick concrete walls, heavy doors made of 50mm of steel and a quiet reminder of the Cold war.
Hidden beneath all the lights is a vast underground bunker – originally built as a nuclear shelter that could house 3,600 people. Designed to protect citizens from chemical, biological, or even nuclear attacks.
What promises to be a fun family day out also doubles as a journey into history, with one of the most unusual combinations of joy and survival planning you’ll find anywhere in Europe.
Dug deep into the bedrock of a forested hill just outside Rovaniemi, this vast underground space was never meant to be this magical. It was built in the 1980s as a fully functioning civil defence shelter – one of thousands across Finland.
Today, it’s better known for its fairy-lit corridors, elf-school and the chance to decorate gingerbread cookies, and you’ll also be able to take a sleigh ride through an icy cavern – all within the reinforced walls of a Cold War shelter.
At SantaPark, every day is Christmas. Each year, thousands of visitors from around the world are drawn to this festive attraction, widely believed to be the opposed (or alternative) home of Father Christmas. While many consider the NorthPole — just 100 miles away — to be his official residence, SantaPark offers a magical experience that captures the spirit of Christmas all year round.
Towns like Sweden, Norway and even Alaska have all tried to claim the title of Father Christmas’s true home. But none have managed to outshine SantaPark. Despite being built on a very hostile extreme environment. Billions have been poured into turning it into the ultimate festive attraction — and it shows.
As Simon Reeve puts it in the BBC documentary Scandinavia: “At the end of the Second World War, large parts of their towns and cities were reduced to ash and rubble. They were really poor — and yet they’ve gone on to build one of the most extraordinary countries on Earth.’
With so much snow-covered land, it’s easy to see why local businesses have embraced the opportunity to create a themed attraction that people want to enjoy all year round — not just on Christmas Day.
One of the key figures behind this is local businessman Ilkka Lankinen. As seen in the BBC documentary Scandinavia with Simon Reeve, Lankinen originally came to Finland to study forestry — still one of the country’s most important industries in 2025. But his path took a very different turn. ‘We are creating the best Christmas experiences in the world,’ he says proudly — and the documentary shows he’s not exaggerating.
From the moment you step inside SantaPark, it’s like walking into a storybook. Father Christmas appears just as you’d expect – long white beard, warm red suit. His elves are dressed in classic green uniforms, their faces brought to life with theatrical makeup that makes them look like they’ve stepped out of a film.
The grotto itself is abundant with toys, laughter and festive magic — so much so that you’d never guess what lies behind the scenes: a darker, more serious history hidden beneath the magic.
In one moment, Lankinen takes Simon Reeve beyond the public areas, through 50mm-thick steel doors that were built to withstand even military-grade attacks. “No missile or bullets can get through the doors,” he tells him – and that’s just the first layer of defence.
For a brief moment, it feels like you’re slipping from one reality into another – from a world of joy and wonder to a reminder of the very real threats this region has faced.
The reason SantaPark was built underground isn’t just about creativity – it’s about caution. Lapland may be full of festive magic, but it’s also part of a country that shares a long border with Russia and still carries the scars of past wars.
What looks like a Christmas grotto is, in fact, a Cold War-era bunker built to protect thousands in a crisis.
Even today, with tensions rising across Europe and Finland a NATO member, that sense of preparedness remains. SantaPark is more than a fairytale – it’s a reminder that in Finland, joy and resilience go hand in hand.