56 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2008
ILLUSTRATIONBY JUDEBUFFUM
I N T E R N A IT O N A L
OKAY,WELL,NOTREALLY.
Butweare talkingabout theworld’s
largestmoose, namedStoorn,meaning “thebigone,”which
will open in 2010 as an international tourist attraction in
theNorrland region of northernSweden.
Stoorn will stand 148 feet tall, its monstrous hooves
straddling two separate counties atop the mountain of
Vithatten. The moose will appear to be biting into a pine
tree, and both the moose and the tree will be constructed
entirely of glued, laminated wood (glulam) around a steel
frame.While themythological Trojanhorsemight haveheld
AnHomage toBullwinkle
EXHIBITSPACE
THROUGHOUT
CONCERTHALL
Located on the first
floor of themoose
will be a 350-person-
capacity concert hall.
Itwill feature all
manner of live perfor-
mances, moose-themed
and otherwise— and
perhaps one day, even
a special presentation
byProctor’sMoose
Ensemble (from
Thomas R. Proctor
HighSchool inUtica,
NewYork).
a group of Greek soldiers, Stoorn will instead boast a res-
taurant, a conference center, and a concert hall.
Upon government approval of the $9 million construc-
tion, Stoorn project director Thorbjörn Holmlund, from the
nearbySvanseleWildernessCenter, exclaimed: “This is such
unbelievablygoodnews.Mywholebody isshakingwith joy.”
So, is Holmlund an acute visionary or just abnormally
moose-centric? Here are more details on how a gigantic
moose will soon become Sweden’s premier tourist attrac-
tion.
By JackBoulware
The tunnel-like hall-
ways and the open
areas (they follow
the contours of the
moose’s body)will
function as display
space for rotating art
exhibits. International
guestsmay enjoy
everything from
original animation
sketches of Bullwinkle
the cartoonmoose
to portraits of Benito
Mussolini.
RESTAURANT
Themoose’s neckwill
contain a kitchen as
well as a natural-light
restaurantwith room
for 350diners. Tele-
scopic dividers can be
rearranged for privacy
for any size group. The
menumaywell feature
moose steak as an
entrée, whichwould
give patrons the rare
opportunity to actually
feast on themeat of
the animal inwhich
they are sitting.
