Skiss: Mats Winsa Arkitektkontor

The world's biggest sundial today is in the Torne Valley, north of the Arctic Circle. The Guinness Book of Records has put Pajala, northern Sweden, on the map, and its sundial - formed as a "round square".
The sundial in Pajala, 38.33 m. in diameter, holds the world record, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The previous record was held by Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with 37.18 m.

The sundial was inaugurated by the Swedish Minister of Labour Margareta Winberg in July 1996. Pajala is situated at 23.28 ° East, 67.21 ° North, which is 70 km north of the Arctic Circle, making a circular sundial possible. This is due to the fact that the Midnight Sun describes a complete circle over the horizon.

Its masts of dried fir form a unique spatiality around a circular "square". The site is especially used for local functions such as Pajala Fair, Romp Week and the Northern Lights Festival.

The central square in Pajala, through its size and latitude, offered conditions for a sundial dedicated to the Midnight Sun. Architect Mats Winsa took his inspiration from the square in Siena, and for the sculptures in the park - astronomical instruments in India dating back to the 18th century. Naturally, it was a challenge to compete with the previous record from 1991 by the world-famous Japanese architect, Arata Isozaki.

The sundial captures the sun's movement by allowing the shadow of the central gnomon to fall across the hour divisions of the surrounding posts. The gnomon, like the Earth's axis, points toward the Pole Star, which according to Finnish-Ugrian mythology (the region has Finnish roots) holds up the firmament. The "sun wheel" embedded in the ground here (forming a cross in the circle) is in fact a calendar. Water bubbles up from four sources corresponding to the four principal points of the compass. The water gathers in the central pond, which was designed with children in mind.

For their survival, humans have followed the rhythm of the sun. The need to observe the changing seasons and days led to the early development of the sundial. Our lives today are characterised by obedience to mechanical and national time - inventions separate from true solar time. The sundial displays true solar time, which in Pajala is half-an-hour ahead of national time.

The sundial in Pajala celebrates light, and acts as a reminder of its significance for all life by functioning as a biological clock in a world fettered by artificial time. The hormone rush in spring reminds us of our direct dependence on sunlight as living beings.