The church hill of present-day Gammelstad was a small island at the mouth of the Lule river.

During the 14th century the area became the centre of a parish stretching from the coast to the Norwegian mountains along the Kalix, Lule and Råne rivers.

To secure the area the Swedish state entrusted the Lule river valley to burghers from Central Sweden.

This is a large building, reflecting the economic prosperity of the area, presumably based on trading fur and salmon.

To the north-east of Gammelstad church, a few blocks with courtyards laid out at right-angles still remain, which have their roots in the 17th century.