Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EASTERN FINNMARK
Relatively little visited, Eastern Finnmark, heartland of the Eastern Sami culture, has some
charming coastal villages and a unique frontier history that embraces Finns, explorers and
wartime destruction.
Nordkyn Peninsula
Thechurch-shapedrockformationknownasthe
Finnkirka
markstheentrancetothevillage
of
Kjøllefjord
and provides a majestic introduction to this remote corner of Finnmark, a
treasure trove for collectors of 'northernmosts'.
Across the peninsula, the tiny coastal village of Gamvik claims the world's northernmost
museum (Strandveien 94; adult/child Nkr50/10; 9.30am-4.30pm daily mid-
Jun-Aug, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri rest of year; )
. In a former fish-drying shed, it reveals
the fishing cultures of these far-flung environs. Nearby, a birdwatchers' trail runs through
the
Slett-nes Nature Reserve
,frequentedbynestingandmigratingducksandwadingbirds
(accessible onlyonfootorbyprivatevehicle), and
Slettnes Fyr
istheworld'snorthernmost
mainland lighthouse.
In the centre are
Kinnarodden
, the northernmost point of mainland Europe (Nordkapp
is, technically, on an island) and the town of
Mehamn
, unremarkable except as the site of
one of Norway's earliest environmental movements. In 1903 troops were brought in to sub-
due local fishermen, who protested that whaling was exterminating the whales that had his-
torically made fishing easy by driving cod towards the shore.
Kjøllefjord and Mehamn are both brief stops on the Hurtigruten coastal ferry.
BERLEVÅG: THE SINGING VILLAGE
This pint-sized fishing village of scarcely 1000 souls has produced one big thing, the
Berlevåg Mannsangforening
, a male-voice choir that was the subject of Knut Erik
Jensen's 2001 documentary
Heftig og Begeistret
(Cool and Crazy). Something of a
Nordic
Buena Vista Social Club,
the film caused a national sensation when it was re-
leased and earned international respect.
