The Far North - Norway - page 864

and artwork by contemporary Sami artists. Outside is a small permanent open-air display
of Sami turf huts, fishing equipment and domestic life. The museum's at Varangerbotn ,
where the E6 meets the E75 17km east of Tana Bru.
Ceavccageadge HISTORIC SAMI SITE
(Fish Oil Stone; 11am-4pm mid-Jun-late Aug) At Mortensnes , on the E75, about
15km east of Verangerbotn, you can stroll towards the shore amid traces of early Sami cul-
ture. At the western end, past burial sites, the remains of homesteads and a reconstructed
turf hut, is the namesake ceavccageadge, a pillar standing near the water, which was
smeared with cod-liver oil to ensure luck while fishing. On a hill to the east the Bjørnstein,
a rock resembling a bear, was revered by early Sami inhabitants.
Vadsø
POP 6100
The administrative centre of Finnmark, Vadsø experienced large-scale immigration from
Finland; in the mid-19th century the town's population was 50% Kven, as the Fins were
known. A monument at the north end of Tollbugata commemorates this cultural heritage.
Vadsøisalsorenownedasasiteforpolarexploration,withseveralexpeditionshavingstar-
ted or ended here. Like other Finnmark towns, it was badly mauled in WWII, by both Rus-
sian bombers and retreating Nazi troops.
In the cemetery on Vadsø island, across a short bridge from the mainland, rest the re-
mains of several Pomors, Russian traders and fisherfolk from the White Sea area, who
prospered here in the 17th century. There are also traces of several protected prehistoric
turf huts. If visiting in early summer, watch for the rare Steller's eider, a duck that nests
hereabouts.
Sights
Vadsø Museum MUSEUM
( www.varangermuseum.no , in Norwegian; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat &
Sun mid-Jun-mid-Aug, 10am-3pm Mon-Fri rest of year) This museum has three sites:
Tuomainengården, Esbensengården and Kjeldsen Fish Factory (each adult/child Nkr50/
free).