Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Thon Hotel Kirkenes
C1
Eating
Amundsen
(see 8)
8
Ritz
B2
Drinking
9
Havna Pub
B1
10
Rallar'n
A2
Entertainment
11
Ofelas
B2
Ritz
(see 8)
Shopping
12
AMFI Shopping Mall
A2
History
The district of Sør-Varanger, with Kirkenes as its main town, was jointly occupied by Nor-
way and Russia until 1926, when the Russian, Finnish and Norwegian borders were set.
In 1906 iron ore was discovered nearby and Kirkenes became a major supplier of raw
materialsforartilleryduringWWI.EarlyinWWIItheNaziscoveteditsresourcesandstra-
tegic position not far from the Russian port of Murmansk. They occupied the town and
posted 100,000 troops there. As a result, tiny Kirkenes was, after Malta, the most bombed
place during WWII, with at least 320 devastating Soviet raids. The town was also an in-
ternmentsiteforNorwegiansfromalloverthecountrywhodidnotcooperatewiththeNazi
occupiers.
The retreating forces burned to the ground the little left of Kirkenes before advancing
Soviet troops liberated its ruins in October 1944. Subsequently rebuilt, it continued to sup-
ply iron ore to much of Europe, became economically unviable in 1996 - and reopened in
2009, this time run by Northern Iron Ltd, an Australian company.