Scenic driving through the remote and abandoned Hamninberg fishing village - the end of the world - and back to the historic Vardø town through the undersea Vardø tunnel. Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway and also famous for its urban street art and graffiti
The scenic road from Vardø to Hamningberg is an attraction of its own. The views are spectacular. The roads are narrow and windy. Watch our for sheep and reindeer.
Hamningberg is located in the very north-east of Norway, on the shores of the Barents Sea. It is 43 km (27 mi), almost an hour drive, from Vardø. Hamningberg lies at the very end of the Norwegian Scenic Route of Varanger. The only way to get to Hamningberg is by car. The road is closed during the winter months.
The little fishing village of Hamningberg was not destroyed in the razing of Finnmark in the end of Second World War 1944-45. The German troops fled before they had time to destroy the village. As a result, the village is a cultural heritage site with an intact set of buildings, and is the best-preserved fishing village from pre-war times in Finnmark.
Hamningberg was a bustling fishing community. Hamningberg was a significant fishing village from the 16th century and has buildings from its boom years in the 19th century, before boats were motorised and better harbours were needed. Around 1900, Hamningberg was one of the largest fishing villages in Finnmark and home to approximately 250 people.
Today, around 65 buildings - warehouses, boathouses, the fishing station farm, the store and the church - form a traditional Finnmark environment. The fish factory dates back to the 1950s.
Hamningberg was depopulated and abandoned in 1964, although some of the houses are still in use as summer cottages
The Vardø (Vuoreija, Vuorea, Várggát) town is located in Finnmark county, in the extreme northeastern part of Norway on the arctic island of Vardøya in the Barents Sea, just off the coast of the large Varanger Peninsula.
Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway and in all the Nordic countries. Vardø is the gateway to the North-east Passage and the Barents Sea - and Norway’s only town in the Arctic climate zone.
Vardø is the oldest town in northern Norway, and the oldest fishing village in Norwegian Lapland. The old fortress town of Vardø was also the center for medieval witch hunts.
Vardø gets its name from the words wolf and island. On "wolf island" people have lived for over a thousand years. At all times, the rich natural resources of the outer Varangerfjord have created the basis of life for people.
The Vardø tunnel (Vardøtunnelen) connects the island of Vardøya to the village of Svartnes on the Varanger Peninsula on the mainland. The two-lane tunnel is 2 890 m (9 480 ft) long. It reaches a depth of 88 m (289 ft) below sea level under the Bussesundet strait. The tunnel opened in 1982 and was the first undersea tunnel in Norway. The tunnel is part of the European Route E75 highway.
The Komafest urban art and graffiti event was organized in Vardø in 2012. Komafest’s focus is to highlight depopulation problems in the northern regions. During the Komafest event participating artists created about fifty art works on the walls of abandoned houses and warehouses in Vardø. The name Komafest plays on the imagery of Vardø waking up from a long comatic sleep and starting to return to life.
Komafest was curated by Norwegian urban artist Pøbel (meaning Mob). Participating artists were Stephen Powers (United States), "Vhils" (Portugal), "Roa" (Belgium), Atle Østrem (Norway), "Ethos" (Brazil), "E. B. Itso", "Husk mit navn" (meaning Remember my name) (both Denmark), "Horfe", Ken Sortais, "Remed" (all France) and Conor Harrington (Ireland).
Vardø is housing the Globus II radar system used for space observation and Arctic airspace monitoring. The new Globus III radar is under construction.
Nature lovers and bird watchers can experience bird life up close on Norway’s easternmost nature reserve, Hornoya.
Hornøya is a small bird island situated east of Vardø town / Vardøya island, in the Barents Sea. It is the easternmost point in Norway. Daily boat trips run within season (March - September) from Vardø harbour. Visitors must stay within the designated areas during the breeding season
The seabird colony at Hornøya is hosting approximately 100 000 seabirds of up to 11 breeding species, including Common Guillemot, Kittiwake, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill and Brünnich’s Guillemot.
During the seabird breeding season, visitors to Hornøya have a chance of seeing White-tailed Eagle and Gyrfalcon hunting the birds on the cliff. The list of vagrant birds it has hosted includes Black-throated Thrush, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Olive-backed Pipit, Paddyfield Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and Red-rumped Swallow. Hornøya is also a great place to spot Grey Seals, Orcas and in summer there is also the rare chance of seeing Belugas.