Vadsø is small town situated in Varanger Peninsula in Finnmark county. The location is the north-eastern corner of Norway. It's almost at the «end of Europe» and above the arctic circle. Life is dominted by the cold waters of the Barents Sea and the barren arctic nature. This part of Norway is considered one of the most extreme places in Europe, but the peninsula has a rich history which indicates that people have inhabited the area hundreds of years back in time. In adition - the arctic nature is spectacular. The sea has provided the people a basis of life. Rich resources made it possible to live here and created trade opportunities with Russia. They traded fish for timber with the Russians.
The photos were taken in the month of August on a walk to the outskirts of Vadsø and to the island called Vadsøya. Today, Vadsøya is a nature area, especially interesting for bird enthusiasts, but also for those who find history interesting. One has found the remains of a fishing village that dates back to the 14th. Another interesting discovery is the Russian cemetery. Russian sailors and traders who died during their stay were burried here. As far as is known, it can be dated back to the 18th century. This is due to the close ties with Russia when fish were traded for timber. Houses in Norway are wooden houses and when no trees grow in the arctic, they had trade timber with Russia.
On the walk around the island we pass this mast. There is a sign next to it and a memorial plaque. This mast was used to moor an airship on May 5, 1928. The airship was named "Italy". Under the command of General Umberto Nobile, the airship reached the North Pole on 24 May. An interesting memorial that is visible from most places around Vadsø. I can't recall having read about an airship reaching the North Pole.
We end the somewhat cold and windy round on the island by returning to the city over the bridge that connects the two. Since Vadsø town is small, it is easy to walk around it in a few hours. We first went out to the outskirts on the west side. Here are many small boathouses that testify that it is the fishing industry as the basis of life for most people.
Then we are back to the opposite side from where we started our walk. This is also where we stayed. In a house right behind us. Finnmark county carries many memories from WWII. Germany used this part of the country as a starting point when they were to attack the Soviet Union. By traveling around the area and to the small villages around Vadsø, you see remnants of the Germans' activity during the war. Vadsø has been a good starting point for visiting Varanger, which has much more to offer than I had imagined beforehand. I should like to visit during winter too.
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[//]:# (!pinmapple 70.074113 lat 29.751278 long A walk around the small arctic town of Vadsø, Norway d3scr)
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