The best things to see and do in Hammerfest (Northern Norway)

Travel to the North Cape en Norway it allows you visit Hammerfest, the northernmost city in the world.

While Tromso It is the largest city in the north of the country, the truth is that Hammerfest, with its 10.000 inhabitants, is also considered a city, which was earned in 1789.

But where is Hammerfest and how can you get to this small town?

How to get to Hammerfest

A Hammerfest it is usual arrive on the cruise which during the summer covers the route to the North Cape with a frequency of two boats a day.

And this is how tourists discover this city during their cruise leg.

But on my journey trip to northern norway I arrived from Tromso on a local airline plane Wideroe, which is another way to travel to the North Cape.

Hammerfest It is a rich city, and you will see it during your visit.

During my visit in May, a large part of the city's sidewalks were raised because they were going to install a heating system under them to prevent them from freezing during the winter.

And this despite the fact that, contrary to what we might think, the winters in this city are not too harsh.

Located 2.000 kilometers south of the North Pole, and 2.200 kilometers north of Oslo, thanks to the beneficial effects of the Gulf Stream, although it may be hard to believe, in Hammerfest It seems that in winter it is less cold than in the capital of Norway.

In the month of July the medium temperature It is 11 degrees, with a maximum reported of 25 degrees.

But as its inhabitants say, in Hammerfest There are nine months of winter and three months of bad weather.

During my visit throughout the morning I had really variable weather, from a heavy snowfall that covered the streets in snow in one hour, to the appearance of the sun with an almost clear sky.

The great wealth of Hammerfest is due to his liquefied natural gas plant, the northernmost location in the world.

Specifically, from this city the natural deposits of Snohvit which are 140 kilometers away, in the heart of Barents Sea.

But, above all, what I have seen in Hammerfest It is a city proud of its past. And they have reasons to be.

What to see and do on your visit to Hammerfest, a World Heritage Site

You know what Hammerfest It was in 1891 first city in Norway and northern Europe to have electric lights in your streets?

Hammerfest is also the oldest city in northern Norway (1789), and has been declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco, for being part of the Struve Geodesic Arc.

With its latitude of 70º, that of Hammerfest It is the northernmost station of this triangulation system that during the first half of the 19th century made it possible to demonstrate the flattening of the Earth's poles.

Also, as North Pole gate, has a long tradition of hunting and fishing in the arctic that is now reflected in the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society, an institution that tries to preserve this species from extinction, after the prohibition of its hunting in 1874.

You can visit it and see the exhibition that shows you the history of hunting this, although it may not seem like it, very aggressive animal.

Reconstruction Museum at Hammerfest

but during my Hammerfest visit I have confirmed that the greatest expression of the pride of its inhabitants is the Reconstruction Museum.

You should know that during the Nazi occupation of Norway in the Second World War, when the Germans decided to withdraw in the autumn of 1944, they applied a strategy of Burned ground.

This caused the total destruction of the city to the point that the only building that was left standing at the time was the cemetery chapel.

After the war, the Norwegian government decided not to rebuild the city, but the inhabitants themselves Hammerfet those who decided to do it.

Now in the city you can visit this museum that counts Hammerfest history from its most remote times but which, above all, is dedicated to remembering the time of the Nazi occupation and the reconstruction process.

El Hammerfest Reconstruction Museum visiting hours It is from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 15 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 14 p.m.

El price of admission It is 90 crowns (12 euros).

Map: Where is Hammerfest in Norway

The small town of Hammerfest It is located a two-hour drive north of Alta, and three hours from the North Cape.

Best Photos of Hammerfest

Here you have more Hammerfest photos, city located in the north of Norway