Narvik

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GuideToGo AS

Welcome to a walk through Narvik. With this guide you get an insight into new and old stories from Narvik, and about the people who have shaped the city. Enjoy the city walk at your own pace and listen to the narration that is activated when you move within the red radius of each point on the map. You have a full overview of historical and cultural places on the Voice Of Norway map on your mobile device.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

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Points of interest

#1

Narvik harbour

Narvik harbor consists of LKAB's bulk harbour, the central harbor area with the outrigger quays, deep-water quay at Fagernes and Skarveneskaien. The port is central to the development of Narvik as a transport and logistics centre. It is ice-free and well protected from weather and wind. It is the Gulf Stream that keeps the Ofotfjord from freezing in winter, and with a short distance to the mines in northern Sweden, Narvik was a natural choice as a shipping port for LKAB. From Narvik, the iron ore is shipped out to countries all over the world. There are railway tracks with connections to southern Scandinavia, Central Europe, Asia and Russia from here. Around 20 million tonnes of cargo pass through Narvik harbor every year. The Port of Narvik was given the status of "Motorways of the Sea" - a port in the EU system in 2005. In Norway, then, only Oslo had this status, in addition to Narvik.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

#2

The gondola

Narvikfjellet is a fabulous ski resort surrounded by majestic mountains and deep fjords. At the foot of the mountain you will find Narvik town, which makes Narvikfjellet perhaps Norway's most urban ski resort! This is an alpine resort for everyone. Families with children and beginners can benefit from a separate children's lift and several adapted routes with jumps, children's games and much more. The more experienced alpinist has several technically demanding slopes to brush up on. The facility has one of Scandinavia's largest drop heights and very good conditions for off-piste skiing. The lifts take you up to 1,006 meters above sea level. The spectacular view from the top of Narvikfjellet is unique, because the trails almost end right in the fjord. Narvikfjellet has its own gondola lift. This takes you up to Øvre Fjellheisstasjon. The chair lift takes you to the top of the ski resort. Here you can visit the restaurant, in winter sign up for ski school and you can hire the necessary equipment. In total, the facility has 10 km of slopes.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

#3

Narvik Station

Narvik station, was opened in 1902 when Ofotbanen was also completed. It is centrally located in Narvik, just a few kilometers from Narvik Harbour, which is the end point of the Ofotbanen. Narvik is the northernmost station on the Western European railway network. From here you have connections to both the Finnish and Russian railway networks. The locomotive shed between the station and the departure quay was built in 1903 and was designed by Paul Armin Due. It was protected by the National Antiquities on 27 November 2002. The station building was also designed by railway architect Due. The first floor was built of hewn and jointed granite with brick-framed arched windows, while the second floor was built in wood, in the Swiss style. When Ofotbanen became electric in 1923, a transformer station was placed at the entrance to Narvik station. A new switchgear building was also built on the other side of the track. During the war in 1940, the substation and the newest warehouse were seriously damaged. When CTC or "centralized traffic control" was introduced on Ofotbanen in 1963, train management was added to Narvik station.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

#4

Narvik Church

Narvik church, located in the Frydenlund district in Narvik. The church is a three-nave long church in stone, and has 700 seats. It was inaugurated on 16 December 1925. The architect for the church was Olaf Nordhagen. The church survived the bombing of Narvik during the Second World War. Before the church was built, the railway assembly hall served as an interim church from 1900 to 1925. The church has a medieval feel, with natural stone and tall, narrow church windows. It was built of stone from Ofotbanen's quarry in Djupvik. The central nave is surrounded by large columns on both sides. The tower is clad with copper plates. The fittings at the entrance are made of wrought iron according to the drawings by Olaf Nordhagen. The altarpiece was painted by Eilif Peterssen. The pulpit was made by Ingemann Arntzen. Arnold Zimmermann was responsible for the woodcuts.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

#5

The lodge

Narvik's oldest cultural center is owned by Jernbanemusikken. LOGEN, or 'old lodge', which is the more popular term for the house. This is Brugaten's oldest building and can therefore boast the designation: The oldest cultural center in the city. In the year 1900, carpenter, builder and Drammen Hans Larssen came to Narvik. He became a member of "Loge Narvik", and he was behind the construction of the lodge's new building at Brugaten 5. It is said that he guarded and maintained the building as if it were his own. In the old building, you will find a hall of 170 square meters. Otherwise, the house is more substantial than it may appear from the outside. Toilets, cloakroom, kitchen, meeting room and archive. There is even a smaller apartment within the walls here. Once upon a time, this was actually the town's great hall. In addition to theater and revue, the main hall was used for boxing and wrestling matches, concerts of various kinds, examination hall for secondary school and gymnasium, lecture hall for travelers from Folkeakademiet, Maran Ata meetings with the preacher Aage Samuelsen, and post parcel delivery at Christmas time. Jehovah's Witnesses have also owned and used the building. Something that is also well known is that the occupiers managed the house during the war with their own revues and French pleasure nails. When Jernbanens Musikkorps Narvik took over the building, the intention was to bring the Lodge back to what the building once was; a cultural center with intimate concerts, revue theater and cultural workshops for children, meetings, confirmations, weddings, anniversaries and funerals.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

#6

The Peace Chapel

The Peace Chapel in Narvik is a long church in reinforced concrete and brick. It has room for 266 churchgoers. The chapel was inaugurated on 14 December 1957. The architect was Jan Inge Hovig, and the altarpiece was painted by Axel Revold. The reliefs are made by the sculptor Finn Eriksen. The decorations in the bier room and the chapel were painted by Arne Linder Olsen. The chapel is used as a burial chapel for all religious communities. The main cemetery in Narvik is located here by the Chapel of Peace. There has been another chapel here, but it was destroyed during the hostilities in 1940. The building also contained a crematorium. It was inaugurated in 1957 but was closed due to wear and tear in 1996. There is a separate urn hall on the chapel's lower floor, where relatives can visit.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

#7

Ofotbanen

The Ofot line runs from Narvik harbor to the national border with Sweden and is 43 kilometers long. There, the track is connected to the Swedish railway network. This is the most heavily trafficked track in the country. It follows the fjord inwards from Narvik and eastwards towards the mountains at the Swedish border. The route has a constant ascent practically all the way from Narvik to Bjørnfjell. The track opened in 1902 and mainly follows the same route as when it was opened. Ofotbanen is said to be one of Europe's most beautiful railway stretches. It is the ore trains from the mines at Kiruna that make up most of the traffic. 10-12 ore trains, in each direction, every day. The ore trains are run for the mining company LKAB. The line is also important for the transport of goods between southern and northern Norway. Ofotbanen is actually an important freight corridor for the whole of the Nordic region and something like 90% of the grocery supply to Northern Norway goes precisely by train via Narvik. It concerns several daily freight trains between Alnabru in Oslo and Narvik, via Sweden. Ofotbanen also has two daily pairs of passenger trains in each direction. One train runs between Narvik and Luleå, with a connection further south in Sweden, while one pair of trains runs directly between Narvik and Stockholm.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, Deutsch , English (British)

#8

Museum North

The main content of Museum Nord is industrial history: railway history, ore transport, and urban history. You get to know more about the history of Narvik and the iron ore, about the Rallar and the spectacular construction of the Ofot Railway. They offer knowledge about the mining company LKAB's ore port and the shipping from there. Also about how Narvik has changed over more than 100 years as a city. The museum is housed in NSB's former administration building, a monumental building that was built in 1902, in scenic surroundings. From the museum and the museum garden, visitors have a good view of the harbour, LKAB's facilities and large parts of the city.

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Norsk bokmål, Deutsch

#9

Narvik War Museum

Narvik War Museum is a modern and new war museum with architectural and interactive experiences, where Northern Norway's war history is gathered under one roof, in the middle of Narvik Torg, in the 4th corner. You can relive the exciting war history of the Second World War. The story is conveyed in a modern way in the new Narvik Centre. With a total of 1,600 square meters spread over three floors, it is not just the battle of Narvik that is in focus, but a more comprehensive presentation of the history of war in Northern Norway. The starting point for the exhibitions is the German attack on Narvik and Norway in 1940. Then follows the five dramatic years of war and occupation. A number of historic World War II artefacts have been preserved for you to take a closer look at.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

Narvik

Points of interest