Provided by:
Scandic Nordkapp
Welcome to North Cape. You can use this audio guide to hear more about the amazing things we have here for you. The stories will automatically activate as you go near them if you have downloaded the guide to your phone.
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The Globe So here you are, standing by the Globe. You have been traveling for hours, days, sometimes weeks, to reach the North Cape, and finally, you made it. For more than a century, King Oscar II obelisk overlooked the Arctic Ocean from the top of the North Cape cliff, 307 meters above sea level. In 1978, the massive yet elaborate statue of the Globe took its place and has since then, withstood the toughest storms winter after winter and attracted millions of adventurers from each corner of the world. If you are lucky, you have been blessed with clear weather, and you can see the horizon to the north. Across these harsh, sometimes raging waters, Svalbard is the only inhabited area standing between you and the North Pole. You are currently 2093km away from it, closer than you are from Berlin, London, or even Reykjavik. In the summer, if you look full north, you will see the midnight sun at its lowest point during this magical time of never-ending days, and as your shadow points south, the Globe will be at the forefront of the most beautiful midnight sun pictures and memories.
Oscar II obelisk Unveiled on the 2nd of July 1873 by King Oscar II of the Norway Sweden union, King Oscar II obelisk was initially placed where the Globe stands now and symbolized the northern frontier of the Union. For a long time, it was the emblem of the North Cape. Traditionally, visitors to the North Cape would enjoy a champagne flute by the obelisk looking north to an empty horizon. Nowadays, the granite monument stands on the west side of Nordkapphallen and faces Knivskjelodden. Can you see the peninsula in the distance? It actually extends 1450 meters further north than the North Cape and is therefore the northernmost geographical point of continental Europe. The hike to Knivskjelodden is an unforgettable adventure reserved for the bravest visitors. From out there, you see the 307 meters high cliff of the North Cape to the southwest. If you have 7 to 9 hours to spare and a sunny day ahead of you, pack some food, a weatherproof jacket and hiking shoes, it’s time to go to the end of the world!
Children of the Earth It was Simon Flem Devold, a well-known Norwegian writer, who in 1987 suggested that North Cape, be used for something of positive and symbolic value far beyond the borders of Norway. Why not, he thought, bring children from different nations and cultures together at North Cape and let them create a lasting expression of youthful understanding, cooperation and joy – regardless of national, racial, religious and political boundaries! In June 1988, seven children from as many countries, converged on the cliff to create reliefs of clay with motives reflecting their creativity and emotions. Their reliefs were enlarged, cast in bronze and erected in a semi-circle outside the North Cape Hall together with the “Mother and Child” statue made by the artist Eva Rybakken. Every year since 1989, the Children of the Earth prize is awarded to a person, an organization or a project working to promote the quality of life, rights and health of children in the world. The youngsters who demonstrated the inherent desire of children everywhere in the world to have a good time and be friendly towards each other, were from the very beginning called The Children of the Earth.