Bjørn Sundquist forside_rørende_historier

Introduction

Provided by:

Visit Hammerfest

Hi and welcome to this short round tour around the streets of Hammerfest. My name is Bjørn Sundquist, and this is where I grew up, and it was here that I sat my high school exams in 1967. Today, you will hear about the town’s most important eras and events, both good and bad. You will get to hear about the history, the people and not least how the town has reinvented itself time after time, despite despots and politicians who have made hapless choices affecting the town. Today the town flourishes with an optimism which is built on hard work, courage, and a strong will. Join me, listen, see, and learn! And when you are finished you will be a little bit wiser, and if you want, you can follow some of the other routes on the App and learn more about the different places, houses, and sculptures. God tur :-)

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch

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Points of interest

#1

The Northern Lights

The Northern lights – the aurora borealis – are one of the most fantastic things that we have here in Finnmark. Even a hardened Finnmarker can find themselves with a tear in their eye when the magical lights dance in the sky. It is the greatest light show of all time and should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. You will get the best and most spectacular experience of the Northern lights the further away from artificial lights you are, although you can still have a magical experience right where you are standing now. The Northern lights have been the subject of superstition from ancient times and there are many myths that have arisen around them. In Viking times, it was said that the beautiful lights came from the armour and shields of the Valkkyrienes warrior girls dancing in the sky. Children were told that if they waved a white handkerchief at the northern lights, they would come and take them. Dare you try it? The Northern lights occur when electrically loaded particles are emitted from the sun and collide with the gasses in the earth’s atmosphere. The collision of the different gasses gives the light movement and creates the different colours, almost like a burning bonfire. Maybe that is why the Sami call the Northern lights the “the crackling lights” which were the souls of the dead.

Audio guides available in: