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77-540: Kvalsundet is a strait in Hammerfest Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The strait separates the island of Kvaløya from the mainland. The strait is crossed by Kvalsund Bridge , which connects Kvaløya to the mainland and is the world's northernmost suspension bridge. Norway's first power station based on tidal currents is located in the strait. Still in the 1990's the strait was full of fish. Particularly

154-437: A bit longer, conversely the polar night lasts from 23 November to 19 January (59 days). The weather data is from Hammerfest Airport about 80 m elevation and 2 km from the town. Hammerfest town is at sea level, thus the town itself might be slightly warmer. During the summer, massive reindeer herds migrate from their winter pastures in the inner parts of Finnmark to the coast. Among the islands inhabited by reindeer during

231-449: A commuter boat [or ferry ] in 2020, priced at Norwegian kroner 83 million, is still (as of 2022) causing fear that Finnmark will alone get stuck with paying off the boat (when Finnmark becomes a county in 2024); the expense can lead to budget cuts. The town of Hammerfest is experiencing an economic boom as a consequence of Statoil 's construction of the large land-based LNG site on the island of Melkøya , which gets natural gas from

308-547: A long time. This essentially holds true today. The Sami were for many years victims of the Norwegianization policy, which in essence was an attempt by the government to make them "true Norwegians" and forget about their Sami way of life and religion, which was seen as inferior. As a result, the Sami living at the coast and in the fjords gradually lost much of their culture and often felt ashamed by their Sami inheritance. The Sami in

385-521: A museum displaying the history of Arctic hunting. The newspaper Hammerfestingen is published in Hammerfest. American author Bill Bryson begins his European travels in 1990, documented in his book Neither Here Nor There , with a visit to Hammerfest in order to see the Northern Lights, calling it "an agreeable enough town in a thank-you-God-for-not-making-me-live-here sort of way". Hammerfest

462-416: A new Maasø Municipality . This left Hammerfest by og landdistrikt with 2,024 residents. On 1 January 1852, the rural district outside of the town (population: 1,256) was separated from the town to form the new Hammerfest landdistrikt Municipality. This left the town of Hammerfest with 1,125 residents. (The rural Hammerfest landdistrikt was later divided into two municipalities: Sørøysund Municipality in

539-502: A rapid population increase in Sör-Varanger, and the muskrat has spread to almost every part of the municipality. Lynx and moose are common in large parts of Finnmark, but rare on the coast. The county's interior parts are part of the great Finnmarksvidda plateau, with an elevation of 300 to 400 m (980 to 1,310 ft), with numerous lakes and river valleys. The plateau is famous for its tens of thousands of reindeer owned by

616-555: A stark contrast to the economic downhill and negative population growth most other municipalities in Finnmark are experiencing. After the opening of natural gas production on Melkøya there have been some problems with significant smoke and soot pollution in the initial production phases. Snøhvit is Europe's first export facility for liquefied natural gas. Hammerfest offers sport and commercial fishing , both sea and freshwater , as well as scuba diving . The northernmost glacier on

693-576: A total coastline of 6,844 kilometres (4,253 mi), including 3,155 kilometres (1,960 mi) of coastline on the islands. As of 2000, nearly 12,300 people, 16.6% of the county's population, lived in the 100-meter belt along the coastline. Knivskjellodden in Nordkapp Municipality (on the island of Magerøya ) is sometimes considered Europe's northernmost point (on an island); Kinnarodden on Nordkinn Peninsula in Lebesby Municipality

770-490: Is the world's most northern fortress. In the 17th century, 88 young women were burned as witches in Vardø, an extremely high number compared to the total population in this area at the time. The first person burned as witch in Vardø in the 17th century was a man. [Vardø archives] Finnmark first became subject to increased colonization in the 18th and 19th century. Norway, Sweden, and Russia all claimed control over this area. Finland

847-687: Is 914 millimetres (36.0 in) and the wettest season is September until December. The year average temperature difference between Loppa and Karasjok (6 °C) is comparable to the difference between Loppa and London . In the Köppen climate classification , the climate in Karasjok–and most of the lowland areas in Finnmark–corresponds to the Dfc category ( subarctic climate ), while the Loppa climate corresponds to

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924-591: Is a county in northern Norway . By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland ( Lapland region ) to the south, and Russia ( Murmansk Oblast ) to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea ( Atlantic Ocean ) to the northwest, and the Barents Sea ( Arctic Ocean ) to the north and northeast. The county was formerly known as Finmarkens amt or Vardøhus amt . Since 2002, it has had two official names: Finnmark ( Norwegian ) and Finnmárku ( Northern Sami ). It

1001-466: Is connected to the main road network by Norwegian national road 94 which branches off from European route E6 at Skaidi in the neighbouring municipality of Kvalsund. The town is a port of call for the Hurtigruten ship route. Hammerfest also has Finnmark's third largest airport, Hammerfest Airport , opened 30 July 1974. Before the opening of the airport, the only air link to Hammerfest was by seaplane ,

1078-558: Is derived from Old Norse Finnmǫrk : The first element is finn(ar) , the Norse name for the Sámi people, and the last element is mǫrk , which means "woodland" or "borderland". In Norse times the name referred to the land of the Sámi people, or any place where Sámi people lived. The coat of arms is black with a gold-colored castle tower—its blazon reads, "Sable, a single-towered castle Or". The design

1155-445: Is farther east than Saint Petersburg and Istanbul . On 1 January 2020, Finnmark merged with the neighbouring county of Troms to form Troms og Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the counties of Finnmark and Troms were restored after parliament decided on 15 June 2022 to separate them. Four municipalities (of the district's 18) had population increases during Q1 in 2021: Alta, Tana, Berlevåg and Loppa. The name Finnmark

1232-405: Is from 1967 and shows the old Vardøhus Fortress , historically on the eastern border with Russia. Finnmark is Norway's northernmost and easternmost county ( Svalbard is not considered a county). By area, Finnmark is Norway's second-largest county, even larger than the neighboring country of Denmark . With a population of about 75,000, it is also the least populous Norwegian county. Finnmark has

1309-551: Is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal . The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hammerfest is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show

1386-561: Is part of the Sápmi region, which spans four countries, as well as the Barents Region , and is Norway's second-largest and least populous county. Situated at the northernmost part of continental Europe , where the Norwegian coastline swings eastward, Finnmark is an area "where East meets West" in culture as well as in nature and geography. Vardø Municipality , Norway's easternmost municipality,

1463-576: Is the 19th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Hammerfest is the 103rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,338. The municipality's population density is 4.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0% over the previous 10-year period. The municipality encompasses parts of three large islands: Kvaløya , Sørøya , and Seiland . Other small islands such as Håja , Lille Kamøya and Kamøya are also located here. Most parts of

1540-455: Is the northernmost point on the European mainland. Honningsvåg in Finnmark claims to be world's northernmost city, and Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway and farther east than Istanbul . The coast is indented by large fjords , many of which (in a strict sense) are false fjords, as they are not carved out by glaciers. Some of Norway's largest sea bird colonies are on the northern coast;

1617-563: Is the only place in the country with a population of muskrats , stemming from their introduction from their native North America into Europe in the early 20th century, which included their release in 293 localities all over Finland from 1919 onward, and then of about 1,000 muskrats on the Kola Peninsula during 1931–36. The animal spread and the observations of first 'possible' muskrats in the river Alta area in Troms were made around 1960, though

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1694-595: Is used for training by the Royal Norwegian Air Force and other NATO allies, in conjunction with the nearby Halkavarre shooting range, which allows for practice with precision-guided munitions. Garnisonen i Porsanger is near the Halkavarre training area. There is also the Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger ( Gsv ) in the east, which guards the border with Russia. The town of Vadsø is the administrative centre for

1771-405: Is used. It is called Hámmerfeasta when it is spelled alone, but it is Hámmerfeastta suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Hammerfest Municipality". Beside the official Hámmerfeasta , there are also two other common variants of the Sámi name: Hámmarfeasta and Hámmárfeasta . The coat of arms was granted on 16 December 1938, in preparation for the celebration of

1848-526: The Arctic Circle , Finnmark has midnight sun from the middle of May until late July. Conversely, in two months of the winter, from late November to late January, the county experiences polar nights where the sun is always below the horizon. As a consequence, there is continuous daylight from early May to early August. At midwinter, there is only a bluish twilight for a couple of hours around noon, which can almost reach full daylight if there are clear skies to

1925-567: The Germans soon fortified the town of Hammerfest and used it as a major base. The importance of Hammerfest to the Germans increased dramatically after their invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The occupiers installed three coastal batteries in and around Hammerfest, one with four 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns on Melkøya island near the town, one with three 10.5 cm guns on a hill right outside

2002-691: The Hammerfest prosti ( deanery ) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland . Many grave sites dating back to the Stone Age can be found here. This location was an important fishing and Arctic hunting settlement for a long time before Hammerfest was given market town rights by royal decree of Christian VII of Denmark–Norway in 1789. After their victory in the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War ,

2079-996: The Snøhvit undersea gas field. A new oil field was discovered in 2009 just 45 km (28 mi) off shore, close to the Snøhvit field. There is optimism in the eastern part of the county, as the growing petroleum activity in the Barents Sea is expected to generate increased economic activity on land as well. Some snow molds are prevalent and well adapted here, including Sclerotinia borealis and Typhula ishikariensis (especially T. i. group III). Both are pathogens of wheat , and S. b. also affects rye , barley , and some trees. There are eleven airports, but only Alta Airport , Lakselv-Banak Airport , and Kirkenes-Høybuktmoen Airport have direct flights to Oslo . In addition, Lakselv-Banak Airport in Porsanger Municipality

2156-421: The town of Hammerfest and the vast rural district surrounding it. The law at that time required that all towns should be separated from their rural districts, but because of low population and very few voters, this was impossible to carry out for Hammerfest in 1838. (This was also the case in the nearby towns of Vadsø and Vardø .) In 1839, the northern part of Hammerfest (population: 498) was separated to become

2233-413: The 150th anniversary of the town's establishment in 1939. The official blazon is " Gules , a polar bear statant argent " ( Norwegian : En hvit isbjørn i rødt ). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a polar bear . The polar bear has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The polar bear

2310-409: The 16th century, settled along the coast. See the articles on Kven people and Vardøhus Fortress for more details. The Sami are the indigenous people of Finnmark, but Norwegians have lived for hundreds of years on the islands' outer parts, where they made up the majority. The Sami people still constitute the majority in Finnmark's interior parts, while the fjord areas have been ethnically mixed for

2387-482: The Cfc category. The northeastern coast, from Nordkapp Municipality east to Vardø Municipality , have arctic tundra climate (Köppen: ET), as the average July temperature is below 10 °C (50 °F). Furthermore, elevations exceeding approximately 100 to 200 metres (330 to 660 ft) in coastal areas in western Finnmark and 300 to 500 metres (980 to 1,640 ft) in the interior result in an alpine climate , and in

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2464-705: The Norwegian mainland is a hiking destination. The town is a starting point for northern tours. There is a daily boat to the North Cape ( Norwegian : Nordkapp ). One chain of the Struve Geodetic Arc , now on the World Heritage List , is located at Fuglenes in Hammerfest. Hammerfest is also a centre of Sami culture. Hammerfest is home to the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society ( Norwegian : Isbjørnklubben );

2541-452: The Sámi, and swarms of mosquitoes in midsummer. Finnmarksvidda makes up 36% of the county's area. Stabbursdalen National Park ensures protection for the world's northernmost Scots pine forest. The Tana River , which partly defines the border with Finland , gives the largest catch of salmon of all rivers in Europe, and also has the world record for Atlantic salmon , 36 kg (79 lb). In

2618-424: The animals. For hygienic reasons large sums of money have to be spent every year to clean up after the animals. In response to the complaints the town authorities built a 20-kilometre-long (12 mi), 1.2-metre-tall (4 ft) fence encircling the town to keep the animals out. However, as of the 2008 reindeer season, the fence had proven ineffective, with reindeer managing to pass through on road crossings, despite

2695-577: The annual average is −2.4 °C (27.7 °F), and precipitation is only 366 millimetres (14.4 in) per year with summer as the wettest season. Karasjok has recorded up to 32.4 °C (90.3 °F) in July, giving a possible year amplitude of 84 °C (151 °F) (rare in Europe ). Finnmarksvidda has annual mean temperatures down to −3 °C (27 °F) (Sihcajavri in Kautokeino Municipality ),

2772-578: The area in the 18th century from Meänmaa , and later in the 19th century from Finland , suffering from famine and war. In 1576, the King of Norway established Vardøhus len as a new administrative unit for most northern part of the kingdom. In 1660, it became Vardøhus amt , a subordinate to the large Trondhjems stiftamt , based in Trondheim . In 1787, the island of Senja and the Troms area were transferred from Nordlandenes amt to Vardøhus amt. In 1866,

2849-519: The autumn of 1944 after a Soviet offensive at the northern extremity of the Eastern Front pushed into eastern Finnmark. All of Finnmark including the town was looted and burned to the ground by the Germans when they retreated in 1945, the last of the town having been destroyed by the time the Germans finally left on 10 February 1945. Only the town's small funeral chapel, built in 1937, was left standing. The Museum of Reconstruction in Hammerfest tells

2926-542: The coldest in mainland Norway (except for higher mountain areas) and even colder than Jan Mayen and Bear Island . Sihcajavri has also recorded 34.3 °C (93.7 °F) on 23 June 1920. Due to the proximity to the ice-free ocean, winters are much milder in coastal areas (and more windy); Loppa Municipality has average January and July temperatures of −2 °C (28 °F) and 11.6 °C (52.9 °F) respectively, with an annual mean of 3.6 °C (38.5 °F), despite being further north. Average annual precipitation

3003-689: The county is above the tree line , and large parts of the other half is covered with small Downy birch . The lushest areas are the Alta area and the Tana valleys, and in the east is the lowland area in the Pasvik valley in Sør-Varanger Municipality , where the pine and Siberian spruce forest is considered part of the Russian taiga vegetation. This valley has the highest density of Brown bears in Norway, and

3080-542: The county merged into Troms og Finnmark . 18 of those exist as of 2021. People have lived in Finnmark for at least 10,000 years (see Komsa , Pit-Comb Ware culture and Rock carvings at Alta ). The destiny of these early cultures is unknown. Three ethnic groups have a long history in Finnmark: the Sami people , the Norwegian people , and the Kven people . Of these, the Sami probably were

3157-425: The county of Finnmark, although Alta has the largest population. The Finnmark County Municipality was the governing body for the county. The county was generally divided into two districts: West-Finnmark ( Vest-Finnmark ) and East-Finnmark ( Øst-Finnmark ). Until 2006, Statskog , the Norwegian state-owned agency responsible for the management of state owned forest and mountain real estate, owned about 95% of

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3234-460: The current and historical composition of the council by political party . The mayors ( Norwegian : ordfører ) of Hammerfest: The construction of the large liquefied natural gas site on Melkøya (island) just off Hammerfest, which will process natural gas from Snøhvit , is the most expensive construction project in the history of Northern Norway. This project has resulted in an economic boom and new optimism in Hammerfest in recent years,

3311-607: The east, the Pasvikelva defines the border with Russia . The Finnmarksvidda plateau in the interior of the county has a continental climate with the coldest winter temperatures in Norway: the coldest temperature ever recorded was −51.4 °C (−60.5 °F) in Karasjok Municipality on 1 January 1886. The 24-hour averages for January and July at the same location are −17.1 °C (1.2 °F) and 13.1 °C (55.6 °F),

3388-633: The end, the dam was built on a much smaller scale than originally intended and the Sami culture was on the government's agenda. The Sami parliament ( Sámediggi ) was opened in Karasjok in 1989. Gjesvær in Nordkapp is mentioned in the Sagas ( Heimskringla ) as a northern harbor in the Viking Age , especially used by Vikings on the way to Bjarmaland (see Ottar from Hålogaland ), and probably also for gathering food in

3465-530: The first actual specimen was not recovered until 1969, when a muskrat was captured alive in Smalfjord  [ no ] in Tana Municipality (Lund & Wikan 1995). In 1970, another specimen was collected from Jarfjorden in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark (Pedersen 1970). Between 1980 and 1988 there were very few observations of muskrats in Norway (Lund & Wikan 1995). Since 1988 there has been

3542-469: The first people to explore Finnmark. Ohthere of Hålogaland was an adventurous Norwegian (Norseman) from Hålogaland , the area roughly corresponding to today's Nordland county. Around 890 AD, he claimed, according to historical sources (see Ohthere of Hålogaland ) that he lived "north-most of all the Northmen", and that "no one [lived] to the north of him." Later, Norwegians in the 14th century, and Kvens in

3619-477: The first route established in 1936. Hammerfest is town twinned with the following foreign settlements: Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands have honorary consulates in Hammerfest. Finnmark Finnmark ( Norwegian: [ˈfɪ̀nːmɑrk] ; Northern Sami : Finnmárku [ˈfinːˌmaːrːhkuː] ; Kven : Finmarkku ; Finnish : Finnmark ; Russian : Финнмарк )

3696-514: The interior managed to preserve more of their culture. In the 1970s, instruction of the Sami language started in schools, and a new sense of consciousness started to grow among the Sami; today most are proud of their background and culture. In the midst of this awakening (1979), Norway's government decided to build a dam in Alta to produce hydropower , provoking many Sami and environmentalists to demonstrations and civil disobedience— Alta Conflict . In

3773-568: The island of Senja and the Troms area were separated from Vardøhus to form the new Troms ø amt. In 1919, the name was again changed to Finnmark fylke . In 2002, the Sami language name, Finnmárku , was added as a co-official name for the county. Per Fugelli has said that World War II resulted in many persons acquiring psychiatric disorders ( psykiske senskadene ) which could be from experiencing "bombing, accidents involving mines , burning down of homes, forcible evacuation, illness and starvation during

3850-870: The land in Finnmark county. On 1 July 2006, the Finnmark Estate agency took over the ownership and management of that land in Finnmark. The Finnmark Estate was governed in tandem by the Finnmark County Municipality and the Sami Parliament of Norway . The Sami Parliament of Norway is based in the village of Karasjok . The national government runs the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority which in turn owns and operates two hospitals in Finnmark, located in Kirkenes and Hammerfest . There were 19 municipalities in Finnmark when

3927-534: The largest are Hjelmsøystauran on the island of Hjelmsøya in Måsøy Municipality and Gjesværstappan in Nordkapp Municipality . The highest point is atop the glacier Øksfjordjøkelen , which has an area of 45 square kilometres (17 sq mi), and is in Loppa Municipality . Both Øksfjordjøkelen and Seiland Glacier are in western Finnmark. The Øksfjord plateau glacier calved directly into

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4004-537: The municipality do not have a road connection with the rest of Norway; only Kvaløya island is connected to the mainland, via the Kvalsund Bridge . The town of Hammerfest is considered to be one of the northernmost city/towns in the world. For more information, see Hammerfest (town)#Northernmost city . A municipality called Hammerfest by og landdistrikt (Hammerfest town and district) was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law), which included

4081-670: The municipality. The Vargsundet strait separates the island Seiland from the mainland. Seiland National Park is partially located in the municipality on the island of Seiland. Seilandsjøkelen and Nordmannsjøkelen are both large glaciers that are located in the park. The Nordefjorden is a fjord that is part of the park. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,078-metre (3,537 ft) tall mountain Seilandstuva . Komagaksla and Hammaren are both mountains located in Hammerfest Municipality. Hasvik Municipality lies to

4158-432: The name comes from the word festr which means "rope" or "fastening" (for boats). On 1 January 2020 when the neighboring Hammerfest Municipality and Kvalsund Municipality were merged, the new municipality chose two parallel, bilingual, interchangeable names: Hammerfest kommune   ( Norwegian ) and Hámmerfeastta suohkan   ( Northern Sami ) . The Sami language name spelling changes depending on how it

4235-585: The nearby seabird colony. Coastal areas of Finnmark were colonized by Norwegians beginning in the 10th century, and there are stories describing clashes with the Karelians . Border skirmishes between the Norwegians and Novgorodians continued until 1326, when the Treaty of Novgorod settled the issue. The first known fortification in Finnmark is Vardøhus festning , first erected in 1306 by King Haakon V Magnusson . This

4312-441: The north and Kvalsund Municipality in the south.) On 1 January 1992, Sørøysund Municipality (population: 2,341) was merged with the town of Hammerfest (population: 6,909) to form a new, larger municipality that was called Hammerfest Municipality. In 2017, the neighboring Hammerfest Municipality and Kvalsund Municipality voted to merge into one large municipality effective 1 January 2020, and that merger came into effect on

4389-552: The northeast this merges with the Arctic tundra climate . The climate in sheltered parts of fjord areas (particularly the Altafjorden ) is usually considered the most hospitable: winters are not as cold as in the interior, and summer warmth is comparable. Even if winter temperatures are milder in coastal areas, the coast is more exposed to winter storms, which often complicate or shut down road and air communications. Situated far north of

4466-555: The northern Pacific Ocean but brought to the Barents sea by the Russians, have invaded from the east and are now being exploited commercially (especially in the Varangerfjord ). To prevent the crab from spreading too far south, crab fishing west of Nordkapp is totally unregulated. In more recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with the North Cape (in Nordkapp Municipality ) and

4543-409: The planned date. Also on the same day, the new municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county. The municipality is named after the town of Hammerfest , which was established in 1789. The town

4620-508: The presence of electrified grates embedded in the ground. The problem continues – the mayor, Alf E. Jakobsen , joked during the local election in 2011 that he was contemplating a career as a reindeer herder if he lost the vote. Hammerfest Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services , senior citizen services, welfare and other social services , zoning , economic development , and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality

4697-414: The same as Anchorage, Alaska , which is located at a latitude of 61° North. Hammerfest often experiences heavy snowfall in winter, and on some occasions, avalanches or risk of avalanches have forced some inhabitants to be evacuated from their exposed homes until the danger was over. The " midnight sun " is above the horizon from 14 May to 31 July (79 days), and the period with continuous daylight lasts

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4774-405: The sea ( Jøkelfjorden ) until 1900, the last glacier in mainland Norway to do so. Finnmark's central and eastern parts are generally less mountainous, and have no glaciers. The land east of Nordkapp is mostly below 300 m (980 ft). The nature varies from barren coastal areas facing the Barents Sea to more sheltered fjord areas and river valleys with gullies and tree vegetation. About half

4851-588: The sei and cod were heavily fished in the strait and the waters around the Kvalöya with armadas of 80 - 100 trawlers coming into the sound every summer. This way the fish was practically wiped out from the strait in 20 years. 70°30′29″N 23°55′37″E  /  70.508°N 23.927°E  / 70.508; 23.927 This article about a location in Finnmark is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hammerfest Municipality The 2,693-square-kilometre (1,040 sq mi) municipality

4928-448: The south. Finnmark is in the Aurora Borealis zone, and because of the dry climate with frequent clear skies, Alta Municipality was early chosen as a location for study of the phenomenon. For this reason, Alta is sometimes called the city of the northern lights. Fisheries have traditionally been the most important way of living along the coast, where the majority of the Norwegian population live. The red king crab , originally from

5005-511: The story of these events and the recovery of the region. The Soviet troops in eastern Finnmark were withdrawn in September 1945. Mines and munitions left over from the Second World War were found and destroyed as late as 2008. The island municipality encompasses parts of the mainland as well as three large islands: Kvaløya , Sørøya , and Seiland . Other small islands such as Lille Kamøya and Kamøya are also located here. The Sørøysundet , Kvalfjorden , and Repparfjorden are all located in

5082-399: The summer months is Kvaløya, the island on which Hammerfest town is located. For years many of the 2,500 to 3,000 reindeer in the area have been coming into the town itself, wandering in the streets and among the houses. Although popular with tourists, this has been less favourably received by the town's population, with people complaining of traffic disturbances and the dung and urine left by

5159-405: The town and a final battery with casemated 13 cm (5.1 in) pieces on the Rypklubben peninsula near Rypefjord . The main German U-boat base in Finnmark was in Hammerfest, serving as a central supply base for the vessels attacking the allied supply convoys to Russia . Luftwaffe seaplanes were based at an improvised naval air station in nearby Rypefjord. The garrison in Hammerfest

5236-427: The town of Kirkenes on 25 October 1944 (as the first town in Norway), the Red Army did not attempt further offensives in Norway. Free Norwegian forces arrived from Britain and liberated the rest of the county. When war was over, more than 70,000 people were left homeless in Finnmark. The government imposed a temporary ban on residents returning to Finnmark because of the danger of landmines . The ban lasted until

5313-423: The town was hit by explosive and incendiary devices, but little damage was done. On 29 August 1944 Soviet bombers launched a second airstrike, inflicting significantly more damage to buildings and infrastructure in downtown Hammerfest. Two ships were sunk in the harbour. The ships lost were the local transports Tanahorn and Brynilen . The population was forcibly evacuated by the occupying German troops in

5390-467: The towns of Alta and Hammerfest as the most important destinations. As of 2001, one percent of the work force were employed in the oil industry and the mining industry. There is some mining industry, though exploitation of the iron ores along the Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line was paused in 2015 and has not restarted as of 2022. The slate industry in Alta is well known and have sold to customers as far away as Japan . An irregular procurement of

5467-437: The war and liberation. But it was maybe in particular the treatment of Russian prisoners that left marks on the local population." Towards the end of World War II , with Operation Nordlicht , the Germans used the scorched earth tactic in Finnmark and northern Troms to halt the Red Army . As a consequence of this, few houses survived the war, and a large part of the population was forcefully evacuated further south ( Tromsø

5544-414: The west, Alta Municipality lies to the southwest, Porsanger Municipality lies to the southeast, and Måsøy Municipality lies to the northeast. The Barents Sea lies to the north. Hammerfest has a subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfc ). In spite of the extreme northern location, there is no permafrost , as the mean annual temperature is approximately 2.5 °C (36 °F), about

5621-577: Was also protected by around 4,000 mines and numerous anti-aircraft guns . During their long retreat following the Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation , the Germans no longer managed to transport troops by sea further east due to intensive Red Air Force raids. Thus Hammerfest became their main shipping port in Finnmark in the autumn of 1944. The town of Hammerfest was bombed twice by the Soviet Air Forces . The first time, on 14 February 1944,

5698-406: Was chosen as a symbol for the fishing in the polar seas north of Norway. The polar bear itself is not native to mainland Norway. Because of its town status, the arms often have a mural crown above them. The arms were designed by Ole Valle and the design was updated by Arvid Steen in 2001. The Church of Norway has three parishes ( sokn ) within the municipality of Hammerfest. It is part of

5775-423: Was crowded), but many people avoided evacuation by hiding in caves and mountain huts and waited until the Germans were gone, then inspected their burned homes. There were 11,000 houses, 4,700 cow sheds, 106 schools, 27 churches, and 21 hospitals burned. There were 22,000 communications lines destroyed, roads were blown up, boats destroyed, animals killed, and 1,000 children separated from their parents. After taking

5852-428: Was named after an old anchorage . The first element of the name is derived from the local Hamran ( Old Norse : Hamarr ). Hamran were a number of large rocks, good for mooring boats in the local harbour. The name comes from the word hamarr which means "stone", "steep cliff", or "rock face". The local Hamran were covered up in land reclaiming during the early years after World War II . The last element of

5929-406: Was part of Russia at that time and had no independent representative. Finnmark was given the status of an Amt (county) in the 19th century. For a time, there was a vibrant trade with Russia ( Pomor trade ), and many Norwegians settled on the Kola Peninsula (see Kola Norwegians ). The Finnic Kven residents of Finnmark are largely descendants of Finnish -speaking immigrants who arrived in

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