Arctic Stories by NordNorsk Reiseliv

Photo: Rune Nilsen

Photo: Bjørn Erik Olsen

Photo: Rune Nilsen

Welcome to Bodø and Salten And welcome to the Arctic Adventure. As you might know, you will not find a more impressive approach than the one you will see through the plane window prior to landing in Bodø. Fjords, mountains, glaciers, a stunning coastline and crystal clear coral-green waters as far as the eye can see. “The approach is an experience in itself,” according to National Geographic, who selected Bodø as one of their “Top Destinations 2013” We have selected fifteen of our local and authentic stories that we would like to share with you. This is the first time that they are all told together. We hope that you will enjoy our Arctic Stories. Best Regards Ann-Kristin Rønning Nilsen Managing Director at Visit Bodø

Photo: Ernst Furuhatt

Want to learn more about Bodø? Read our Arctic Stories at visitbodo.com

Arctic light, the world’s strongest tidAl current, old trAding posts, golf, locAl food, viking stories, white-tAiled eAgles, veterAn ships, seA rAfting, music festivAls, hiking, pArAgliding, seA kAyAking, cycling Photo: Rune Nilsen

MAJESTIC MEMORIES

Bodømarka is a find for those who love nature, and the view from Mount Keiservarden is magnificent.

Majestic Memories Bodø is a peninsula surrounded by ocean and fjord, but also by luxuriant countryside on the outskirts of the city. And right outside the city centre you will find the 366 metre tall Mount Keiservarden, with a 360 degree view which includes the Lofoten Islands to the north-west. The mountain was named after Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany who paid a visit there on 16 July 1889. Wilhelm II was very keen on Norway and the Norwegian countryside, and paid a number of visits to Norway on the imperial yacht, the ”Hohenzollen”. In addition to Bodø, he often visited Lofoten and the fjords in Vestlandet, the western part of Norway. Altogether, the Kaiser spent over four years on board his ship. Mount Keiservarden is a popular spot for outings among locals and tourists alike. For many, it is the object of their daily exercise route, all year round. During the annual Nordland Music Festival a spectacular outdoor concert is arranged up there, where art and nature merge on a higher level. The mountain is also very popular among active cyclists who love to ride downhill – the optimum test of courage and technique. It is also popular as a base for those who pursue paragliding. Hanne Olafsen has lost count of how many times she has been to the summit, and the arrival of her third child by no means put an end to her urge for the outdoor life. She simply started taking the baby with her to the top of Mount Keiservarden, either in the pram or the baby carrier. And it didn’t stop there. Together with some friends in the same situation, Olafsen started ”island hopping” for parents with prams.

“I love the Bodø countryside, it offers all kinds of challenges and experiences that leave you with fantastic memories,” says Olafsen, who has been an active member of the Bodø and District Ramblers’ Association (BOT) for years. Every year BOT arranges about 200 organised walks. They cover a wide-range of needs and requirements with regard to geography, age and fitness level. BOT also organises glacier walks, climbing and caving courses, and has a separate section for children and young people. “There is a wealth of opportunity in Bodømarka and the surrounding countryside. Take the children along with you and have dinner in one of the many lean-tos in the area,” Olafsen suggests. “Or take some sandwiches with you in your rucksack and go for an evening walk in your local area.” The area around the city offers everything from high mountains to small streams, peaceful paths, lakes, fjords and bicycle trails. In her opinion, you don’ have to go too far to find magic moments. A copse or a patch of sand can be more than enough, like when she and her family had dinner outdoors – in December. “We cooked rice pudding in a big pan which we pulled behind us on a sledge. In our rucksack we had paper plates, plastic beakers, spoons, sugar and cinnamon mixture, butter, warm mulled wine, cold juice, firewood, and a newspaper and matches to light a fire. And under little Maria’s (7 months) pram we put cushions to sit on and a couple of woollen blankets. We lit a few torches on the way and took along headlamps for the trip home. It was a marvellous experience.

“I love the Bodø countryside, it offers all kinds of challenges and experiences that leave you with fantastic memories.”

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1. MAJESTIC MEMORIES For those who love nature. 2. THE Magical light Come in search of the enchanting light. 3. CLASSICAL NORTH NORWEGIAN Convergence of culture and nature. 4. An Unpleasant Reminder of the Cold War Bodø was the centre of attention. 5. Close encounters with the master of the air An eldorado for those seeking teeming birdlife.

6. GOLFing in the land of the midnight sun It’s simply magical. 7. local delicacies Salten is an eldorado for those seeking delicious flavours. 8. The Trading Post that Changed Everything A trip to Kjerringøy is like travelling in time 9. LOVES THE FREEDOM Reindeer herding in Salten. 10. The Melting Pot of Democracy The birth of the Nordic trade union movement.

11. The Boatbuilder’s Village Boatbuilding tradition in Saltdal. 12. Icy Experiences The Svartisen glacier. 13. Hunting Big Salmon Feel the tingling excitement as you hunt the big salmon. 14. A Saint in the Altar? Remains of a Catholic saint. 15. Viking Chieftain Killed with a Snake The world’s strongest maelstrom.

THE MAGICAL LIGHT

Salten acts like a magnet on artists. It is here they come in search of the enchanting light.

The Magical Light “The seasons are very distinct up here, they all have their own unique fingerprint,” says sculptor and gallery owner Harald Bodøgaard. The county capital of Bodø is located on a peninsula, surrounded by sea and fjord, a fact that also results in the light constantly shifting in step with the wind and weather. And then there’s the exotic fact that both the midnight sun and northern lights can be seen in the area. “When you tell people that it is light all night in summer and that we wander around in constant darkness during the winter, they give you a funny look. They can’t quite grasp that we live in an environment of that kind,” says Bodøgaard. In Salten’s prominent and very conspicuous countryside, and in combination with the different times of the year, artists are constantly discovering new and subtle differences when committing things to their sketch books, canvasses or memory cards: delicate spring colours with green mountains and ice blue seas; a sensual summer palette overflowing with yellow and blood-red sunrises; a sky high autumn with forests afire; a virile winter playing the blues on bass strings, while at the same time the northern lights are putting on their own ballet in the heavens, dancing lightly across the sky in shades of green, yellow and red. Harald’s father, the late painter Oscar Bodøgaard, is one

of many artists who have devoted their lives to capturing the North Norwegian landscape. And it was he who started the collection which today has become Gallery Bodøgaard. “We want to offer something that will challenge all your senses,” says Harald Bodøgaard. The gallery has become a tourist attraction, but is also

used for courses, conferences and official dinners. A resident chef ensures that local ingredients are transformed into small works of art when served. “Food, art and history go hand in hand,” according to Harald Bodøgaard. And at Gallery Bodøgaard you will find art in a variety of genres, a unique icon collection and not least a major ethnographical collection providing a unique insight into how people have lived and worked in this region throughout history. Authors, too, have always been inspired by the north Norwegian landscape and light. Knut Hamsun is one of the more prominent exponents of a field of literature where Nature itself practically becomes a character in its own right in the novels. “Art and culture have played a significant role in opening people’s eyes to the values found here in the north,” according to Harald Bodøgaard. “It’s largely a matter of identity, a sense of belonging and pride.” When Norwegian art began to gain a foothold

internationally, Norwegian painters and authors travelled abroad to find inspiration and knowledge. They went to Denmark, Germany and France. Today, you can go to Nordland College of Art and Film in Kabelvåg, Lofoten, to get an education. Art and culture have secured firm and lasting roots in Nordland. “Those of us who live here are very privileged, we live in the middle of a gigantic work of art,” concludes Harald Bodøgaard.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to offer something that will challenge all your sensesâ&#x20AC;?

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CLASSICAL NORTH NORWEGIAN

Classical North Norwegian The convergence of culture and nature at Nordland

Music Festival is quite unique. The festival is known for concerts in unusual places, like the summit of Mount Keiservarden, out at Nyholms Skandse fort, at Mjelle, Bremnes Fort, Bodø Railway Station and many other venues round about the area. In this way, the Music Festival creates unique musical experiences you will not find anywhere else. Indeed, where else can you pack your rucksack, set off on a walk to the top of Mount Keiservarden, find your seat in the ”hall” and listen to Leif Ove Andsnes, Arve Tellefsen or Kari Bremnes, while looking out across the sea to the isles and skerries and the Lofoten Islands? Where else can you stroll out to Nyholms Skandse at dusk, just before midnight, and listen to catchy music by Mari Boine, Bo Kaspers Orkester or Bigbang, surrounded by cheerful Northerners, while you wave to the Hurtigruten ship as it sneaks by only a few metres away. Nordland Music Festival was established in Bodø in 1980 under the name of Olsokdagene (The St. Olaf’s Day Festival). It began as a celebration of St. Olaf’s Day. In 1987 the festival took the name of Nordland Music Festival, and is now arranged annually in the second week of August. As of 2013, a winter version of the festival has also been established and will from now on be arranged in March every year – Nordland Winter Music Festival. The festival lasts for three days and is held in collaboration with the Arctic Dialogue conference.

Nordland Music Festival is one of the biggest festivals

in Norway, and is a music festival with wide-ranging appeal. The programme consists for the most part of classical music in addition to jazz, contemporary music, folk music, musicals, dance, and pop/rock. Furthermore, art exhibitions are arranged every year at Bodøgaard Kunst og Kultur (Bodøgaard Art and Culture Gallery) and Bodø Art Society. This year we are in for a real treat. The music festival will open with an exclusive visit by legendary rock star Elvis Costello, who will be lifting the roof at Bodø Spektrum. Many a cry of joy was heard, too, when news broke that Kari Bremnes was to be this year’s performer on Mount Keiservarden. It does not get any more enchantingly North Norwegian than it will when the queen of folk music from Svolvær strums the first chord on top of the mountain, as the Hurtigruten ship sets sail for Lofoten. And there will be more from the Bremnes family, too, when Lars and Ola take us to Røssnes Old Trading Post in Gildeskål, back to their roots, and present songs from their multifarious repertoire. You may like to take the MV “Gamle Salten” to the concert. The ship also invites you on a Music Festival Cruise on Monday and Wednesday during the festival week. Spirits will be high at Nyholms Skandse, too, at midnight on August 9 this year, courtesy of Bigbang.

Over the past few years, the Music Festival has

concentrated particularly on baroque music, and as a result of this, major international baroque ensembles have visited

Bodø. This year is no exception, and the opening concert in Bodø Cathedral will be featuring Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin who will be playing Bach. Further classical highlights at the Music Festival will include Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, who will be playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons together with violinist and artistic leader Henning Kraggerud and Erik Fosnes Hansen, who has written a new text for the work. KORK and Det Norske Solistkor will be contributing with this year’s grandest production when they perform Haydn’s Creation, with 90 musicians on stage. One of the world’s leading mezzo-sopranos, Anne Sofie von Otter, will be performing in Bodø Cathedral on 10 August. The Music Festival is proud to present a number of new productions during this year’s festival. Bodø Sinfonietta has got to grips with the great hymn writer from the north, Petter Dass, and together with actors Ketil Høegh and Finn Arve Sørbøe they will retell the myth of how Petter Dass made a pact with the Devil. Henning Gravrok has teamed up with Dr. Mads Gilbert and author Frode Grytten in order to tell the story of “The Enigmatic Folk” and festival figurehead Svante Henryson has put together a new jazz quartet for the occasion with some of Scandinavia’s most impressive jazz names – the Svante Super 4. Also new is Jojje Wadenius’s band, The New York Connection, consisting of his old associates from Blood, Sweat and Tears, Blues Brothers and Saturday Night Live. They will be doing only a few exclusive concerts in the Nordic countries, where will play a number of their old hits. A particularly exciting project on this year’s agenda

is Steve Reich’s masterpiece Different Trains, which will be performed in the engine shed at Bodø Railway Station, and will include music, film, storytelling and a short train journey. The history of the Nordland Railway will be told by historian Steinar Aas and the music will be played by the Cikada String Quartet. Every year a special musician is invited to be “festival figurehead” at the Music Festival. This year Swedish cellist and bassist, Svante Henryson, was chosen. He will have a busy week. He will be performing in new constellations nearly every day, on different stages and in different genres. He will be doing a pop/jazz concert with Lisa Nilsson, a classical concert with, amongst others, Anne Sofie von Otter, a jazz concert with his new quartet and sometimes also solo performances. Furthermore, it is rumoured that he will be taking part in Elvis Costello’s concert.

And we will, of course, ensure the proper music festival

atmosphere. The world’s funniest duo, Igudesman and Joo, will be entertaining with classical music and hysterically funny antics, Farmers Market will see to a vibrant atmosphere and high spirits at Sinus, we will be bringing Bergen’s biggest club success, Jassbox, to Bodø for the occasion, and every day you will be able to sense the festival atmosphere when the music starts in Bodø town square.

The festival is known for concerts in unusual places, like the summit of Mount Keiservarden.

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AN UNPLEASANT REMINDER OF THE COLD WAR

When the Soviet Union shot down a U2 spy plane on 1 May 1960, the world was on the verge of a new war, and Bodø was the centre of attention.

An Unpleasant Reminder of the Cold War

When jubilation finally broke out in 1945, Norway

was divided in two. The South was industrialised and developed, the North was a supplier of raw materials and had furthermore been the object of considerable destruction during the war. Something had to done about Northern Norway, and the solution appeared when the Soviet Union began to emerge as a new world power. Northern Norway had suddenly become NATO’s front line facing the great bear in the east. Billions of dollars in the form of cash and equipment were transferred to Norway in order to build up a robust defence in Northern Norway. Airports, surveillance stations, military bases and coastal fortifications were built at record-breaking speed. The Cold War thus became a blessing for Northern Norway in the form of intense activity and demands for labour and competence.

At the same time, fear of a cataclysmic nuclear war gained momentum. School children were taught to hide under their desks if the air raid siren was sounded. The state developed evacuation plans for the major cities and a large number of air raid shelters were built. A whole generation grew up in fear of the atomic bomb. The close collaboration between NATO and the USA in particular, also resulted in Norway – and Northern Norway – developing a very close relationship with American pop culture via films, books and music. This was also something that the American authorities made deliberate use of, in order to knit closer bonds between Norway and the USA. In Northern Norway, extensive espionage was carried out by both sides during the Cold War, and an eternal hunt for communists took place. Surveillance was intense and everyone kept an eye on what the neighbours were up to. And in Bodø, in deepest secrecy, American U2 spy planes made intermediate landings. Then, on 1 May 1960, the unthinkable happened. Pilot Gary Powers and his U2 were shot down over Sverdlovsk.

Suddenly, the attention of the whole world was focussed on Norway and the small town of Bodø. The incident was an extremely embarrassing and sensitive affair for Norway. Now everybody knew that Bodø was a base used by the Americans. The Russian reaction was fearsome. They threatened to eradicate all Norwegian airports with the help of nuclear weapons. “It was a very dramatic affair,” says Curator Karl L. Kleve of the Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø. For a long period of time the tension was practically tangible, but the crisis finally passed. As did the Cold War, symbolised by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. But the Cold War has left its mark on the whole of Northern Norway. Today, you can see an authentic U2 aircraft at the Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø. Here, you can also wander around for hours among civil and military aircraft and equipment. With its 10,000 square metres of floor space, the museum’s exhibitions offers considerable breadth and depth. You can relive history from Da Vinci and the Wright Brothers right up until today’s digital solutions. The aviation museum is the ideal solution when the rain suddenly begins to pour, or if you are seeking a unique insight into Norwegian and international aviation history. Visit the Twin Otter, the tiny green machine that revolutionized Norway when the network of small STOL airports was built in the 1970s. Take a closer look at the Spitfire – the plane that won the Battle of Britain, or classic aircraft like the Ju 52 and Fokker F28. If you are seeking a real adrenaline kick, you should visit the museum simulator and try your hand as a pilot for a few nerve-racking minutes. And from the museum’s own control tower you have a panoramic view of today’s air traffic in Bodø, including SAS, Norwegian, the Air Force F16s and 330 Squadron’s Sea King rescue helicopters.

The incident was an extremely embarrassing and sensitive affair for Norway.

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Close Encounters with the Master of the Air

The coast, beaches and fjords of Salten are an eldorado for those seeking teeming birdlife. And it is here you will encounter the Master of the Air – the white-tailed eagle.

Close Encounters with the Master of the Air “It is practically impossible to describe such an encounter. You have to experience it for yourself,” says Knut Westvig of Stella Polaris, a company employing deep-sea RIBs to show tourists around a coastal alpine landscape which is unique even by global standards. The temperate waters of the Gulf Stream have always ensured that the North Norwegian coast has singled itself out from similar areas at the same latitude. The ocean current has resulted in abundant natural surroundings, which in turn attracted the first human beings to the area. “There’s something very special about white-tailed eagles,” grants Knut Westvig. For one thing, they are big. An adult female may have a wing span of 2.65 metres and weigh up to eight kilos. White-tailed eagles can be up to 50 years old, but that is quite rare. The birds build large nests of twigs and branches which they line with heather, moss and grass. They may use the same nest year after year. They lay two or three eggs between late March and May which are brooded by both parents for 35 to 45 days. Over 35% of Norway’s white-tailed eagle population are found in Nordland. This constitutes 20% of the total global population, and in Nordland Salten is the pivotal area, with just less than 100 pairs nesting here. Eagles from Bodø have also made their mark in other parts of the world. Today, two white-tailed eagles relocated from Nordland’s county capital form the basis of million kroner incomes on the Scottish island of Mull.

Every year, tourists spend between 30 and 50 million

kroner when visitiing to behold these majestic birds. Today, there are 60 registered pairs spread along the coast of Scotland. But it is here, in Salten, that white-tailed eagles are easiest to find. “When we go out in the RIBs we have an excellent chance of seeing the eagles at very close range. We sail past the steep cliffs where they nest and can watch them swooping down to the sea in their hunt for fish,” Knut Westvig explains.

The abundant supply of fish in the sea, including cod, saithe and herring, ensures that the eagles have no problem finding food. It makes a lasting impression on you when you see these majestic birds sailing above the ocean in light conditions that seem to vary from soft pastels to broad brush strokes in vivid oils. White-tailed eagles are our biggest birds of prey, and there are innumerable stories in circulation regarding their enormous strength. One of the best known tells of how an eagle carried off a three and a half year old girl who weighed 19 kilos. She was later found on a cliff ledge, directly below the eagle’s nest. If you take part in an eagle safari, be sure to bring a camera and binoculars. You are guaranteed an experience for life.

“There’s something very special about whitetailed eagles”

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GOLF IN THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN

Golfing in the middle of the night – bathed in sunshine? At 67 degrees north latitude, anything is possible.

Golfing in the Land of the Midnight Sun “It’s simply magical.”

It’s just past midnight, the sun has rolled past the island of Landegode and the temperature is 23 degrees. Anders Kummernes is preparing to tee off on the 18-hole course at Bodø Golf Park. Out at sea the gulls are jabbering away, a cormorant is standing on a rock drying its wings and a whitetailed eagle is sailing over the horizon on soft currents of air. A 15 minute drive away from Bodø, a gang of eager enthusiasts have built up Northern Norway’s most impressive golfing facility. Today the club has 750 members. About 35 million kroner has been invested here, several thousand hours of voluntary work have been laid down, and work on extensions and continuous improvements is still going on. The extensive area also requires a great deal of effort.

During the peak season, grass equivalent to 320 football pitches has to be mowed every day. “Golf is good exercise, exciting, and very sociable,” say Anders Kummernes and Jonas Skaug. They are just two of many who have made the trip out here on this enchanting evening in July, where the sea is lying there like liquid gold. And they do not have the slightest doubt: “This is the most impressive golf course in Northern Norway.”

And it is a golf course that can also boast of teeming animal

life. Here you can see both elk and otter. Amorous ducks nest here, and in the evening light, colourful butterflies flutter past. “The golf course has become an attraction for both locals and visitors,” say Kummernes and Skaug. Young and old can meet here for exercise, competition and relaxation. The golf course also acts as an added advantage when businesses in the region are recruiting new people. Access to a top modern 18-hole golf course may be that little extra something that can tip the scales when an employee is choosing the next step in his or her career. Today the course is about ten kilometres long and takes about four hours to complete. For those in not so good health or who have problems walking, it is also possible to hire electric golf carts to help get around the course. Many visitors are tempted by the unique idea that you can play golf in the middle of the night, when the floodlights of the midnight sun cast long shadows and transform the green into a shimmering fairy tale landscape. In light of this, it seems only natural that there are several Viking graves on the course. An increasing number of people are becoming aware of this unique golf course and it has already been given a commendatory mention in the widely acknowledged magazine Great Golf of Course.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the most impressive golf course in Northern Norway.â&#x20AC;?

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LOCAL DELICACIES

Elk sausage, veal burgers, cured saithe, smoked salmon, home-brewed beer, grilled stockfish, local cheeses and an abundance of herbs. Salten is an eldorado for those seeking delicious flavours.

Local delicacies So-called “short-travelled food” is increasing in popularity, and proximity to ingredients is becoming ever more important. At picturesque Kjerringøy, just north of Bodø, Oddbjørn and Astrid Olsen have taken production one step further. “We define it as non-travelled food,” say the couple who have spent the past six years producing and developing traditional fare based on ecology and sustainable development. They have picked up inspiration and ideas from the old fisherman-farmer culture which characterised the coast of northern Norway for centuries. Fertile soil, teeming animal and bird life, and an ocean full of fish and shellfish formed the basis on which the menu was developed. No matter how hard the coastal population were stricken by destitution and economic depression over the centuries, they always had fish and potatoes. They never starved. The breadbasket was always right outside their door. This is indeed why the first Norwegians came here, over 10,000 years ago. Here they found reindeer, elk, whales, fish and shellfish, as the glaciers slowly receded revealing the coastal alpine landscape. Later, the Lofoten fishery was established as the

mainstay of both regional and national development, in close collaboration with cargo vessel traffic to the Hanseatic city of Bergen. It was the natural resources that formed the basis of much of modern Norway’s development. And it is generations of knowledge and tradition that Oddbjørn and Astrid are now drawing on, when they in 2013 are making sure that customers and guests are given an insight into how delicious food can be, when everything is made from scratch. “Møsbrømlefse, for instance,” says Astrid, as she whisks rhythmically in a pan containing what will be the lefse filling – a mixture of whey and brown cheese. “Møsbrømlefse are mentioned by the poet and clergyman, Petter Dass. At the same time, the north Norwegian lefse is nothing less than a close relative of the Mexican tortilla. In that respect, you might say that food also allows for fraternisation across national borders.”

Oddbjørn and Astrid run their own farm in addition to a café, bakery, cheese factory and brewery. “It’s basically a question of craftsmanship,” they both agree. They have laid down innumerable hours in their search for recipes and techniques designed to ensure efficient and

flavoursome production. In a way, they have also salvaged knowledge and traditions that were in the throes of dying out. When Astrid takes her bread out of the stone oven, it is not merely an aromatic delicacy she puts aside to cool down, we are also witnessing an aspect of cultural heritage that will soon be ready to serve with dairy butter and matured red cheese. “You practically have to talk to the cheese, and keep an eye on it,” says Oddbjørn as he admits us to the Holy of Holies: two rooms crammed with maturing cheeses. There are no computer-controlled temperature regulators here, and every cheese needs to be closely watched over in order to ensure that they develop at the right pace. He is in here every day, turning the cheeses over. “These are living cheeses,” he says, meaning that when you take them out of the fridge and cut yourself a bit, a process is begun. Which again means limited shelf life. Oddbjørn and Astrid began on a small scale, but now they are experiencing an increasing demand for the food they produce. Celebrity chefs come up from Oslo for the sole purpose of buying these home-made, highly distinctive cheeses. “Our goal is to work together with nature. In tandem with the Earth, working in tune with Creation. At a time when more and more people are developing food allergies and intolerances, pure foods are good medicine. Artificial additives are banned here,” say Oddbjørn and Astrid. It’s a matter of linking the local to the global, which again means that when they serve coffee to their guests, it is produced ecologically and is part of the Fair Trade system. “We feel a strong affinity with farmers and food producers in other parts of the world. We are always trying to create a counterweight against ready-made food and fast solutions that are no good for your body or the global eco-system,” say Oddbjørn and Astrid. And they are not alone. An increasing number of businesses in Northern Norway are becoming aware of the value of local ingredients. They cultivate herbs, harvest berries, hunt game and employ to an increasing extent old, time-honoured techniques when creating new and modern recipes. This is why Oddbjørn and Astrid have begun brewing their own beer. “It’s a natural part of a festive culinary occasion.”

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You practically have to talk to the cheese, and keep an eye on itâ&#x20AC;?

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THE TRADING POST THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Kjerringøy is the trading post that helped form a Nobel prize-winning author and contributed towards creating a new future for North Norway.

The Trading Post that Changed Everything Thirty kilometres north of Bodø you board a ferry and

ten minutes later you go ashore on a peninsula positively abounding in adventure, history, scents and flavours. A trip to Kjerringøy is like travelling in time. You wander into an environment and cultural landscape where time has stood still since the 1800s. Here you will find 15 listed buildings with authentic interior furnishings, idyllically surrounded by white beaches, rolling hillsides and towering mountains. If you listen carefully, you may hear the sound of the wind in the sails of a Nordland boat, and you will sense the smell of tar, cod-liver oil and stockfish. Kjerringøy was one of a number of trading posts that would constitute a decisive turning point in North Norwegian history. On the basis of the phenomenal fishing in Northern Norway, the merchants managed to raise enough capital and consolidate enough power to break the shackles and trade monopoly of the cities of southern Norway. This again led to a larger part of profits remaining in the North to help finance development and investment in industry and culture.

Today, you can take a good, long look at the results of the

North Norwegian Golden Age, because here, in Kjerringøy, we can still find unique French wallpapers and four-poster beds which have clearly been inspired by the European nobility. And inside the manor house it seems as though the inhabitants have just left. If you listen carefully, you might even hear their footsteps on the stairs and porch. Down in the boathouse you will find one of the oldest preserved Nordland boats – a so-called åttring, dating back to the early 1800s. Or you may like to study the unique boat rugs used as bedclothes by the fishermen whether they were sleeping in their boats or in a fisherman’s cabin (rorbu). These rugs, which took six months to make, were treasured by their owners. They weighed about 18 kilos and were worth as much as a good milk cow. The advantage of a boat rug, as opposed to a classic fur rug, was that it was far more resistant to moisture. You can make the same journey in time in the old country shop. Here you will find yet another untouched interior, with shelves full of commodities from the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s.

And it was Kjerringøy that was to play a decisive role

when it came to the career of one of Norway’s – and the world’s – most highly acknowledged authors. On Friday 5 June 1879, the gentleman in question disembarked from the mail ship. The 29 year old Knud Pedersen Hamsund had come to Kjerringøy to receive a loan of 1600 kroner, a loan that had been granted by the merchant Zahl. Little did the merchant know that this loan would form the financial basis of an authorship that would be both admired and controversial. Indeed, it was in the vibrant Kjerringøy environment, built on national and international inspiration, that Knut Hamsun was to find the milieu that would later be transmitted to his books. Here he met Sámi people, poor people, chamber maids and cynical capitalists, all of whom added form and colour to his magical literary works. This is why Kjerringøy has since then been coveted as a location when Hamsun’s novels have been transformed into epic feature films and TV series. In Kjerringøy, the countryside is still the same, and together with the wellpreserved buildings, it forms the perfect setting for this kind of cinematic account.

Kjerringøy is still a vibrant local community, thanks

to a large extent to enthusiasts who have built on tradition and local history as the foundation for new experiences. Kjerringøy is now one of several places where local culinary traditions are maintained. Old crafts and old recipes are launched anew, whether it is a matter of locally brewed beer, home-made cheeses or ecological farm fare. This means that as a visitor you can drink in historical impressions and experience the authentic surroundings, while at the same time enjoying genuine Salten fare, in the same way as it has been produced for centuries. And you can wander along fields of flower and paths imbued with the fragrance of herbs, where a young Knut Hamsun once wandered while pondering the stuff of his unparalleled masterpieces.

If you listen carefully, you may hear the sound of the wind in the sails of a Nordland boat.

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LOVES THE FREEDOM

Mats Pavall gave up his job as an archaeologist and concentrated all his efforts on reindeer herding. He hasn’t regretted it for a minute.

Loves the Freedom “This is the world’s best job, even though it can obviously be hard work and exhausting at times,” says the 27 year old from Fauske. He grew up in a reindeer herding family, but to be on the safe side, he began to study archaeology. “Reindeer herding is a relatively uncertain profession and I felt that it was best to have another leg to stand on,” says Pavall. But gradually a craving for the outdoor life and freedom became too much. “I just wasn’t made for work in an office, I soon get restless,” says Pavall. He has now embarked upon his third year as a reindeer owner – a profession with both joys and sorrows. There is no doubt that the reindeer herding trade is under pressure. “There are fewer and fewer areas where we can let the reindeer graze.,” says Pavall. Furthermore, he must engage in a hard fight against

predators. Last year he lost 100 animals to the lynx, wolverine and golden eagle. “It sounds almost unbelievable, but golden eagles swoop down and smash their claws straight through the reindeer’s frontal skull bone. They die instantly,” Pavall tells us. This means that he must keep a careful vigil over his flock. It can be a tough job during the winter. In the period from October to January, there were only seven days when Pavall was not out seeing to his flock. However, the positive aspects far outweigh the negative. “I am my own boss and nobody decides over me. And I am out in incredibly beautiful countryside, that in itself is a major bonus. The close relationship we have with friends and

family while working with the reindeer is also important. We are completely dependent on faithful helpers and close knit bonds are formed when you work together in such a way,” says Pavall He belongs to a part of Sámi culture referred to as Pite-

Sámi and Lule-Sámi. Sámi culture in Salten goes way back in time, and many believe that the Viking chieftain Raud the Strong of Saltstraumen collaborated with the Sámi when he ruled there. In the 60s and 70s, Salten was an area where considerable effort was put into Norwegianizing the Sámi inhabitants, and many felt it difficult to belong to this ethnic group. Today, the situation is quite different and the Sámi enjoy considerable respect in step with the fact that more and more people are becoming aware of the values that the Sámi stand for when it comes to nature management and sustainable development. Today, Mats Pavall herds tame reindeer. This is necessary because they often have to move their flocks through built up areas.

Even though the future is not without dark clouds on the horizon, Mats Pavall looks forward to each new day when he is able to work with his reindeer. “It is also a matter of taking care of long-standing traditions and a family trade. Therefore, it also warms your heart when you come across old sites where they used to milk the reindeer and you see the unique flora there. Suddenly you find orchids that don’t normally grow in the area. A beautiful sign showing that people, animals and nature belong together.”

“I just wasn’t made for work in an office, I soon get restless”

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THE MELTING POT OF DEMOCRACY

Up from the ruins of the old smelting works in Sulitjelma, a new major feature film will arise, with Oscar nominee Nils Gaup as director.

The Melting Pot of Democracy “This is a huge story. It deals quite simply with the birth of the Nordic trade union movement,” says General Manager of Arbeiderkamp AS (Ltd), Tom Vidar Karlsen. The search for minerals has always been important and there are few places where it has been as intense and extensive as in the Salten region. In the mining community Sulitjelma in the borough of Fauske, it started in full in the late 1800s. “In just a few years business exploded and there were over 1500 miners and even more people up here, deep in the Arctic mountains,” says Karlsen. However, unlike the search for gold in Alaska and Klondike, for instance, it was to be a Swedish company that secured the rights to the lucrative copper deposits in the Sulis mountains, a company that ruled its workers with an iron hand. “It was an extremely class-divided community,” Karlsen tells us. On the one hand there was a ruling upper class that lacked

nothing whatsoever. They had their own police force, their own symphony orchestra and a top modern infirmary that was one of the first in the country to have access to an X-ray machine – shortly after they had been invented in Germany. The mining community also had electricity as early as 1893. On the other hand, the labour force worked under absolutely disgraceful conditions. Things were so bad that the area was referred to as “Lapland’s Hell”. Norwegians, Swedes, Finns, Russians, Sámi and Kvenish people worked side by side in an international melting pot. Wages were minimal and those who became ill or were injured, found themselves promptly out of work. The workers were cramped together in meagre barracks, hygiene was practically non-existent and knife fights and drinking were daily occurrences. It had to stop. Slowly but surely the trade union movement took shape. “There comes a time in every generation when enough is enough,” Karlsen asserts. And the time came in January 1907. The mining company introduced a system that was defined as “slave tags”. These

were tags the miners had to wear around their necks to show who was at work. This was the hair that broke the camel’s back. A massive revolt spread across Sulitjelma and in January 1907, the workers congregated out on the ice at Langvann lake. This frozen lake was the only place they were allowed to meet, the only place not owned by the company. The rebellion was successful. The first trade union was established and on 1 May 1907, the workers went on a procession and listened an appeal made by one Martin Tranmæl. This marked the beginning of more worthy conditions and better wages. Mining operations continued up until 1991, when the mines were finally closed. “The film covers the whole struggle that led to the uprising. It is a story of exploitation, of hate, love and betrayal. An epic story that shows how far people are willing to go to protect their values and create a better society,” says Tom Vidar Karlsen. ”And it wasn’t only Sulis and Norway that felt the consequences. A seed was sown ensuring that democracy and the trade union movement took root and grew all over Scandinavia. This was an uprising that was to change history – once and for all. Oscar winner Nils Gaup (Pathfinder/The Kautokeino

Rebellion) will be directing the film. Arbeiderkamp AS (Ltd.) are now in full swing with the completion of the script. Subsequently, efforts will be concentrated on securing the final funding and finding international associates. ”During work on the preliminary project we have been met with tremendous goodwill by Fauske municipal council, Nordland County Council and a long line of other business and finance executives all of whom have expressed a wish to support the film,” says Karlsen, clearly moved by the response. The film is also important to the borough of Fauske with a view to the vital role mining has played in the development of the community.

“It was an extremely classdivided community.”

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THE BOATBUILDER’S VILLAGE

When the several hundred year boatbuilding tradition in Saltdal was in the throes of dying out, a German took it upon himself to keep the tradition going.

The Boatbuilder’s Village “People were no doubt rather sceptical when a stranger

decided to start building boats, and the fact that I am German didn’t make things easier. But I have been doing it for 22 years now. It is important to keep these traditions alive,” says Kai Linde. You will find him on the shore in Rognan – Saltdal was the birthplace of boatbuilders. In the 1700s, a considerable boatbuilding industry developed, based on time-honoured skills and knowledge. The combination of abundant pine forests, the river and the fjord laid the perfect foundation for an industry in demand, when the fishing industry began to develop. To begin with, boats were built on the farms up in the valley and carried down on the river. “The quickest among them could build one boat a week,” Kai Linde tells us. Down in Rognan they may have got 40 kroner a boat from the merchant. That would be 10 kroner in cash and the rest in merchandise. Boats grew ever greater in size, however, and the boatbuilders decided to set themselves up on the shore in Rognan. In the mid 1900s, there were no less than 250 boatbuilders in full swing. A dedicated boatbuilding course was established at the college of further education and was for a long time the only one of its kind in the country. Then came the decline. Businesses closed down one after the other, bankruptcies were an everyday occurrence and people were laid-off. But then Kai Linde turned up. He grew up on the shores of the Baltic, a descendant of a family of mariners. He had always wanted to be a boatbuilder and ended up as a student on the boatbuilding course in 1983. After a time in Denmark and work in Hardanger, he came back to Saltdal in 1991, where he began the laborious task of gathering knowledge. Hours, days, weeks and months were spent together with old boatbuilders in order to learn the craft from scratch. Kai wanted to find out how to create the classic Saltdal boat. “In the old days, the boat was the family’s car,” says Kai. The boatbuilding tradition itself is over 1,000 years old, and the Sámi in particular were considered experts in the field. They built Viking chieftain Raud the Strong’s boat, and next time around Olav Trygvasson’s “Ormen Lange”.

In the 1800s, the saw was introduced. Until then, the wood

had been split using an axe. Kai Linde has found his own little niche, but it has cost him a lot of work and effort to get where he is today. And if you are going to build a boat, the job starts in the woods. “In winter I go around marking out suitable trees ,” says Linde. In spring the trees are sawn down and turned into boat material, and left to dry over the summer. Subsequently, the toilsome task of constructing a vessel begins. “I don’t use drawings, instead I use a fixed set of proportions. The boat evolves while I am working on it,” says Kai. He has also spent many hours at the local museum studying how the old boats were put together. “On average I spend about one and a half months building a Nordland boat,” says Linde.

The extensive boatbuilding trade has formed the basis of Saltdal as the industrial community it is today. To him it is just as much about culture as it is about craft and industry, because it is the boats that have formed the basis of the borough of Saltdal and the town of Rognan. Now he is one of several enthusiasts working to establish a boatbuilding museum there; a museum that will present the wealth of cultural treasures that are found in the borough. Saltdal Coastal Society (Saltdal Kystlag) is an active association that takes care of vessels, slipways and shipyards. At the same time, new things are happening there. The old slipway has now become a popular concert arena which is at the centre of events every winter when the “Blåfrost” Festival is arranged. In summer, a promenade and a museum trail are set up along the shore in Rognan: local developments based on history and identity. “It’s amazing that people can create new activity down here on the shore. At times I have felt quite alone down here,” says Linde He is also interested in spreading skills and knowledge, and has had apprentices at his workshop for years.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;On average I spend about one and a half months building a Nordland boatâ&#x20AC;?

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ICY EXPERIENCES

The Svartisen glacier. The name itself sends shivers down your spine. With its 370 square kilometres, the Svartisen is Norway’s second biggest glacier. And considering that its lowest point is less than 20 metres above sea level, it is also very easily accessible.

Icy Experiences “You have to have been there to understand the magic

of it,” says Ivar Sandland of Nordland Turselskap. He is an experienced glacier guide who every year accompanies tourists to and from this massive mountain of ice. “You can smell the cold, hear the trickle of innumerable streams, watch the ice crystals twinkle in green, blue, turquoise and white; and around the glacier stands the forest in its green summer finery. Its enough to send shivers down your spine,” says Sandland. The highest point is 1,564 meters above sea level, and the part known as the Engenbreen glacier is an incredible 450 metres thick. Everyone can enjoy a sample of arctic Norway here. “We organise trips in collaboration with our visitors, everything from simple visits to more demanding routes and ice climbing,” says Sandland.

He has been organising nature experiences for visitors to Nordland for 12 years. “I get to do what I like best and as such I am incredibly privileged,” he notes. Sandland says that many tourists ask for a few moments alone when visiting the Svatisen glacier. The impression it makes on them is so immense, that it is good to have a few minutes to let it sink in. You don’t need to be an athlete to experience the Svartisen, being in reasonably good shape is enough. Put on some rough hiking gear, hiking boots, gloves and sunglasses. Glacier trips take place together with, and under the skilful supervision of, experienced glacier guides who ensure that safety is first priority. Starting in Bodø, a glacier trip may take place either as a

long day trip, or with an overnight stay in comfortable cabins, regular tents or large Sámi-style tents (lavvo). The walk to the glacier itself takes about an hour, on a trail that runs through glorious countryside. Glacier hiking is thus easily within the reach of almost anyone. Once on the glacier, you will sense an aura of history, because it was here they arrived, the first people who settled in the area over 10,000 years ago. In this way, the Svartisen is also a link back to the Stone Age and a reminder that Nature has a long history.

The name “Svartisen” (The Black Ice) refers to the deep

blue colour of the ice and the contrast between it and the white snow and newer ice on the plateau. “Svartisen is one of the most beautiful areas that I know of in northern Norway” Sandland asserts. But it is not only up on the glacier that you encounter surroundings that will give you goose pimples. Ivar Sandland will also gladly take you below, under ground. Because it is here in Salten that we find the largest number of caves in Norway. Big and small, wide and narrow. “There are caves suitable for children and caves for those who are really seeking a challenge,” says Sandland. Together with a local guide and wearing headlamps you set off on a journey in the dark – and an adventure. Here you will find inimitable stalactites and stalagmites, subterranean streams and waterfalls, and lakes with fish that have never seen the light of day.

Silence reigns in here, broken only by the sound of dripping water and the echo of your own footsteps. Ivar Sandland is convinced that such trips are good for both body and mind, whether up on the glacier or down in the caves. “People today are so busy. We have to be so efficient all the time, we have so many irons in the fire. That’s why it is smart to get out into the countryside. Then you can charge your batteries, loosen up and for a couple of hours you can forget the time, your emails and your mobile. In this respect it is good medicine,” smiles Sandlund. He also sees this in the people he takes out on his trips. “After a while they relax and find peace of mind.” What is unique about Bodø and the Salten area is that the countryside is right outside your hotel door. Five minutes from the city centre you can abseil down steep rock faces, with the bewitching Børvasstindene peaks out on the horizon. “Yet more proof that you don’t need to travel for miles to find adventure and memorable experiences. You can pick and choose in accordance with how you are feeling on the day and your own preferences,” concludes Ivar Sandland.

“Yet more proof that you don’t need to travel for miles to find adventure and memorable experiences”

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HUNTING BIG SALMON

Standing amid idyllic, virgin countryside you feel the tingling excitement as you hunt the big salmon.

Hunting Big Salmon “This is Our Lord’s narcotics, and the first shot is free.”

Trond Fagerli studies his red fly as he makes ready to wade out into the River Beiarelva, a salmon eldorado 100 km from Bodø. “This must be one of Norway’s best organised rivers,” Fagerli boasts. “Everything is signposted, there are car parks, toilets, there is firewood at the fishing spot and on top of all that, it is just so wonderfully peaceful here.” This is precisely what many salmon fishermen appreciate. The absence of roads full of through traffic means that it is so quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat as you wait for the fish to strike out in the river. Fagerli was hooked on fishing from the tender age of five, and it wasn’t long before he began to make his own flies. “My mum wasn’t very happy when I cut up the feather pillow in my bed to find feathers I could use,” laughs the passionate fisherman.

Last year he spent 400 hours in the river, alone with his

two-handed rod. It is the excitement and recreation that draws him. Not necessarily the catch. Indeed, in the Beiarelva it is largely a matter of catch and release. “You can take one male over 65 cm in length,” says Fagerli. His personal record is a 19.6 kilo salmon. But the real whoppers always manage to get away at the last minute. “And they get bigger and bigger every time you talk about them around the campfire,” says Fagerli, brandishing his widest fisherman’s tale smile. “Part of the attraction of fishing is that your degree of success doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the

price of your tackle. And it is indeed easy to spend money on fishing gear. Last time I checked the catalogue, I arrived at a sum of NOK 80,000 for the most expensive tackle. That’s madness, of course.” Fagerli points out. Another good reason to go fishing, according to Fagerli,

is that you meet such a lot of nice people. “It is incredibly sociable and you make lasting friendships. And let’s not forget that this is also pure therapy for people suffering from stress. You loosen up and your pulse slows down when you can be at one with nature.” We tacitly overlook the fact that your pulse suddenly beats faster the moment the salmon bites on your hook, initiating a struggle between fish and fisherman, a struggle that may last for up to an hour.

Fagerli doesn’t use either a landing net or a gaff, only a cloth glove allowing a better grip as he takes hold of the salmon. “Nope. It has to be a struggle on equal terms. If I can’t manage to haul the fish ashore by hand, then I don’t deserve to catch it,” Fagerli asserts. Salmon fishing in Beiarn is also a very important source of income for the local council and inhabitants of this tiny Nordland borough. “It is great that the residents can secure an income from the local countryside in this way. In return they make a gigantic effort in organising everything for us fishermen,” says Trond Fagerli, who doesn’t hesitate for a second when summing up his opinion of Beiarn and the salmon river: “Paradise on Earth.”

“This is Our Lord’s narcotics, and the first shot is free.”

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A SAINT IN THE ALTAR?

The altar in the mediaeval church in Gildeskål may conceal the remains of a Catholic saint.

A Saint in the Altar? An aura of history hangs over the old parish of Gildeskål. Here we find Norway’s oldest inhabited vicarage (1750) and two unique churches. The oldest dates back to the mid to late 1100s, and it is this one that may conceal a priceless treasure. In 1170, Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England. One of the world’s most famous archbishops had become a bit too much of a pain for energetic and efficient King Henry II, whereupon the King asked the now legendary question: “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?” - a question his knights took literally. With sword in hand they beheaded Becket. Three years later he was canonized by the Pope in Rome. Today, an increasing number of people believe that Becket’s remains may have been built into the altar at the old church in Gildeskål. “In which case it would be a worldwide sensation,” says museum teacher Oscar Berg of the Nordland Museum. According to the theory, the event may have been

arranged by then archbishop Eystein Erlendsson of Nidaros. He studied together with Becket in Paris. Erlendsson also visited Canterbury and it is possible that he ordered the relics of Becket when the church in Gildeskål was to be consecrated. The fact is that the church was consecrated in the name of St. Thomas. The mediaeval church in Gildeskål is a find for anyone interested in history. Here you will find a church where the magistrate and sheriff had their own ”boxes”, so that they could sit there undisturbed. The pews were divided up by farm, with the ancestral farms at the front. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the poor and those receiving poor relief. They had to sit on a narrow wooden board near the floor. It was in churches like these that today’s system of godparents arose. Oscar Berg explains: “In the old days, women were considered unclean after they had given birth. If they were to attend church, they had to undergo a cleansing process first. This was not possible so soon after giving birth, and therefore the mother was not allowed to attend the Christening and the child was carried in

by a stand-in, which later became known as the godmother or godfather.” The old church also has its more dubious stories. For

those who had enough money, it was possible to buy a grave under the church floor. This led to reports of young confirmands fainting due to the smell of corpses in the church. “And young boys found skulls beneath the floor, which they mounted on sticks to scare the living daylights out of the girls,” says Berg with a wry smile. It was also in churches of this kind that sermons could last for several hours. Finally, parishioners grew so tired of this that they complained to the King. Consequently, in 1687, a new law was passed forbidding priests to hold sermons longer than one hour. To keep talkative theologians under control, four hourglasses were set up, each containing 15 minutes worth of sand. When all of them had been turned over, the vicar’s time was up. “But there were, of course, also priests who took liberties. Such as the one who asserted after his hour was up that ‘If I know my parishioners, I know you won’t mind another glass,’ whereupon he turned over one of the hourglasses again and continued for another 15 minutes,” says Mr. Berg.

There are a number of explanations as to where the name Gildeskål comes from. The estate name may come from “et gilde” – meaning an association which had its meetings in its own house – Gildeskålen. Other theories include the name having Sámi origins, where gulle or golle refers to the name of a natural phenomenon meaning a fissure or a narrowing between two rocks. This fits the natural location of Gildeskål. In addition to the mediaeval church, Gildeskål main church is also located here. It was built in 1881, because the old church had become too small. Out in the countryside, you can still find the old church road meandering through luxuriant and scenic surroundings, including a partly paved marshland area where grey alder, bird cherry, mezereon, orchids and rarer flowers like lady’sslipper orchids and fly orchids grow.

An aura of history hangs over the old parish of Gildesk책l.

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VIKING CHIEFTAIN KILLED WITH A SNAKE

The world’s strongest maelstrom, the Saltstraumen, was the scene of a historic confrontation when Norway was to be Christianized in the late 900s.

Viking Chieftain Killed with a Snake It was the year 998 and King Olav Trygvasson was on his way north along the Norwegian coast on board his ship, the “Tranen”, together with a mighty army. His goal was the Christianization of Norway. With sword in hand he gave the people little choice. But that was before he arrived at Saltstraumen. Raud the Strong ruled there, called Raud because of his red hair, the Strong because he was powerful – and gruesome. Raud was the most powerful man in the area and was also known for collaborating with the Sámi people. They were known as the best boatbuilders and Raud had got himself a ship, the “Ormen”. It was at least 40 metres in length, and had a crew of 140 men. Both the stem and the sternpost were covered in pure gold. At the time, the “Ormen” was Norway’s biggest ship. “Olav Trygvasson tried to gain access via the maelstrom, but was met by incredibly rough weather that lasted for three weeks. He finally gave up and sailed further north,” say local historians Vebjørn Karlsen and Odd Stenersen. According to legend it was Sámi shamans who had made the wind blow, so that Trygvasson could not gain access to the realm of Raud the Strong. But Olav Trygvasson had not given up after all. On his

way south he made another attempt. This time they stopped out at sea, and led by a bishop they prayed to God for help, and this time their prayers were heard. Things did not go quite so well for Raud the Strong. He refused to be Christianized. Finally, Olav Trygvasson grew so angry that he decided to execute Raud in a bestial manner. They took the hollow stem of a wild celery plant and put it in the Viking chieftain’s mouth. Inside the stem there was a snake. They set fire to the other end of the stem, so that the snake was forced down Raud’s throat. “Legend will have it that the snake ate its way out of Raud’s stomach, but it is more likely that it bit the Viking chieftain in the throat causing him to die of asphyxiation,” Vebjørn Karlsen points out. Subsequently, Trygvasson and his men took what they found of valuables before burning the buildings and heading south again. They also took the ship “Ormen” with them, together with some Sámi boatbuilders. Raud’s ship was later

turned into a new vessel, the one which was to be known as “Ormen Lange”. Today, Saltstraumen is best known as the world’s

strongest maelstrom. The reason for this is that it is a threshold fjord with deep waters on either side of a 31 metre deep bank. When 372 million cubic metres of sea water are pressed through the 150 metre wide strait in the course of six hours, great whirlpools occur, passing by at up to 40 kilometres an hour. The current also helps make the area an eldorado for divers. “Here you find the marine life of the North Atlantic times ten,” asserts an enthusiastic Vebjørn Karlsen. There are enormous coral forests down in the deep, and up on land you will find rare pine forests where unique orchids grow. Overhead sail white-tailed eagles, eider ducks, herons and gulls. “Saltstraumen is like a tiny power generator that, due to the abundance of nutrients in the sea, provides for a wealth of teeming life,” says Odd Stenersen.

This is also why we find Norway’s oldest settlement here, dating back about 9,500 years, when the first human beings hunted elk, reindeer, whales and seals. They also gradually discovered that a special kind of seaweed – dulse – was particularly nourishing. During the Viking age a barrel of dulse was paid for with two barrels of corn. “Around the year 1000 AD, the climate was much milder than today, which is why they could cultivate both barley and oats,” says Odd Stenersen. Originally, the place was just called Strømmen (the Current). The word “Salt” originates from Old Norse and also means “current” “So Saltstraumen, in fact, means the “Streamstream,” says Vebjørn Karlsen. Should you wish to witness the world’s strongest maelstrom, thirty kilometres outside of Bodø, then you should hurry. “The sea bed is rising all the time. In 2,500 years the current will be no more. Then only a lake will remain,” says Vebjørn Karlsen with a broad smile.

â&#x20AC;?Here you find the marine life of the North Atlantic times ten.â&#x20AC;?

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Photos by Nu Publishing/News on Request/Rune Nilsen Nadia Nordskott (p. 33) Terje Rakke (p. 3, 31, 33) Henrik Dvergsdal (p. 11, 13) Ernst Furuhatt (p. 13, 61) Tore Schønning Olsen (p. 33) Øyvind Grønbech (61)

TEXT BY Nu Publishing/News on Request/Rune Nilsen Linda Skipnes (Classic North Norwegian) LAYOUT Big picture as