Storyline: Scandinavia
Fri, Jun 13
And so late last night we checked in Scandic hotel, Narvik. As the previous two posts covered, we had to part with my dream to cross the arctic circle by train. As far as we understood from various conversations, due to a mud slide the tracks were damaged somewhere after Gällivare.
At about 68.44° Narvik is ~220km (137mi) inside the arctic circle. It is an interesting place from economic and geographic perspectives. Therefore, it is also rich in history.
It was built as an all-year ice-free (due to the Gulf Stream) port for the Swedish iron mines in Kiruna and Gällivare. There is no suitable Swedish port for the iron ore to be shipped. A Swedish company built the Iron Ore Line to Riksgränsen, the nearest town to the Norwegian border. The Norwegian Ofotbanen railway line connects Riksgränsen and Narvik. Narvik’s only train connection is to Sweden.
Due to extreme terrain the city is not connected by rail with any Norwegian town. The most northern Norwegian railway stops at Bodo and we’ll be there is a few days.
Most of the city is situated along the southern shore of Ofotfjord, on a peninsula shaped by the Rombaken and the Beisfjorden fjords. Currently with about 14,000 people (although the municipality has more than 28,000), it was established as a town in 1902. Before the railway there were only a few farms in the region. The railway construction through the steep wild Norwegian mountains to the Swedish plateau was a remarkable engineering achievement at the time. It was also electrified in 1923. You can read a bit more about this railroad and the trains at: The Ofotbanen Railway – Museum Nord
And again, unfortunately we were not able to take this railroad featuring some spectacular views of the inhospitable Narvik mountains. The road E10 goes north of the railway and around the mountains following some river valleys. Views were still spectacular.
Near Trældal we left E10, and took a road towards Hergot, a small hamlet in Narvik Municipality, crossed the fjord on Rombak bridge (Rombaksbrua) and ended up in parallel to the train tracks. It was almost 8PM.
In Narvik the bus stopped first at the train station. It acts as a train after all. And as the previous post mentioned we were really pleased when the driver then dropped us off in front our hotel.
Reception checked us in quickly and at around 9:45pm we were eating pizza Alex got us from down the street.
Alex: It was now close enough to midnight that I couldn’t resist heading out to try to get a few pictures of the midnight sun. Not wanting to go far from the hotel I first tried the bandshell next door but that didn’t work so I walked down the street a little and found a spot which, while not being picturesque, at least gave me a view of the non-sunset. So I snapped off a series showing the sun approaching the horizon then skimming across it.
For things to do I have a long list. As usual, longer than we can actually cover in a day. After a sumptuous breakfast, at around 10:30am we head out. We take the bridge over the tracks heading towards a trail by the water. In comparison to our time in Sweden it is now cool and cloudy. But this was expected.
We stop by the bus station which is adjacent to the shopping mall. Still not realizing that no bus or train station is manned in Norway, we look for a ticket or information booth. Nothing. Just a few bus planforms. No signs there either. Will have to figure this out tomorrow when we depart.
From there we continue towards the water. We stop by the church. Narvik Kirke is 100 years old. When inaugurated in 1925, it was the only church in the area. We wander around the gardens trying to figure out where is the WWII bunker I wanted to visit. It seemed too far and we couldn’t find any information whether one can actually get inside.
The War Museum had the highest priority. It is just next to the hotel. Back through the shopping mall across the tracks from the hotel for some lunch snacks.
A: Crossing the bridge we saw what seemed to be hundreds of iron ore-laden railcars on sidings, waiting to be loaded onto ships.
The war museum is pretty impressive and it is a must see if you are in Narvik. At least I learned a lot. A key reason for the Germans to attack the city in 1940 was the control of the port and iron mines in Kiruna.
The Battle of Narvik was the first real engagement between allied forces (British, French and Polish supporting the Norwegian Army) and the Germans. During the 62 days of war, the town was totally destroyed and the fjord was full of shipwrecks.
After some gains the Allies had to withdraw from Narvik. Southern Norway was already lost and there were too many fronts to fight on. Norway capitulated on June 10th and during the next five years the Germans, alongside Norwegian Nazis would rule Norway. In 62 days, there were 8,500 soldiers, 64 ships and 86 planes lost.
There are lots of trails around the water to explore but after yesterday’s long bus rides and the war museum today, I was emotionally and physically exhausted. It was also wet so I went back to the hotel while Alex explored Narvik a bit more.
Alex: Well, I was actually interested in finding the previously-mentioned bunkers. So I headed back across the tracks and past the church. This was in the opposite direction from the town centre and an uphill slog. Passing the church, I consulted the city map that the hotel had provided, zig-zagging through residential streets.
I poked my head into the football stadium – the most northerly stadium I’ve been in. Then onto a trail that supposedly led to the bunkers.
There were lots of side trails angling off, and maybe one would have taken me to the bunkers, but the trails seemed little-used and I was somewhat time-limited so I continued now downhill.
The trail was well-maintained and it meandered up and down following the shore of Ofotfjord approximately parallel to the city’s main street. I hiked along in alternating drizzle, dry and light rain but it felt good to be in nature even if at times I was only a few metres from buildings.
I passed some art installations on the shores, a row of colourful boathouses/fishing huts and the city’s marina, catching occasional glimpses of the Hålogalandsbrua – the suspension bridge across the Rombakenfjord. Back uphill from the marina I arrived at my target destination – Helleristning (The Moose of Brennholtet).
This is no awe-inspiring vista, rather it’s a two-metre long petroglyph carved by people from the Veide culture into a granite boulder. And it’s over 5,000 years old! I stood there in the drizzle and tried to imagine what the symbolism of this piece of art, now in a small wooded park in a residential neighbourhood, overlooking Ofotfjord would have been.
Unfortunately, my imagination let me down, though I was truly impressed. 15 minutes later I was back at the hotel drying off and thankful that, after the health issues I’ve faced in the past five years, I was able to experience some more of the wonders of our tiny planet.
At breakfast the next day there were two groups that filled the restaurant. We were going to leave it for later, but the lady at the door, after explaining that Alex is immunocompromised and we didn’t want to be in the crowds, found us a nice table away from everyone else and did not sit anyone near us.
Shortly afterwards the groups left anyway; hurrying for their next destination. This was the only time when we saw crowds in Narvik. Although it is close to the popular Lofoten islands. But it was neither high summer season nor winter, when things could be different.
We enjoyed our long breakfast before departing for Tromsø with the bus 100.
As we were checking out, we heard a band playing outside in the bandshell. Alex went out in the pouring rain to get some video and photos. He learned that there were actually several bands from local municipalities who had gathered to play for the King’s visit that weekend and were playing for each other. I didn’t mind waiting for a while in the dry hotel lobby.
We ran between the showers over the bridge to the shopping mall in and dried at a café there. As I mentioned above the bus station was at the other end of the mall. In a few hours we’d be at the most northern point above the arctic circle I would ever be. See you in Tromsø.
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