Bugoynes

Bugoynes was first settled by Norwegians in the seventeenth century, later deserted and resettled in the eighteenth century largely by Kven, Finnish-speaking migrants who came to Finnmark for fishing and work, and the community kept the language and customs well into the twentieth century; signs in the village are in Norwegian and Finnish. It was one of the few settlements in eastern Finnmark not burned in the 1944 retreat, so its older timber buildings survive. In the 1990s the village faced collapse as fishing declined and famously advertised itself for sale; what saved it was the red king crab, an introduced species that spread along this coast and now supports a fishery and a tourist trade in crab safaris. Sauna and cold-water bathing on the fjord shore has become a second draw.

History

Norwegians first settled here in the 17th century but later left, and Kven people from Finland resettled the place in the 18th century; the name means "bay island headland". Until the road arrived in 1962 the village's link with the world was by sea, most often to Vadsø across the Varangerfjord (Wikipedia, Bugøynes).

What you'll find

• The Kven heritage - a Finnish-speaking community with bilingual signage.
• The surviving buildings - timber houses spared in the 1944 destruction.
• The king crab fishery - boats and safaris built on an introduced species.
• The shore sauna - fjord-side sauna and cold bathing sessions.

When to go

June to August for the midnight sun, boat trips and the mildest weather; December to March for the aurora and winter bathing. Crab safaris run year-round, weather permitting.

What to expect

The village is small and remote, a forty-kilometre detour from the E6, with limited accommodation and eating. Crab safaris and sauna sessions must be booked. The king crab is an invasive species with serious ecological effects, a point local operators discuss openly.

Nearby

Kirkenes and the Russian border lie east; Vadso and the Varanger peninsula are north.

Key facts