Kabelvaag

Kabelvaag is the oldest settlement in Lofoten, founded as a fishing station in the twelfth century when King Oystein built rorbuer to shelter the fishermen who came each winter for the cod, and it was the administrative centre of the islands before Svolvaer overtook it. The old square with its wooden buildings survives, along with the Lofoten Museum on the site of the original station and the Lofoten Aquarium nearby. Just outside stands Vagan church of 1898, a wooden building seating around twelve hundred, built at that size because the seasonal fishing population swelled the district enormously each winter; it is the largest wooden building in northern Norway and is known locally as the Lofoten cathedral.

History

Traces of settlement here reach back to the late Stone Age, and a couple of kilometres west of the present centre stood Vágar, Northern Norway's first town, between 1000 and 1400. King Øystein Magnusson founded the village as Vågan in the early 12th century, building a church and a fishermen's hostel (Wikipedia, Kabelvåg), and the present church by Carl Julius Bergstrøm was consecrated on 9 October 1898 (Wikipedia, Vågan Church).

Highlights

• Vagan church - a wooden church seating twelve hundred, built for the fishing season.
• The old square - timber buildings around the historic town centre.
• The Lofoten Museum - on the site of the original medieval fishing station.
• The aquarium - regional marine life including cod and sea otters.

When to go

May to September, when the museums and aquarium keep full hours; February to May shows the fishing season and the drying racks. Winter is quiet with limited opening.

What to expect

The town is small and quickly seen, and much of Lofoten's activity has moved to Svolvaer and Henningsvaer. Museums keep seasonal hours. The church opens irregularly outside service times.

Nearby

Svolvaer is five kilometres away; Henningsvaer and the Lofoten crags lie south.

Key facts