Vardohus Fortress

Vardohus is a compact star fort of 1738, the fourth fortification on the site since the first was built around 1306, and it is the northernmost fortress in the world, at 70 degrees 22 minutes north. It is small: eight bastions in earth and turf around a courtyard with white and ochre timber buildings, a powder magazine, a commandant's house and a few cannon. A local tradition marks the end of the polar night: when the sun first appears above the horizon in the third week of January, the fortress fires a salute, and schoolchildren are given the day off. The site is still formally a military installation with a small staff, and the turf ramparts are grazed and green in summer.

What you actually see

• The star fort - eight turf and earth bastions around a small courtyard.
• The timber buildings - white and ochre structures from the eighteenth century.
• The sun salute tradition - a gun fired when the sun returns in January.
• The Arctic position - the northernmost fortress anywhere.

When to go

June to August for the fullest opening and the midnight sun; the January sun salute is the one winter event, drawing local rather than visitor crowds. The fortress keeps limited hours outside summer.

Honest expectations

The fortress is very small and the visit takes under an hour. It remains a military site, so parts are closed. Vardo itself is a shrinking town with limited services, and the weather is severe.

Nearby

The Steilneset witch trial memorial is in Vardo; Hamningberg lies at the end of the coastal road.