Vardohus Fortress

Vardohus is a compact star fort of 1738, the third 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.

History

In 1251 envoys of the Republic of Novgorod complained to King Haakon IV about clashes with the Karelians in northern Finnmark, and a peace treaty followed. The first fortification here, Varghøya, was built by Haakon V Magnusson in 1306, and in 1307 the Archbishop of Trondheim came to consecrate the new Vardø church. A second fort, at Østervågen, rectangular with two corner bastions, was built between 1450 and 1500; the coast lived from fish dried as stockfish and shipped to Bergen, and in 1511 Erik Valkendorf wrote that the country would not be habitable for Christians were it not for the plentiful catch. In 1583 England recognised Norway's rights in the Arctic Sea, with ships bound for the White Sea to stop at Vardøhus and pay duty, and in 1599 King Christian IV came to assert Norway's claims against Russia and Sweden, finding the fort so decrepit that he stayed on board his ship; his name was carved on a beam of the fort to mark the visit. By the 1730s the fort had decayed again, the seat of government of Finnmark moved to Altengaard, and work on the present fortress began in 1738. It saw no enemy action until the 20th century, and in the spring of 1940 it held German prisoners of war (Wikipedia, Vardøhus Fortress).

What you'll find

• 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.

Good to know

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.

Key facts