Lofoten Islands

The Lofotens - the Norwegian name Lofoten is singular (Lofot + the definite article -en) - are a chain of hilly islands strung out from northeast to southwest and separated from the mainland by the Vestfjord. The four main islands of Austvågøy, Vestvågøy, Moskenesøy and Flakstadøy, together with a number of medium-sized islands, lie so close together that they appear from a distance to be a single long jagged range of mountains.

Picture - A small fishing village in the Lofoten Islands.

Picture - Sunset over Henigsvaer in Lofoten.

Picture - The harbor of a fishing village in the Lofoten islands.

View a slideshow of Lofoten Islands Pictures

The main islands are surrounded by a swarm of stacks and skerries, and are indented by numerous inlets and fjords with rock walls up to 1,000m/3,300ft high. The mountains are of Alpine type with characteristic steep-sided summits (highest point 1,266m/4,154ft), bare and often snow-capped.

Fauna and flora; climate

At numerous points on the islands there are cliffs and crags on which large numbers of seabirds nest. There are few trees. Near the coasts of the islands are bogs, lakes, pastureland and some areas of arable land. The climate is wet, but mild in winter.

Economy

The main sources of income are fishing and its associated industries. There is also a certain amount of sheep-farming, and mink-farming has been introduced in recent years. Tourism also makes a significant contribution to the economy at all times of year; holiday accommodation can be rented in fishermen's huts (rorbuer), either old-style (with very limited amenities) or modernized.

Fishing and fish-processing

The fishing season in the Lofotens, for which thousands of fishermen gather with their boats, is from the beginning of February to the middle of April. The main catch is cod (Norwegian torsk). From the beginning of January the cod - predatory fish which normally live deep in the Atlantic - head for coastal waters in long shoals many feet deep to spawn. The depth at which they swim depends on the temperature of the water, ranging between 100m/330ft and 300m/990ft.

Once landed, the cod are cut into sections (rundfisk) or split lengthwise (klippet), and the head and guts are removed. They are then hung up on timber racks (hjeller) to dry, remaining on the racks until June (tørrfisk, stockfish), or they are salted and laid out on the rocks (klippfisk), and then piled up in heaps, which are covered to protect them from rain. Some of the fish are not dried but are salted in barrels (laberdan). The heads are used to make fertilizers, the roes are canned and the livers are used to make codliver oil.

Address: Box 210, N-8301 Svolvær, Norway

Submit a Correction

Related Attractions

Lofaten Islands - Access

Boats to Svolvðr from Bodø (six hours), Skutvik (two hours) and Narvik (nine hours). The coastal steamers also call in at the Lofotens. Air services from Bodø, Evenes and Narvik to Svolvðr and other places.

Austvågøy

Svolvaer

The chief town and administrative center of the Lofotens is Svolvðr, on the south coast of the island of Austvågøy. The town has a normal population of 4,000, which swells during the fishing season to almost 10,000. It is the main fishing port (fish-processing industries), the hub of communications and the principal commercial center of the islands.

Tourism in Svolvær has become increasingly popular as tourists use the town as a base for visting the surrounding islands.

Picture - Ocean and mountains near Svolvaer.

Lofotens - Painters

In the "Artists' House" (Kunstnernes Hus) on the island of Svinøy is an exhibition of works by the many painters who have found inspiration in the Lofotens.

Gunnarholm - Gunnar Berg's Grave

On the little island of Gunnarholm, opposite the landing-stage, can be found the grave of the Nordland painter Gunnar Berg (b. Svolvðr 1864, d. Berlin 1894).

Blåtind

North of Svolvðr is the steep-sided hill of Blåtind (597m/1,959ft), from which there are superb views; midnight sun visible from the end of May to mid July.

Show Details

Hinnøy

An attractive trip is by motorboat (two hours) from Svolvðr to the south end of the island of Hinnøy, in the Vesterålen group, where Digermulkollen offers a rewarding climb (1.25 hours). The boat sails through the southern part of the 8km/5mi-long Raftsund between the Lofotens and the Vesterålen group.

Trollfjord

From the Raftsund a narrow rocky opening gives access to the Trollfjord, beyond which can be seen the snow-capped Higravtinder (1,161m/3,908ft) and the jagged Trolltinder (1,045m/3,429ft), rising above the Trollfjordvatn, a 3km/2mi-long mountain lake which is usually frozen over.

The most popular day trip to the Trollfjord is by bus from Svolvðr by way of Fiskebøl to Stokmarkness and back by the express boat, which sails via the Trollfjord.

Kabelvåg

10km/6mi southwest of Svolvðr is Kabelvåg, where there are many of the holiday houses known as rorbuer or sjøhus. Here too there are a Fisheries Museum and the Lofoten Aquarium (fish and other marine fauna of the Vestfjord). The church of Vågan is the largest wooden church north of Trondheim.

Picture - A church in the town of Kabelvag.

Show Details

Festvåg

At the southwestern tip of Austvågøy, under Vågekalle (942m/3091ft; 3.5 hours' climb), is Festvåg, from which there is a ferry (12 minutes) to the typical little fishing settlement of Henningsvðr, in the middle of a group of little islands where a large fishing fleet gathers in winter.

Vestvågøy

Stamsund

On the southeast coast of the large island of Vestvågøy is Stamsund (Lofoten Hotel, with rorbuer, and other holiday accommodation), one of the largest fishing ports in the archipelago and the transport center of the western Lofotens.

Show Details

Ballstad

At the southwest end of Vestvågøy lies the village of Ballstad, at the foot of Ballstadaksla (466m/1,529ft).

Ballstad is home to several large companies that handle fish processing and other fishing related services. It is also popular for recreational fishing.

Picture - Cloudy day over Ballstad in the Lofoten Archipelago.

Flakstadøy

Ramberg

On the northwest coast of the island of Flakstadøy is the little settlement of Ramberg (holiday houses in Nusfjord), administrative center of the island. To the east is Flakstad church (1780), which was originally built of driftwood.

Show Details

Moskenesøy

Reine

The chief place on the island of Moskenesøy is the fishing village of Reine (Reine Kro; holiday houses), on the Kirkefjord, a favorite haunt of painters and climbers. 10km/6mi southwest is the little settlement of Å, at the end of the Lofoten road. From the higher ground above the village there is a view of the Moskenstraumen, between the cape of Lofotodden and the island of Mosken - the Maelstrom described by Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe.

Reine has been a notable commercial center since 1743 and in modern times a well-known tourist destination, with thousands visiting annually.

Picture - The fishing village of Reine at Lofoten.

Værøy

From Reine there are boat trips to the little island of Vðrøy to the southwest. At the south end of this island is the Mostadfjell, rising steeply above the abandoned village of Mostad. These hills are a paradise for birds, where more than a million birds - mainly puffins, but also guillemots, cormorants and white-tailed eagles - breed between May and August. The nesting sites can be reached by hiring a boat from the village of Vðrøy (20 minutes).

On Vðrøy are the last specimens of a curious breed of six-toed dogs, known as puffin hounds, which are used in catching puffins.

Picture - Boat in the sunset at Vaeroy Island, Lofoten.

Røst Islands - Bird Crags

There are also boat trips from Reine (five hours), as well as from Bodø (five hours) and Vaerøy (2.25 hours), to the remarkable Røst Islands, almost 100km/62mi from the mainland, with a series of high crags (Vedøy, Storfjell, Stavøy, the Nykan rocks) inhabited by a large colony of seabirds, including some three million puffins as well as rare species like the greater and lesser storm petrel and the fulmar. The crags can be reached by boat from Røstland, and during the season by helicopter from Bodø.

More Lofoten Islands Pictures