Post code: N-9000
Telephone code: 083
The Norwegian port of Tromsø lies between Narvik and Hammerfest, in latitude 69°39' north, on a small island connected to the mainland by a bridge 1,036m/1,100yd long and 43m/140ft high. The town grew up around a church founded in the 13th century and received its municipal charter in 17
94. Tromsø is now the largest town in northern Norway, chief town of Troms county and an important fishing port, with a university, an observatory for the study of the aurora borealis and the meteorological station for northern Norway. In 1944 the German battleship "Tirpitz" was sunk by British aircraft off the island of Kvaløy. The midnight sun is visible here, in good weather, from May 21 to July 23.
Economy and transport
Tromsø has been, and still is, a base for expeditions to the Arctic (monument to Amundsen). Ships are fitted out here for fishing in the Arctic Ocean, and many fishing boats use the harbor of Tromsø as a base. The fast ships of the Hurtigrute from Bergen to Kirkenes and vice versa call in at Tromsø every day, and in summer this is the starting-point for cruises to Spitzbergen. There are regular air services between Tromsø and Oslo and other major Norwegian cities.
Tromsø has a high number of old wooden houses, the oldest dates back to 1789. The most notable attraction is the Arctic Cathedral, called "the opera house of Norway", because of its distinct appearance.
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