Hammerfest

Hammerfest in Finnmark lays claim to being the northernmost town in the world, with over 9,000 inhabitants at a latitude above 70°. There are some villages farther north, but none larger than 2,000 people.

Hammerfest is one of the capitals of Sami culture.

Understand

The first church in Hammerfest was built in the 17th century. In 1789, Hammerfest was issued its town charter, to promote trade and prosperity in the north. In 1790, Hammerfest sent its first hunting expedition to Svalbard, and the town was a pioneer in arctic trapping, although Tromsø took over by around 1850. In 1809, British forces burned and sacked the town as part of their blockade policy. During the 19th c., Hammerfest flourished as a minuscule trade centre exporting fish to Russia. In 1891, a devastating fire flattened the town. As part of the reconstruction, the town was the first in Europe to install electric street lamps. In 1944, the town was again destroyed, this time as part of the German occupiers' scorched earth policy. Post war prosperity was ensured by the big Findus fish processing factory, that is now history. At the turn of the millennium, Hammerfest became an important base for gas extraction.

Hammerfest is so far north that the tree line is below sea level. This means that, apart from a few secluded spots, there are no trees, giving the terrain a barren look quite distinct from the rest of Norway.

Every summer, thousands of reindeer migrate through Hammerfest. As this is quite a nuisance to residents, the town has built a fence to keep them out, but the reindeer find their way in anyway. If you go in summer, you have a good chance of spotting reindeer wandering through the town.

Get in

By plane

• from Tromsø you fly to Hammerfest with the small aircraft of Widerøe. Due to a lot of oil traffic, getting a cheap seat is difficult.

By bus

• There are a couple of buses a day to Alta, from where you can get a cheap flight to Oslo with SAS Braathens or Norwegian .

By boat

• The famous Hurtigruten calls at Hammerfest. It's about five hours to Honningsvåg and Nordkapp, and 12 hours to Tromsø. As of 2024, the Hurtigruten is not docking at its usual port in the town centre. Rather, it docks at an industrial port, about a 30-minute (but pleasant enough) walk to the town centre.
• There is also a catamaran to Alta most days of the week. The tour is highly scenic and recommended.

Get around

Hammerfest is easy to explore by foot. Buses (both local and regional) are run by Troms fylkestrafikk.

See

Despite being the oldest town in the north of Norway, there is precious little history. The town was destroyed by the British in 1809, by a devastating fire in 1891 and by the Germans in 1944.

• The Museum of Reconstruction tells the tale of the destruction of Hammerfest and the north in 1944-45, and the reconstruction after the war.
• The 1961 Church of Hammerfest is striking and modern, yet warm and welcoming. The grave chapel next door was the only WWII survivor in town.

  

  Hammerfest church

• St. Michael's Church is the local Roman Catholic church, donated by German soldiers after WWII.
• 1 Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society (Isbjørnklubben), Strandgata 29, ☏ +47 78-41-21-85, isbjornklubben@visithammerfest.no. A small exhibition commemorating Hammerfest's history, particularly seafaring and expeditions to Svalbard. For roughly 300 NOK you can join the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society, a tongue in cheek affair (the club is neither royal nor ancient, and there are no polar bears in Hammerfest). Doing so gets you a certificate signed by the mayor "in recognition of your outstanding achievement in reaching the top of the world". Free. (updated May 2024)
• 2 Fuglenes – Fuglenes, "Bird's peninsula" is in the Fuglenes district of Hammerfest on a hill with a view to the Arctic Sea. It's the northernmost point on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. The point is marked by a green globe standing on a granite pedestal, this monument is called Meridianstøtten.

Do

• July: Hammerfestdagan - town festival
• August: Ølfestivalen - the Beer Festival (may not be running 2024)
• October: Hammerfestival - music festival

Buy

Odds Mat- og Vinhus (Odd's Food and Wine)

Sleep

• 1 Thon Hotel Hammerfest, Strandgata 2-4 (Road 94), ☏ +47 78429631. Thon Hotel Hammerfest is a full service hotel for business travellers, conference guests and vacationers. The hotel is in the city centre with a great view of the harbour adjacent the City hall. 
• Rica Hotel Hammerfest. Is another alternative. 
• Hotell Skytterhuset, Skytterveien 24 (about 10 minutes walking distance from the centre of town), ☏ +47 78422010. The hotel has 75 rooms, conference rooms, breakfast service, a sauna and a solarium. In a quiet area with hiking trails nearby. 

Go next

By plane, the neighbouring go-to villages when leaving Hammerfest are Båtsfjord, Kirkenes and Karasjok. Using conventional aviation, a trip north to the desolate Svalbard region will take between six and seven hours.

You can also take the Hurtigruten ferry east to Kirkenes near the Russian border, or south to Tromsø, Lofoten, Trondheim and Bergen.