Havøysund – enjoy the Arctic view
A colourful small fishing village on an Arctic archipelago in the Barents Sea.
Havøysund is a small fishing village of 1,000 inhabitants, with fish processing factories and a boat yard as key economic pillars. You will be struck by the varied and charming architecture, with post-war houses in different colours livening up the shoreline. The Måsøy Museum was established in a building originally built as a rectory. The collection of items consists of 19th century fishing tools and equipment. In addition there are several fixed exhibitions such as a kitchen, living room, school building and line-baiting booth. Norsk Hydro has built a windmill park on the island, which has become a landmark for people at sea. The 15 windmills are located at Gavlen, where the viewpoint and the cafe provide a stunning view to the Barents Sea and the surroundings.
Havøysund is an important cargo loading port for Hurtigruten, making it a hectic port and a quite entertaining view from deck.
Hjelmsøystauren, just off the coast of Havøysund, is a well-known bird mountain. It boasts the highest number of different bird species gathered on a bird mountain in all of Europe. Kittiwakes, common guillemots and razorbills are among the species nesting here.
A history of Havøysund
The oldest finds of permanent settlement in Havøysund is from the Neolithic Age. From the late Middle Ages the municipality is known to have included a number of fishing villages. This was also a key area for the Pomor trade with Russia. Virtually all the older buildings in the area were lost during the German forced evacuation of Finnmark in 1944.
Port address
Strandgt. 85 A, 9690 Havøysund
