Did you know that...
...there are 45 different nationalities represented in the Municipality of Sor-Varanger? Beside the Norwegians, the largest groups are from Russia, Bosnia and the Philippines. 4% of the population have Russian background.
...when Norway got its Constitution in 1814, it did not include the Municipality of Sor-Varanger? It was not before 1826, that this area was declared a part of Norway. Sor-Varanger is the only municipality with borders both to Russia (196km) and to Finland (140km). The 196km Norwegian-Russian border is the only NATO border to Russia.
...Kirkenes, located 70ºN30ºE, is as far east as Istanbul and Cairo, and as far north as Point Barrow in Alaska? Kirkenes shares latitude with Tromso, yet is located almost an hour further east (by plane). The Pasvik Valley (Pasvikdalen) stretches as far to the south as the latitude of Harstad. Most of Finland is actually located west of our Municipality.
...the Municipality of Sor-Varanger is among the driest areas of Norway? The climate of Sor-Varanger has great variations from Pasvikdalen in the south to Grense Jacobselv by the Barents Sea. Pasvikdalen has a typical inland climate with sparse precipitation, short but warm summers, and long and cold winters. The sea climate along the costal areas has more precipitation and less temperature variations between summer and winter.
...temperature measurements in February show a minimum of –52ºC while summer maximum can reach +32ºC?
...there is a multitude of eastern plants and flowers in the Municipality that are very rare or are not to be found at all in other locations of Norway? The Pasvik forest is the eastern part of the Siberian Taiga, the world's largest continuous forest area.
...the four large predators, bear, lynx, glutton and wolf all can be found in our area? In addition there are large quantities of moose and reindeer. Just like flora, the fauna is also under the influence from the east, especially as far as birds are concerned. Among other animals that have come from the east can be mentioned the musk-rat, king crab and Russian salmon.
...the largest population of bears in Norway lives in in Pasvikdalen? It consists of minimum 12 animals, but these animals belong to a growing common Russian-Norwegian population. Pasvikdalen is the only area in Norway with a continuous, breeding and hibernating bear population.
...the total amount of iron ore and rock excavated from the Sydvaranger Mines between 1906 and 1996 is sufficient to build a 10x6 metres road from Oslo to Kirkenes! (2500 km). A total of 488 million tons of rock.
...Sor-Varanger has approximately 4000 lakes? The Municipality offers a great variety of outdoor activities. In addition to the lakes, we have great salmon rivers, cloudberry, hunting, a vast network of snow mobile tracks as well as perfect conditions for cross-country skiing.
...we have 227 registered clubs and organisations in Sor-Varanger? The Municipality has a large spectre of clubs and organisations within sports, music, hobbies, theatre and other culture related areas. In Kirkenes we have swimming centre, a cinema, one of the best libraries in Norway as well as cafes and clubs.
...there is a total of 420km snow mobile tracks in Sor-Varanger? The tracks are open to the public from December until 5th of May. In Neiden there is a connection to the vast Finnish network as well.
...you may go aboard a train 40km from Kirkenes and travel to Vladivostok if you wish? The closest railway station is in the neighbouring town of Nikel, in Russia.
...you may be fined up to NOK 5000,- (US$ 550,-) if you illegally cross the Russian border? As a tourist in the border-zone you have to obey a number of regulations. You are not allowed to cross the Russian border either by sea, land or air. You are not allowed to take pictures of Russian military installations or personnel or attempt to contact Russians even if they are nearby on the Russian side of the border. We recommend border crossing with one of our local tourist agencies!
Brief history
Kirkenes in its present form was shaped by the mining industry which started in 1906. But people have lived in the region since the stone Age. 10.000 years ago the Ice Age ended in the area and left Kirkenes ice-free. The first people settled the area around 7.500 BC. Remnants of one of these early settlements were found at the place where the tourist hotel in Kirkenes is located today. 57 such settlements are known within the boundaries of the Municipality. The oldest remnants of the previous population still clearly visible to an untrained eye, date back to approx. year 1000. The first church was built in 1565, however the rest of the houses and buildings in the area it did not survive the bombing and burning of the second world war.
Kirkenes harbour in the 1930s. From Sør-Varanger museum, Sydvaranger collection
In spite of the many centuries as neighbours, Norway and Russia have never been engaged in war against each other, in contrast to most neighbour-relationships in European history. During the last century, 4 wars have been fought in or in the vicinity of Kirkenes. First the Russian Revolution (1917-20), then the Finnish Civil War (1918), the Russian/Finnish Winter war (1939) and WWII. The Second World War placed a heavy burden on the local population. As the base for the German invasion of Northwest Russia, Hitler built his "Festung Kirkenes" and based up to 500.000 soldiers on the northwestern front. 200.000 soldiers were at the Litza front a few miles east of Kirkenes, of which 70 - 100 .000 were lodged in and around Kirkenes along with approximately 65.000 prisoners of war. Prior to the occupation, the Norwegian population had amounted to 7000 people.
Ice-free harbour and an easily fortified inlet made Kirkenes a vital junction for communications both on land and at sea for the whole of Norway and Northern Finland. Due to its central location in this war game, Kirkenes was next to Malta the most bombed place during WWII. The last pieces still standing after the air raids were burned when the Germans fled from the Russian Red Army in 1944. Kirkenes was liberated a year before the rest of Norway, and coexisted with the Russians until they pulled out of Kirkenes in 1945 and the iron curtain lowered itself across the region. As a result of the war, Kirkenes had to built from the ground up, and today it's hard to find anything man-made which dates back further than 1944.
Prior to the mining industry, agriculture, forestry, fishing and reindeer herding were the main sources of income in the region. Though they still exist today, their place has been mostly taken by industry, trade and service, which have come to dominate the modern Kirkenes.
Compiled by Tor Ivar Dahl Pettersen, Storvik & Co 1998
Kirkenes ca 1910. From Sør-Varanger museum, Sydvaranger collection
