Norway
Floro/Kinn
Florø: Norway's Westernmost Town, Founded on Herring
- Port traffic
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What to Expect
Coastal voyage ships call at Florø, on the island of Florelandet. Other cruise ships call here too, and your line will tell you where yours berths and how long you have ashore.
- Check your ship's daily program for the time you are due back aboard, because time in port varies by line and season.
- The main shopping street, Strandgata, runs parallel to the shore, with a square in the middle.
- If you are joining or leaving a ship here, Florø has its own airport and is linked to the rest of Norway by road Rv 5.
Florø on Your Own
With a full day in port, you can walk Florø's center, visit the Coastal Museum on the edge of town and take a boat to one of the outer islands. On a short call, keep to the center near the harbor.
- Strandgata and the harbor: The main street follows the shore, and the guest harbor is close by.
- The Coastal Museum: Kystmuseet lies about 2 km out of the center, around half an hour on foot. Otherwise take a city bus from the bus station, 300 meters from the harbor: buses run about twice an hour, reach Brendøyvegen in about 15 minutes, and leave you 600 meters from the museum.
- A boat to the islands: The local boat leaves Fugleskjærskaien several times a day for the islands around Florø. Kinn, about 12 km west, has a stone church from the 1100s that is open to visitors in summer. Check the return times before you board.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before departure, and your ship posts the exact time. No ship waits for passengers touring on their own, and island boats leave only a few times a day, so plan your return trip first.
The Coastal Museum and Kinn
Florø was planned as a town from the day it was founded, around a main street along the shore. Its museum and its islands tell the story of life on this coast.
- Kystmuseet, the Coastal Museum, has a fisherman's home, an exhibition on how Florø grew, and a large boat collection that includes the Bakkejekta, a cargo boat from the middle of the 1700s.
- Outdoors, the museum has old boathouses and a boat workshop, linked by paths and small bridges along the shore.
- Kinn Church, built of sandstone in the 12th century, was the district's parish church until Florø Church was built in 1882. A historical play, Kinnaspelet, is performed on the island every summer.
- Stabben Lighthouse stands on a tiny islet about 3 km northwest of town. It was lit in 1867 and still uses the lens installed in 1905.
History
Florø was created by Parliament in 1860 to bring the herring trade closer to the fishing grounds, against the wishes of Bergen's merchants. When the herring failed soon afterwards the town struggled, and its later growth came from cod, shipbuilding and North Sea oil.
- Kinn, 1100s: Long before the town existed, the stone church on the island of Kinn served the district as its parish church.
- Founding, 1860: Florø received town status on May 16, 1860. Bergen's members of Parliament fought the plan, and the town was to have been called Florøhavn until a late proposal settled on Florø.
- Its own municipality, 1861: Florø separated from Kinn Municipality on January 3, 1861, with 846 residents.
- Hard times, 1875: The herring failed soon after the founding, and in 1875 a national collection was organized for the poor of Florø and Kinn. Cod fishing revived the economy in the 1880s.
- A new church, 1882: Florø Church was built in 1882 and took over from Kinn as the main parish church.
- The coat of arms, 1960: The arms granted on February 19, 1960, show three silver herrings on red.
- Oil, from the 1960s: After oil was found in the North Sea, Florø became a supply base for the petroleum industry.
- Kinn again, 2020: On January 1, 2020, Florø became the center of a new, larger Kinn Municipality.
- To learn more ashore: Kystmuseet, the Coastal Museum at Brendøyvegen 25B, covers the coast's history and the growth of the town.
Florø with Children
The Coastal Museum is the family outing in Florø: in summer children can try crab fishing from its shore, and the outdoor area has boathouses, a boat workshop, paths and bridges to explore. Older children can add a boat trip to the island of Kinn.
- Younger children: Crab fishing on the museum's shore runs in the summer season, and the gift shop sells children's games.
- School age: Inside, the boat collection and the fisherman's home show how families lived on the coast.
- Teenagers: On Kinn, a hike leads to Kinnaklova, a deep ravine that sailors use as a landmark.
- A wet day: The museum café has coffee, cold drinks and home-baked cakes, including choices without gluten or lactose, and Florø also has an indoor pool, Havhesten.
Accessibility
Strandgata, Florø's main street, is cobbled along its whole length, with asphalt for the roadway. Visitors with reduced mobility can reach some parts of the Coastal Museum.
- Cars can drive along Brendøyvegen to the parking area near the museum's exhibition buildings.
- Buses can drop passengers at the Brendøyvegen junction, about 100 meters from the museum entrance.
- The museum's outdoor area is a coastal landscape of paths and small bridges, so ask the museum which parts suit a wheelchair.
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