Norway
Vardo
Vardø: A Star Fortress and a Witch-Trial Memorial on the Barents Sea
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Good to know
What to Expect
Coastal voyage ships call at the harbor in Vardø, the town on the island of Vardøya, and Vardøhus Fortress stands a short walk from the quay.
- Vardøya is joined to the mainland by Norway's first undersea road tunnel, which runs about 2.9 km under the Bussesundet strait.
- Vardø Airport is at Svartnes, on the mainland at the far end of the tunnel.
- The town had 1,778 residents at the start of 2025.
- Vardø lies almost 20 degrees of longitude east of Oslo but keeps the same clock, so local solar time runs about 1 hour and 20 minutes ahead of the clock.
Vardø on Your Own
Vardø's main sights are on the island itself, and the fortress is close to the harbor. With more time ashore, add the church, the Pomor Museum and the witch-trial memorial at Steilneset.
- Vardøhus Fortress: The fortress grounds on Festningsgata are open from morning into the evening; check before you go. Several of the nine buildings inside the walls hold exhibitions.
- Vardø Church: The 1958 church stands on a rise at the end of one of the main streets and is usually open when coastal ships call.
- The Pomor Museum: Pomormuseet, at Kaigata 2, is housed in a merchant's wharf buildings from the 1800s and covers the trade with northern Russia.
- Steilneset Memorial: The memorial on Andreas Lies gate is always open, without staff, and is wheelchair accessible.
- Street art: Murals from the Komafest street-art festival of 2012 cover walls around the town.
- Further out: The bird island of Hornøya can be visited only with a guide, in small groups arranged in advance, so leave it for a longer stay.
- Getting back on time: Your ship posts the time you are due back aboard. Coastal voyage ships keep to a timetable, and no ship waits for passengers touring on their own.
Tipping in Norway
You do not need to tip in Norway, where restaurant staff are well paid, but rounding up the bill is normal. Shops price in Norwegian kroner (NOK) and generally do not accept euros.
- Rounding up is the habit in restaurants, and around 10 percent is seen as generous.
- Some passengers tip taxi drivers and some do not, so it is up to you.
- Carry some cash for guides who do not take cards.
What Vardø Is Known For
Vardø's history as a border fortress, a Pomor trading town and the main seat of the Finnmark witch trials can be traced in its fortress, its museums and the memorial at Steilneset. The town is also known among birdwatchers for the seabird colonies on the islands of Hornøya and Reinøya.
- Vardøhus is regarded as the world's northernmost fortress. It still has a military commandant and fires salutes on royal birthdays and national days.
- Seen from above, Vardøhus is a star with eight points. Its walls went up between 1734 and 1738, and nine buildings stand inside them.
- Steilneset has two buildings. In Peter Zumthor's long memorial hall, 91 small windows, each lit by a single bulb, accompany a text on each person condemned. A glass pavilion holds a burning chair circled by mirrors, an installation titled The Damned, the Possessed and the Beloved, which was the last major work of Louise Bourgeois.
- The texts in the memorial hall were written by the historian Liv Helene Willumsen from the original court records.
- Hornøya and Reinøya are among the largest seabird islands in Norway and are protected for their bird cliffs.
- Drakkar-Leviathan, a large wooden sculpture built in 2016 by artists from the Arkhangelsk region, overlooks the Bussesundet strait and is free to visit at any time.
History
Vardø has been a fortified outpost since about 1300, built to hold Norway's claim in the far northeast. Its later history includes the witch trials of the 1600s, a town charter in 1789 that rested on the Pomor trade, and near-total destruction in 1944.
- The first fortress, about 1300: King Håkon V Magnusson had a fortress built on the island in the early 1300s, and Finnmark's first church was consecrated at Vardø in 1307.
- A royal visit, 1599: King Christian IV visited Vardø in 1599 to press Norway's claim to the region. The fort was in such poor repair that he stayed aboard his ship.
- The witch trials, 1600 to 1692: In the Finnmark witch trials, 91 people were sentenced to death, 77 women and 14 men, and many of them were burned at Vardø. The trials peaked in 1662 and 1663, when even young children were questioned as witnesses.
- The star fortress, 1734 to 1738: The present fortress was built in these years and still stands much as it was finished in 1738.
- The transit of Venus, 1769: The Hungarian astronomer and Jesuit Maximilian Hell observed the transit of Venus from Vardø in 1769, an observation used to calculate the distance between the earth and the sun.
- A town, 1789: Vardø received its town charter in 1789, at the same time as Hammerfest, and the two are the oldest towns in northern Norway.
- The Pomor trade, 1700s and 1800s: Trade with Pomor merchants from the White Sea, Norwegian fish for Russian timber and rye flour, drove the town's growth.
- The flag war, 1940: Under the German occupation, the fortress kept raising the Norwegian flag for months, until Reichskommissar Josef Terboven had its commandant arrested in November 1940.
- Destroyed, 1944: Bombing and the German retreat left the town almost completely destroyed, but the fortress survived. On October 31, 1944, it became the first fortress where the Norwegian flag flew again.
- The memorial, 2011: Queen Sonja opened the Steilneset Memorial on June 23, 2011.
- To learn more ashore: Vardø Museum, in the old school at Skolegata 1, covers the town's history as a Pomor center, border fortress and fishing village. In winter it opens on weekdays only; check before you go.
Vardø with Children
Vardøhus Fortress, a short walk from the harbor, is the easiest outing with children, and several of the buildings inside its walls hold exhibitions. The Steilneset memorial is about trials and executions, so it suits teenagers better than young children.
- Younger children: The fortress is close to the harbor, and its grounds stay open into the evening.
- School age: Drakkar-Leviathan, the wooden sculpture shaped like a Viking ship and a whale above the Bussesundet strait, is free and open at any time, and it is an easy walk from the town center.
- Teenagers: At Steilneset, each of the 91 texts tells one person's story from the court records. The trials of 1662 and 1663 went as far as questioning young children as witnesses.
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