Sights in Norway
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Krosshaugen Mound & Stone Cross
Erected in celebration of Christian gatherings around 1000.
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Bragernes Church
The Gothic-style Bragernes Church was built in 1871.
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Fire Station
A building of note: now a bank.
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Natural History Collection
A main university museum.
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Town Square
Marble-themed square.
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Stave Church
The stave church at Urnes is famed for its unique and elaborate wooden carvings – animals locked in struggle, stylised intertwined bodies and abstract motifs.
This lovely structure, a Unesco World Heritage Site, gazes out over Lustrafjord. Built in the 1130s, it has undergone several alterations through the ages; it’s likely that much of the rich carving on its gables, pillars and door frames were transferred from an 11th-century building that previously stood here. A car and passenger ferry (adult/child/car Nkr27/13/73, 20 minutes) shuttles roughly every hour between Solvorn and Urnes; many drivers prefer to leave their vehicles on the Solvorn bank. From the Urnes…
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Hurtigruten Museum
The Hurtigruten Museum portrays the history of the line in text and image. Hitched to the quayside is the retired ship M/S Finnmarken, claimed to be the world’s largest museum piece, which plied the coastal route between 1956 and 1993. In the same museum complex is the Hurtigrutenshus, a luxurious hotel, where rooms represent good value for your krone. Single rooms are furnished to resemble ships’ cabins.
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Ocean Sounds
Ocean Sounds, a not-for- profit centre, is the initiative of one hugely determined young biologist, Heike Vester. Enjoy a multimedia presentation about cod, whales and other Arctic marine mammals, supplemented by a 25-minute film about Lofoten. Or get out and about on a three- to four-hour marine safari in the Zodiac research boat (Nkr500, departures 10am and 5pm). From November to January, you can join a researcher on a whale-observing trip (Nkr1000).
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North Cape Wine
North Cape Wine is the world’s northernmost winery, making its own special vintages from Arctic berries.
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North Cape Wine
Its products may not be from the juice of the grape but North Cape Wine is the world's northernmost winery, making its own special vintages from Arctic berries. Ring the winery or tourist office for a tour and tasting, or pick up a bottle at the Vinmonopolet in the Torgsenteret shopping centre.
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Lofoten Hus Gallery
The Lofoten Hus Gallery, in a former fish-processing house, displays a fine collection of paintings from what is known as the Golden Age of Norwegian painting, between 1870 and 1930, plus canvases by contemporary Norwegian artist Karl Erik Harr. Admission includes an 18-minute slide show of photos by Frank Jenssen, shown on the hour. Revealing the people and landscapes of Lofoten throughout the seasons, it’s marred only by the trite, syrupy background music.
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Engelskmannsbrygga
Engelskmannsbrygga, or ‘Englishman’s Wharf’, is the open studio and gallery of three talented local artists: potter Cecilie Haaland, photographer John Stenersen and glass-blower Kari Malmberg, with whom you can try a hand at blowing your own glass (Nkr150; 5pm to 7pm Monday to Thursday).
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Breheimsenteret Visitors Centre
The Breheimsenteret visitors centre, 34km up the valley from Lustrafjord, has a display (adult/child Nkr 50/35) that tells how glaciers were formed and how they sculpt the landscape. There’s also a 20-minute film on the area and an exhibit on the girl Jostedalsrypa, the only villager to survive the Black Death. It also carries a worthwhile free pamphlet, Walking in Jostedal, that describes five short (one- to 2½-hour) walks.
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Hisnakul Natural History Centre
The Hisnakul Natural History Centre shares a restored wooden warehouse with the tourist office. It showcases the natural history of northern Norway, including sea birds, marine mammals, topography, farming, fisheries and local cultures.
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Whale Centre
The Whale Centre provides a perspective for whale-watchers, with displays on whale research, whaling and whale life cycles. Most people visit here in conjunction with a whale-watching tour.
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Polar Museum
The quaint, Arctic-themed Polar Museum has displays on local hunting and fishing traditions. There’s extensive coverage of the 38 winter hunting expeditions in Svalbard undertaken by local explorer Hilmar Nøis, who also collected most of the exhibits.
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Northern Lights Centre
The Northern Lights Centre is an impressive high-tech aurora borealis exhibition that first featured at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
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Nordland Museum
The small Nordland Museum has a droll 20-minute film on the history of Bodø with English subtitles. Highlights of the collection are silver items from Viking times. Other exhibits cover Sami culture, the history of women in northern Norway, regional fishing culture and natural history.
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