Thor Heyerdahl Statue

Larvik's main historical claim to fame is as the home town of Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), one of Norway's premier explorers. The quirky scientist, anthropologist and explorer spent a lifetime trying to prove that the world's oceans were vast highways that were essential to understanding ancient civilisations, a novel idea in the hallowed halls of scientific research.

In 1947 he sailed 6000km in a balsawood raft, the Kon-Tiki, from Peru to Polynesia to prove that the South Pacific may have been settled by migrants from South America rather than Asia. His theories were supported by discoveries of similar fauna and cultural artefacts in Polynesia and South America and by the fact that Pacific Ocean currents run east-west. The film of his journey won an Oscar in 1951 for Best Documentary and his medal-winning bravery in resisting the Nazis only added to his legend. His book describing the expedition sold an astonishing 60 million copies worldwide. The actual Kon-Tiki ship is on display at the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo.

After being one of the first Europeans to excavate on the Galapagos and Easter islands, Heyerdahl again grabbed international attention in 1970 when he crossed the Atlantic in a papyrus raft. His purpose was to prove that Columbus may not have been the first successful transatlantic navigator and that the ancient Egyptians may have made the crossing millennia before. His first raft, Ra, sank soon after setting out, but the dogged Heyerdahl successfully completed the crossing in Ra II.

In 1978, at the age of 64, the indefatigable Heyerdahl sailed the Tigris from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, down the Persian Gulf and across the Indian Ocean to Djibouti to prove how the ancient Sumerians travelled widely. When he was prevented from entering the Red Sea due to local conflicts, Heyerdahl set fire to his ship in a spectacular anti-war protest. Heyerdahl was also a fervent internationalist; his crew was always multinational and his boats flew the UN flag.

On Heyerdahl's 75th birthday in 1989, this statue in his honour was unveiled at Tollerodden, east of Larvik's harbour. It's sculpted in Larvik's own blue larvikite, a beautiful, locally quarried 50 million-year-old type of granite. Heyerdahl died of cancer in northern Italy on 18 April 2002.