Tromsø , Norway
Shortly after breakfast we boarded our buses and, accompanied by our local guides, began an exploration of this most interesting arctic city. With a population of over 60,000, Tromsø is the largest city of northern Norway, boasts a fine university and occupies most of the island of Tromsoya. It has been called the Paris of the North, Gateway to the Arctic and Arctic Ocean City. Evidence for prehistoric Stone Age settlement here has been dated back to approximately 9,000 years when hunter-gatherers arrived in the area from further south to exploit the rich array of wild mammal, bird and fish resources available. A selection of the everyday equipment of these ancient hunters, including bone and antler projectile points and fishing hooks, were on display in the Tromsø University Museum which was our first visit this morning. Here we viewed a wonderful range of collections focused on the Sami people, wildlife, geology and archaeology. The Sami number around 70,000 and as an indigenous people have striven over the last couple of decades to continue and preserve their unique cultural inheritance. Their homeland, which they call Sapmi, occupies areas of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. A selection of Viking artifacts included antler combs, polished bone pins, iron swords and “soapstone” containers. The exact same style of material has been found on Viking Age settlements much further south in Europe; for example—Dublin in Ireland, which we must remember was actually founded by the Norse in the tenth century.
We continued on to the Polar Museum which houses a remarkable collection of material relating to the long tradition of Arctic exploration by the Norwegians and the erstwhile wide scale trapping and hunting which took place there. Housed in a small timber-clad building, this was a fabulous experience. The life and explorations of both Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen were detailed and exhibits included many personal belongings and equipment used by these two world-respected men on their various expeditions. It was from Tromsø that Amundsen departed in 1928 to help in the search for the missing airship “Italia.” He never returned. For our final visit we went to the Arctic Ocean Cathedral which was opened in 1965 and has both an impressive structural appearance and a huge stained-glass window. The afternoon was reserved for personal exploration of this fine northern city.
Shortly after breakfast we boarded our buses and, accompanied by our local guides, began an exploration of this most interesting arctic city. With a population of over 60,000, Tromsø is the largest city of northern Norway, boasts a fine university and occupies most of the island of Tromsoya. It has been called the Paris of the North, Gateway to the Arctic and Arctic Ocean City. Evidence for prehistoric Stone Age settlement here has been dated back to approximately 9,000 years when hunter-gatherers arrived in the area from further south to exploit the rich array of wild mammal, bird and fish resources available. A selection of the everyday equipment of these ancient hunters, including bone and antler projectile points and fishing hooks, were on display in the Tromsø University Museum which was our first visit this morning. Here we viewed a wonderful range of collections focused on the Sami people, wildlife, geology and archaeology. The Sami number around 70,000 and as an indigenous people have striven over the last couple of decades to continue and preserve their unique cultural inheritance. Their homeland, which they call Sapmi, occupies areas of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. A selection of Viking artifacts included antler combs, polished bone pins, iron swords and “soapstone” containers. The exact same style of material has been found on Viking Age settlements much further south in Europe; for example—Dublin in Ireland, which we must remember was actually founded by the Norse in the tenth century.
We continued on to the Polar Museum which houses a remarkable collection of material relating to the long tradition of Arctic exploration by the Norwegians and the erstwhile wide scale trapping and hunting which took place there. Housed in a small timber-clad building, this was a fabulous experience. The life and explorations of both Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen were detailed and exhibits included many personal belongings and equipment used by these two world-respected men on their various expeditions. It was from Tromsø that Amundsen departed in 1928 to help in the search for the missing airship “Italia.” He never returned. For our final visit we went to the Arctic Ocean Cathedral which was opened in 1965 and has both an impressive structural appearance and a huge stained-glass window. The afternoon was reserved for personal exploration of this fine northern city.
