Lofoten

Lofoten is the archipelago to the west in the ocean, north of the Arctic Circle. The principal islands are Austvågøy, Gimsøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy, Moskenesøy, Værøy and Røst. The southernmost part of Norway's largest island, Hinnøy, is also in Lofoten. 

The total land area amounts to 1,227 square kilometres. The road distance is almost 170 kilometres from Fiskebøl near Vesterålen in the north to Å in the south, where the E10 ends. This road is a national tourist route. From Lofotodden, at the south end of Moskenesøy, the air distance is more than 60 kilometres to Skomvær, the southernmost point in Lofoten. 

The first people came to Lofoten about 6,000 years ago. Lofoten's Stone Age inhabitants survived on fishing and hunting in an area which provided good living. All of Lofoten was covered by large pine and birch woods at that time. There were deer, bear, wild reindeer, lynx and beaver, and the sea was full of fish, seals and whales. 

Agriculture developed early, and grain was harvested in Lofoten as early as 4,000 years ago. The Viking Era saw the emergence of several large chieftain seats. Tofts from a Viking chieftain seat have been found at Borg on Vestvågøy Island, containing the largest Viking banquet hall ever found in any country. The building was 8.5 metres wide and as much as 83 metres long. A reconstruction of the building has been raised, and the Lofotr Viking Museum at Borg opened in June 1995. 

The Lofoten Fisheries gained importance early. King Øystein considered these fisheries to be of such significance that he, as early as 1103, built a church in Vågan, which at that time was the base of the Lofoten Fisheries. 

Posted in: Norway