See Also: Hammerfest(encyclopedia)

Hammerfest (sh)




Northernmost town in Europe (pop., 1995 est.: 9,651), on the island of Kval?ya, northwestern Norway.

Chartered in 1789, most of it was destroyed by fire in 1891. Norway's first municipal hydroelectric station was built with its reconstruction. Germans occupied the town (1940-44); on their withdrawal, they blew up the installations and evacuated the population. The town has since been rebuilt. Despite its latitude, its harbour is ice-free year-round because of the warming North Atlantic Current. The sun shines continuously between May 17 and July 29, and there is no sunlight from November 21 to January 21. Tourism and fish-oil processing are important economically.