Grense Jakobselv
Grense Jakobselv (German: Border Jakobsfluss ) is a village in the municipality of Sør-Varanger , in the east of the province of Troms og Finnmark in northeastern Norway . Grense Jakobselv is located at the mouth of the Jakobselva River in the Barents Sea on the border with Russia. During the Cold War , this was the only direct land border between a member country of NATO and the former Soviet Union, along with the Turkey-Soviet Union, and thus the only one within Europe. The place is about 60 km east of Kirkenes .
history
Archaeological finds point to settlements around 10,000 years ago. Hollows in the ground show the outlines of houses that were built 6500 years ago.
Sami originally lived here . When the area was divided among different nations in 1826, the Sami left the area. In 1851 a soldier from Vardø settled here. More settlers followed. In 1920 the place became Finnish . In the Second World War were here German troops stationed. On October 15, 1944, the place was captured by the Army of the Soviet Union , but remained Norwegian while the area east of the river was incorporated into the Soviet Union. In 1965 the place was opened up with a road. The last 10 km are a paved gravel road.
According to information from locals, around 40 people still live in Grense Jakobselv.
The Norwegian-Russian border
The border runs in the middle of the river and is marked by border posts on both banks. The Norwegian border post is yellow with a black tip, the Russian one is striped with red and green. The main purpose of the fence on the Norwegian side is to prevent reindeer and pets from crossing the border. Fishing in the river is only permitted for Norwegians or people who have lived in Norway for at least a year. Around 20 fishing licenses are issued each year. The border between Norway and Russia is about 80 kilometers long. The only border crossing is further south in Storskog on the European route 105 from Kirkenes to Murmansk .
King Oskar II Chapel
The King Oskar II Chapel is the local church. Since the border was drawn, there have been repeated disputes about the border. For these reasons, a Norwegian marine suggested building a chapel on this site , which could be consecrated in 1869. In 1873 King Oskar II visited the chapel, whereupon the church was named after him. In 1883 the chapel was whitewashed. The original shape was restored for the centenary.
The place
In addition to the church, only a few houses remain on permanent buildings, including the former rectory. The pastor stayed here until the beginning of the Second World War. Afterwards the house was used by soldiers of the occupying powers. Today it belongs to the museum of the municipality of Sør-Varanger.
The old customs post, which was built around 1870, is located 200 meters east of the rectory. In the vicinity of the customs post there are remains of old rorbu or fisherman's houses. On the river bank there are wall blocks that are part of the German fortifications from World War II.
Web links
Coordinates: 69 ° 47 ' N , 30 ° 49' E