Kåfjord (Alta)
| Kåfjord | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||
| Basic data | |||||
| Country | Norway | ||||
| Province (fylke) | Troms and Finnmark | ||||
| Municipality (commune) : | Alta | ||||
| Coordinates : | 69 ° 56 ' N , 23 ° 2' E | ||||
Kåfjord is a settlement in the municipality of Alta (Norway) in the Fylke (Province) Troms og Finnmark in Norway . The small village is on the banks of the Kåfjord and on the European route 6 (E6), around 18 km west of the town of Alta and 3 km west of Kvenvik .
history
From 1826 to 1909 copper ore was mined near Kåfjord after two Englishmen founded the mining company Altens Kobberverk there in 1826 . In the 1840s the place was the largest settlement in Finnmark with more than 1000 inhabitants, including many Englishmen from Cornwall . In 1837 the English built a church in the village; it was restored in 1969. The copper mine was operated by English owners until 1878, and then by Swedish owners from 1896 to 1909. The largely dilapidated facilities are now accessible through a 1.2 km long nature trail .
Attractions
Tirpitz Museum
There is a privately operated militaria museum, the Tirpitz Museum , with objects and pictures from the German battleship Tirpitz , which was temporarily anchored in the Kåfjord during World War II . The wooden museum building dates from the 1880s and was originally in Lillehammer . It was dismantled there in 1946 and shipped to Alta to help rebuild the war-ravaged region, where it served as Finnmark's first nursing home until 1961.
Aurora Observatory
Above the Kåfjord on the summit of Mount Haldde , with a great view on all sides, is the oldest observatory built for observing the northern lights , but it is no longer in operation today. It was built in 1899, operated until 1926 and then moved to Tromsø . The buildings have since been renovated and now accommodate ten beds for hikers. It can be reached from Kåfjord via a 9 km long footpath.