Vardø

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
coat of arms map
Coat of arms of the municipality of Vardø
Vardø (Norway)
Vardø
Vardø
Basic data
Commune number : 5404
Province  (county) : Troms and Finnmark
Administrative headquarters: Vardø
Coordinates : 70 ° 0 ′  N , 31 ° 0 ′  E Coordinates: 70 ° 0 ′  N , 31 ° 0 ′  E
Surface: 600.61 km²
Residents: 2,029  (Feb 27, 2020)
Population density : 3 inhabitants per km²
Language form : Bokmål
Website:
politics
Mayor : Ørjan Jensen  (MDG) (2019)
Located in the province of Troms and Finnmark
Location of the municipality in the province of Troms og Finnmark

Audio file / audio sample Vardø ? / i (sam .:Várggát,Kvenisch:Vuorea) is a city and amunicipalityin theFylke Troms og FinnmarkinNorway. It is the easternmost municipality in Norway. Vardø is even further east thanIstanbul,Saint PetersburgandCairo.

Location and dates

The town hall

The city is located off the east coast of Norway on the small island Vardøya and the offshore bird cliffs of the island Hornøy on the Barents Sea and is the most easterly point of the country. The municipality of Vardø also extends partly on the mainland. The two parts are connected by the Vardøtunnel .

The community has 2029 inhabitants (as of February 27, 2020). The main industries are fishing and fish processing.

history

View of the island from the mainland

Archaeological finds indicate that the area was already settled around 9,000 years ago. The present settlement was founded in 1306. Vardø was supposed to exist as a bulwark against Russia . In 1789 the community received city ​​rights . Trade with Russia was abundant at the time. The end of trade came with the Russian Revolution . The city ​​was completely destroyed during World War II , but was rebuilt after the war, although there were also plans to rebuild the city on the mainland.

The Globus II radar

Vardø and the radar station

Vardø played an important role in NATO's early warning system during the Cold War . The domes of the radars, which dominate the image of the community, were also used for civil purposes.

A radar station called Globus II has been located in Vardø since 1998. The official task is the tracking of space debris . This X-band radar , however, is also used for the National Missile Defense of the United States . Another system, Globus III, has been built since mid-2017; it should be completed in 2020. In February 2018 it was announced that it will be larger than previously known. Residents of Vardø criticized this and accused the responsible authorities in Norway and the USA of targeted misinformation.

climate

The polar night lasts from November 23rd to January 21st. The sun, on the other hand, does not sink below the horizon on 74 days, from May 16 to July 29. The city is located in the arctic climate zone . The coldest months are December, January, February and March, with temperatures averaging between −3 and −5 ° C. The mean temperature of the warmest months of July and August is around 9 ° C. The absolute temperature extremes are −22 ° C and +24 ° C. The annual total of precipitation is around 570 mm on a long-term average. Precipitation of at least 0.1 mm falls on an average of 210 days per year.

Vardø
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
55
 
-2
-7
 
 
41
 
-3
-8th
 
 
34
 
-2
-6
 
 
33
 
1
-3
 
 
30th
 
5
1
 
 
42
 
9
4th
 
 
49
 
12
7th
 
 
55
 
12
8th
 
 
54
 
9
5
 
 
58
 
4th
1
 
 
59
 
1
-3
 
 
53
 
-1
-5
Temperature in ° Cprecipitation in mm
Source: wetterkontor.de
Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Vardø
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) −2.1 −2.7 −1.5 1.2 4.8 8.7 11.5 12.0 8.6 4.3 1.4 −0.8 O 3.8
Min. Temperature (° C) −7.0 −7.8 −6.4 −3.1 0.5 4.0 7.1 7.5 4.9 0.5 −2.7 −5.2 O −0.6
Precipitation ( mm ) 55 41 34 33 30th 42 49 55 54 58 59 53 Σ 563
Rainy days ( d ) 15th 12 10 9 8th 8th 9 10 12 14th 13 14th Σ 134
Humidity ( % ) 86 88 86 84 83 85 87 86 85 84 85 85 O 85.3
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
−2.1
−7.0
−2.7
−7.8
−1.5
−6.4
1.2
−3.1
4.8
0.5
8.7
4.0
11.5
7.1
12.0
7.5
8.6
4.9
4.3
0.5
1.4
−2.7
−0.8
−5.2
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g
55
41
34
33
30th
42
49
55
54
58
59
53
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Source: wetterkontor.de

traffic

The port of Vardø

A road tunnel under the Arctic Ocean connects the old fortress city with the mainland. The tunnel was built as Norway's first underwater tunnel. It is 2890 m long and its deepest point is 88 m below the surface of the water.

The community is the landing stage for the Hurtigruten ships and the end of European route 75 , which begins on the Greek island of Crete .

The Vardo Airport (IATA code: VAW ICAO ENSS) use about 13,000 passengers a year.

Attractions

Vardø
  • The Vardøhus festning is an octagonal fortress that the Finnmark should protect against Russian attacks. It was laid out in the 14th century and has been the northernmost fortress in the world ever since. King Christian had it converted into an octagonal star shape between 1734 and 1738.
  • The Vardømuseum is a reminder of the witch burnings in the 17th century, but also the polar expeditions at the beginning of the 20th century and the Second World War.
  • Vardø Church from 1958
  • The Pomormuseet, a museum dedicated to the trading Pomors recalls the 19th century.
  • Witch memorial by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and the French-American sculptor Louise Bourgeois .
  • The lighthouse of the place has a luminosity of 2 million light intensities sm a range of 28th
  • Hamningberg is an abandoned fishing village about 40 km from Vardø. The houses date from the time of the Pomors trade. Today Hamningberg is a holiday resort that can only be reached by snowmobile in winter and by car in summer. The chapel is from 1949.

Trivia

Vardø is not only Norway's easternmost city. It is also the easternmost city with Central European Time .

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Vardø  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. Statistisk sentralbyrå - Befolkning
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614173130/https://forsvaret.no/aktuelt/ny-radar-i-vardoe
  3. https://www.nrk.no/finnmark/lokalbefolkningen-raser-mot-feilinformasjon-om-ny-topphemmelig-radar-1.13901790