Kirkenes

History

Kirkenes, the municipal center of Sor-Varanger, with its 6,000 inhabitants, is the terminus for the Coastal Voyage ships. The town of Kirkenes was built up around the mining company AS Sydvaranger that mined iron ore up until 1996. Export began in 1910, providing some 1,800 people with work. Today, around 6 million tons of ore are mined every year. The government is the majority shareholder and wishes to maintain the mining because the local community heavily depends on it. Today, the most important enterprises include service industries, ship repairs, and various initiatives directed toward northwestern Russia.

The Russian-Norwegian Border
Despite the unstable conditions on the eastern side, the Russian-Norwegian border hasn’t changed. When Finland became independent in 1919, it was allowed free access to the coast at the port of Petsamo. The port is located some 20 km from the border, to the east of Grense Jakobselv. Finland lost Petsamo during the battles of the 1939/40 winter campaign, at which point Norway gained a 196 kom border with Russia. When Germany attacked Russia in June of 1941, the Austrian general, Dietl, advanced with its army of occupation from Kirkenes in Norway towards Murmansk. Their advance was halted effectively, however, when the Russians stopped them a few miles from the border. The front remained there until autumn 1944, when the Soviet army attacked and entered Kirkenes on October 25. They then withdrew, passing administration over to the Norwegian authorities. During the Cold War the border was strongly guarded, until the dissolution of the Soviet Union led to relatively normal border relations between Norway and Russia. The old roads have now been reopened and boat routes to Murmansk have been established.

Thera are several marinas for visiting yachts in Kirkenes:

Carita Harbour, Kirkenes

Trygve Røtvold Tel 78 99 10 91 / 78 99 10 18

3 berths, 12 km from Russian border