Vardø Fortress

Vardø Fortress is the northernmost fortress in the world and was originally constructed to protect Norwegian territory in Finnmark and the surrounding areas. The fortress was built between 1734 and 1738 and looks today almost as it did at that time. It has been constucted in a star formation, with eight points, and the many unique buildings within the fortress walls are well worth a visit.

There are only two fortresses in Norway which still have a commander on site - Vardø fortress and Akershus fortress in Oslo. The cannons are fired when members of the royal family celebrate their birthdays. In addition, the fortress in Vardø salutes the return of the sun after the polar night by firing its cannons.

The present-day fortress in Vardø is the third in town. The first is supposed to have been built around the year 1300 by King Haakon V's forces, whilst the second was built in the years leading up to 1460.