Svalbard and Jan Mayen - The Iconic Polar Bear Sign

Longyearbyen, Svalbard
The Iconic Polar Bear Sign

Sent by Khristin from Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

The polar bear population in the Svalbard archipelago is around 3,000 which exceeds the number of people that reside in the town of Longyearbyen. While encounters with the animals in the town are rare, Svalbard Polar Bear Signs warn residents and visitors of the potential danger they face when venturing beyond the limits of the town. In doing so, these signs have become icons in their own right that signify a spirit and reality that defines the entire community (read further).

Want to visit Longyearbyen, do book your stay here.

Norway - Tromsø

Norway - Tromsø
Northern Light 

Sent by Sissel from Tromsø, Norway.

Tromsø (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈtrʊmsø]); Northern Sami: Romsa; Kven: Tromssa) is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.

Tromsø city is the ninth-largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population. It is the largest city and the largest urban area in Northern Norway, and the second largest city and urban area north of the Arctic Circle in Sápmi (following Murmansk). Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the small island of Tromsøya in the county of Troms, 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. Substantial parts of the urban area are also situated on the mainland to the east, and on parts of Kvaløya—a large island to the west. Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge. The city is warmer than most other places located on the same latitude, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. (read further)

Norway - Oslo

NORWAY
Oslo
Slottet (Royal Palace) 

Sent by Signe from Oslo, Norway.

Oslo (English pronunciation: /ˈɒzloʊ/, oz-loh, or, rarer [uslu] or [uʃlu]) is the capital of and most populous city in Norway. Oslo constitutes a county and a municipality.

Founded around 1000 AD, and established a "kaupstad" or trading place in 1048 by King Harald III, the city was elevated to abishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V around 1300. Personal unions with Denmark from 1397 to 1523 and again from 1536 to 1814 and with Sweden from 1814 to 1905 reduced its influence. After being destroyed by a fire in 1624, the city was moved closer to Akershus Castle during the reign of King Christian IV and renamed Christiania in his honour. It was established as a municipality (formannskapsdistrikt) on 1 January 1838. Following a spelling reform, it was known as Kristiania from 1877 to 1925, when its original Norwegian name was restored.

Oslo is the economic and governmental centre of Norway. The city is also a hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry and shipping. It is an important centre for maritime industries and maritime trade in Europe. The city is home to many companies within the maritime sector, some of which are among the world's largest shipping companies, shipbrokers and maritime insurance brokers. Oslo is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission intercultural cities programme. (read further)

Norway - Svalbard and Jan Mayen - Ny-Ålesund

Norway - Svalbard - Ny-Ålesund

Sent by Netherlands Arctic Station from Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen, Norway.

Ny-Ålesund ("New Ålesund") is one of the four permanent settlements on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. It is located on Brøggerhalvøya and Kongsfjorden. Like the rest of Svalbard, Ny-Ålesund is administered by the Kingdom of Norway.

Ny-Ålesund is one of the world's northernmost settlements at 78°55′N 11°56′E, and is the world's northernmost functional public settlement. It is 107 km away from Longyearbyen.

Today, it is inhabited by a permanent population of approximately 30–35 people. All of them work for one of the research stations — e.g. the Norwegian Polar Institute — or the logistics and supply company Kings Bay AS, which 'owns' and runs the research village. In the summer the activity in Ny-Ålesund is greatly increased with up to 120 researchers, technicians, and field assistants. At present, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, France, India, Italy,Japan, South Korea and China all maintain research stations at Ny-Ålesund, although not all are inhabited year-round.

Ny-Ålesund is home to the new Arctic Marine Laboratory (the northernmost in the world), which was officially opened on 1 June 2005. With many open rooms and wet and dry lab spaces alike, the marine lab is particularly useful for countries that do not maintain permanent research stations in the area. (read further)

Norway - Ålesund

NORWAY
Ålesund

Sent by Galya, a TravBuddy friend from Ålesund, Norway.

Ålesund is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveauarchitecture.

Ålesund town is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the principal shipping town of the Sunnmøre district. Ålesund municipality has a population of 42,982 as of 2010, while the greater Ålesund area has a population of 47,772 (this also includes most of neighboring Sula as well). (read further)

Norway - West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (3)

Norway
Tourist-vessels visiting the Geiranger fjord.

Sent by Tone, a WiP partner from Norway.

Norway - West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (2)

NORWAY
Geirangerfjord.

Sent by Jörg, a postcrosser from Norway.

Norway

Norway : Nordkapp, Lofoten, Trondheim, Geiranger, Preikestolen, Lindesnes.

Sent by Ingunn, a postcrosser from Tønsberg, the oldest town in Norway.

Norway - Bunad

A girl wearing bunad, the traditional costume of Fusa in Norway.

Sent by Kari, a postcrosser from Norway.

This is from Wikipedia : Bunad is an umbrella term encompassing, in its broadest sense, a range of both traditional rural garments (mostly dating to the 19th and 18th centuries) as well modern 20th century folk costumes. In its narrow sense the word Bunad does only refer to garments constructed in the early 20th century very loosely based on tradition. The word Bunad in itself is a 20th century invention.

The Bunad movement has its root in 19th century national romanticism, which included an interest for traditional folk garments not only in Norway, but also in neighbouring countries such as Denmark and notably Germany. However, in Norway national romanticist ideas had a more lasting impact, as seen in the use of folk inspired costumes.

The designs are typically elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewelry known as sølje. There are bunads both for men and women, although women's bunads are more diverse and popular. However, according to daily manager Turid Liss Agersborg at Husfliden Oslo, they now produce and sell more men’s bunads than women’s for the first time in history. The male customers are often characterized as urban and modern, and range between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.

A number of books on the history of bunads recount the story of how once when on holiday in Hardanger with her Danish husband the British Princess Maud of Wales thought that the Hardanger bunads worn by the women in Hardanger were so beautiful that she had one made for her. At that time she could have had no inkling that a decade and a half later she would return to Norway as its queen, the matriarch of a new dynasty of Norwegian kings. She later wore this Hardanger bunad at numerous public appearances in Norway, a tradition maintained by the present Queen Sonja, the Crown Princess Mette Marit and Princess Martha Louise, although Queen Sonya and her daughter wear the East Telemark bunads, Telemark being the ancestral county of the Queen's own family.

Norway - West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (1)

NORWAY
The Nærøyfjord is on Unesco's world heritage list as an example of one of the world's most beautiful, classical fjord landscapes.

Sent by Kristin, a postcrosser from Norway.

Situated in south-western Norway, north-east of Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120 km from one another, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape that stretches from Stavanger in the south to Andalsnes, 500 km to the north-east.

The two fjords, among the world's longest and deepest, are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere. Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400 m from the Norwegian Sea and extend 500 m below sea level. The sheer walls of the fjords have numerous waterfalls, while free-flowing rivers cross their deciduous and coniferous forests to glacial lakes, glaciers and rugged mountains. The landscape features a range of supporting natural phenomena, both terrestrial and marine such as submarine moraines and marine mammals.

Remnants of old and now mostly abandoned transhumant farms add a cultural aspect to the dramatic natural landscape that complements and adds human interest to the area.

Norway - Norwegian National Costume

NORWAY
Norwegian National Costume

Sent by Gro, a postcrosser from Tanager in Norway.

This is from Wikipedia : Bunad is a traditional Norwegian national costume, typically of rural origin. Bunads are local to Norway's traditional districts, and the result both of cultural evolution and organized efforts to discover and modernize older designs. The designs are typically elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewellery. There are bunads both for men and women, although women's bunads are more diverse and popular.

Norway - Stavanger

NORWAY
Lake Breiavatnet at Stavenger.

Sent by Jörg, a postcrosser from Norway.

This is from Wikipedia : Stavanger (Norwegian pronunciation: [stɑˈʋɑŋjær]) is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.

Stavanger municipality has a population of 121,610[2], but there are 189,828[3] people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the de facto third largest city in Norway. Stavanger is also the centre of the Stavanger metropolitan area which has a population of 297,569, and the administrative centre of Rogaland county. The city is commonly referred to as the Petroleum Capital of Norway.

The city, despite its age, only grew to become among the most influential and important Norwegian cities in the second half of the 20th century, after oil was discovered in the North Sea. Today there are significant foreign influences as a result of several major international oil companies' presence in the city. Several other foreign influences can be found, and among the more prominent is the NATO Joint Warfare Center.

Norway's oldest cathedral, Stavanger domkirke, is situated in the city centre, right next to lake Breiavatnet. The two most popular recreational areas in Stavanger are situated around lakes, namely Mosvatnet and Stokkavatnet.

Norway - Svalbard

This is from Wikipedia : Svalbard (Russian: Свальбард) is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. Located north of mainland Europe, it is about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude (and thus inside the Arctic Circle), and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the largest island, followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The administrative center is Longyearbyen, and other settlements, in addition to research outposts, are the Russian mining community of Barentsburg, the research community of Ny-Ålesund and the mining outpost of Sveagruva. The archipelago is administrated by the Governor of Svalbard.

The islands were first taken into use as a whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries, after which they were abandoned. Coal mining started at the beginning of the 20th century, and several permanent communities were established. The Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920 recognizes Norwegian sovereignty, and the 1925 Svalbard Act made Svalbard a full part of the Kingdom of Norway. They also established Svalbard as a free economic zone and a demilitarized zone. The Norwegian Store Norske and the Russian Arktikugol remain the only mining companies. Research and tourism have became important supplementary industries, featuring among others the University Centre in Svalbard and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. No roads connect the settlements; instead snowmobiles, aircraft and boats serve inter-community transport. Svalbard Airport, Longyear serves as the main gateway.

The archipelago features an Arctic climate, although with significantly higher temperatures than other areas at the same latitude. The flora takes advantage of the long period of midnight sun to compensate for the polar night. Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds, and also features polar bears, reindeer and marine mammals. Seven national parks and twenty-three nature reserves cover two-thirds of the archipelago, protecting the largely untouched, yet fragile, nature. Sixty percent of the archipelago is glacier, and the islands feature many mountains and fjords.

Norway - Hilsen Fra Nord-Norge

Greetings from North Norway. The view of Henningsvær, a fishing village in the Lofoten Region.

Sent by Ann-Tove from Fauske in Norway.

This is from Wikipedia : Henningsvær is a fishing village near Austvågøya, in the Lofoten Islands part of Nordland county in Norway.

It is connected to Austvågøya by two bridges.

Due to its traditional fishing village architecture, Henningsvær draws many tourists. Climbing and diving/snorkeling are also popular tourist activities.

The nearest town is Svolvær.

Norway - Hilsen fra Fauske

This blue postcard is from Fauske in Norway. Sent by Ann-Tove.

This is from Wikipedia : Fauske is a town and municipality located in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Fauske with approximately 6,000 inhabitants.

Fauske was separated from the municipality of Skjerstad on 1 January 1905. Township was declared in 1998. The town is located on the northern shore of Skjerstadfjorden. The municipality borders Sweden in the east and the municipalities of Sørfold to the north, Bodø to the west, and Saltdal to the southeast.

Norway - Royal Family

This one from Norway sent by Trond shows the King, Queen, Prince and Princess of Norway.

Norway - Åndalsnes

This is the first postcard received from Norway, sent by Malin who lives in Andalsnes town, Romsdal region, West Norway.

This is from Wikipedia : Åndalsnes is a Norwegian town in the municipality of Rauma, of which it is also the administrative center. Åndalsnes has around 3000 inhabitants, and is located on the shores of the Romsdalsfjord at the mouth of the river Rauma, one of Norway's first rivers to host English fly fishermen in the nineteenth century. The river's salmon population is currently undergoing restoration after seeing strong declines in the 1980s following an infestation with the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus Salaris. As many other infested rivers, Rauma is experiencing an increase in the population of sea trout. The river flows through the Romsdal valley, which features some of the most spectacular scenery in the entire country. Trollveggen (the Troll Wall,) one of the cliff formations in the valley, has a vertical drop of over 1 000 meters. It was an early launch site for European base jumpers. The railroad Raumabanen terminates at Åndalsnes, with a bus connection to Molde and Ålesund.

After the German World War II invasion of Norway in April, 1940, British troops landed in Åndalsnes as a part of a pincer movement to take the mid-Norwegian city Trondheim. The northern arm of the attack was based in Namsos, (see Namsos Campaign). Lacking control of the air, the forces at Åndalsnes were withdrawn in early May, 1940.

Åndalsnes has a football club, Åndalsnes Idrettsforening. The town's newspaper, Åndalsnes Avis, had a circulation of 4125 in 2007.[1]

They also have a harbour called "NATO kaia" or NATO harbour, which every years are being visited by cruise ships, like Costa Marina, Thomson Celebration, Costa Victoria and today the biggest ship that comes to Åndalsnes is Costa Atlantica.