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NARVIK |
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NARVIK was established less than a century ago as an ice-free port
to handle the iron ore brought by train from northern Sweden, and the
iron ore docks are still immediately conspicuous upon arrival, the rust-coloured
machinery overwhelming the whole waterfront. There are guided tours of
the iron ore terminal (1 daily; 30kr; times vary - ask at tourist
office), interesting if only for the opportunity to spend ninety minutes
amid such giant, ore-stained contraptions. Otherwise the town centre
lacks appeal, with modern stone and concrete replacing the wooden
buildings flattened during the last war. Nonetheless, try and devote an
hour or so to the Krigsminne Museum (mid-June to Aug Mon-Sat 10am-10pm,
Sun 11am-5pm; March to mid-June & Sept daily 10am-4pm; 30kr), in the
main square close to the docks. Run by the Red Cross, it documents the
wartime German saturation bombing and bitter sea and air battles for
control of the ore supplies, in which hundreds of foreign servicemen
died alongside the many locals.
The train station is at the north end of town and long-distance buses
pull up outside. From here, it's a five- to ten-minute walk south along
the main street to the main square, where the tourist office (mid-June
to mid-Aug Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun noon-7pm; late Aug daily
11am-5pm; rest of year Mon-Fri 9am-4pm) issues free maps and has a wide
range of leaflets on the region's attractions. The best place to stay is
the Briedablikk Gjestehus , Tore Hundsgate 41 (tel 76 94 14 18;
£20-25/$32-40), a well-tended guest house, a short, stiff walk from the
tourist office at the top of Kinobakken. The nearest campsite , Narvik
Camping , is along the E6 about 2km north of town and has cabins for
rent (250kr).
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