Honningsvåg (Northern Sami: Áváhki or Honnesváhki, Kven: Vooki)
is a town on Magerøya in Nordkapp municipality in Finnmark.
Honningsvåg has 2,419 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020, and is the
administration center in the municipality. Nordkapp municipality has
3,199 inhabitants (as of 1 May 2008). Honningsvåg is located at 71
degrees north.
Honningsvåg has been connected to the mainland
through an almost 7 km long underwater tunnel since 1999.
Hurtigruten has two daily calls to Honningsvåg quay, opportunity to
go ashore - Honningsvåg has a lot of interesting things to offer -
just outside the district Storbukt is Honningsvåg airport, Valan,
with daily departures to Hammerfest and Tromsø, as well as Vadsø and
Kirkenes. Honningsvåg is located by the E69 35 km south of the North
Cape Plateau with the North Cape Hall. The E69 to the North Cape
Plateau was completed in 1958. The location of the North Cape gives
Honningsvåg large and lively tourist traffic in the summer.
Honningsvåg had 112 cruise calls in 2004; only Geiranger and Bergen
had more. Honningsvåg is one of Finnmark's and the country's largest
fishing centers. Honningsvåg can be chosen as the first landing base
for oil and gas from Skrugard and nearby fields in the Barents Sea.
Honningsvåg church from 1885 was spared during the burning and
forced evacuation of Finnmark and North Troms in December 1944.
In Honningsvåg is Fiskernes service station; three white
buildings centrally located in the inner harbor in Vågen (district).
The white buildings were erected in three stages; 1955, 1958 and
1961 and the client was Fiskarkvinnenes service station. The
fishermen's service station is protected. Brødrene Isaksens
Patentslipp in Storbukt is a protected slip facility from the
reconstruction and belongs to the North Cape Museum.
Cultural life
Honningsvåg is known for its rich cultural life
with, among other things, many revues during Christmas. The tour
revue with fl. premieres on Christmas Day 2 while the Music Show
starts on Christmas Day 5. With the exception of the time during
World War II, the revue tradition has been uninterrupted since 1929.
Every year in June, the popular North Cape Festival is held with,
among other things, many concerts and class reunions. In September,
Nordkapp Film Festival kicks off. Nordkapp Kino is located by the
town hall and close by are the swimming hall, the gym, the sports
hall and the new multi-purpose hall. Honningsvåg has several night
spots and a rich nightlife. Singing and music life is active and
varied in terms of genre.
Honningsvåg's village status
Nordkapp municipality adopted the city status for Honningsvåg from 1
October 1996, and in retrospect there have been many discussions
about the place's status as a city. An amendment to the Local
Government Act requires that the municipality must have at least
5,000 inhabitants for a settlement to be able to call itself a city,
but Nordkapp municipality adopted city status for Honningsvåg before
the introduction of this law. Since Norwegian laws do not have
retroactive effect, this does not apply to Honningsvåg, which can
thus call itself a city.
Norway's summer town
In a
competition from 2006 called "Norway's summer city", marketed by NRK
travel radio, Honningsvåg won the competition. Drammen and
Fredrikstad ended up in the top three. Subsequently, the victory was
marketed in Honningsvåg with a "Norwegian Summer City" sign.