Indre Kvaroy - A Coastal PearlIndre Kvarøy is one of more than one thousand islands in Lurøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Lurøy kommune, just south of the Polar Circle, is a community of 2000 people spread over both mainland (40%) and the rest (60%) on as many as 1372 small and larger islands.
When travelling along the coast with the Hurtigruten, just a few minutes south of the Arctic Circle, you can see a small island called Indre Kvarøy We want to show you this little coastal pearl in Nordland county in Norway. Even from a distance it is easy to see its beauty, with almost all the buildings clustering in the Northern side of the island. Here you find the small, but important, grocery shop, the school and the factory Snekkerfabrikken A/S in Kvarøy, which is producing stairs for cabins and houses over the whole country.And then last, but not least; The salmon farm that has become almost fundamental for the community. 
There is only one farm left on the island, producing milk from about 15-20 cows. The cows in Indre Kvaroy is enjoying the good life, here relaxed by the water watching the courious visitors walk by.
Long time ago ....
In the 1950's this island was an important center for other communitys in the surrounding district, and the Coastal Express had daily arrivals to Indre Kvarøy. People from the many other island around came to Kvarøy to buy food and building materials, or to travel with the Hurtigruten, The Coastal Express.On this old postcard you can see one of these ships, the Prins Olav, visiting Kvarøy in the 1950's..The island had a bakery, a soda fabric, cafeteria and accomodations for the passengers. There also were several farms, and of course a lot of fishermen. Now most of these activities are far gone, and the population is down to 70 people. However they still have a school, a kindergarden and a grocery shop.
And today ....
Seen from another angle, but this is the same place where the Hurtigruten Prins Olav is photographed on the previous picture. As you can see the old house is fully restored, and is an interesting memory of the times gone, and about the old days in Indre Kvarøy.
Indre Kvarøy School
The school has only 7 pupils. Normally this would end up in a close-down for any school, but if you look at the map and see the geographic position of this little island, you will understand it is not that simple. During the dark time in the winter, when there hardly is any daylight at all, and the storms are raging the open ocean surrounding the island, nobody would want their little son or daughter to leave home in the total dark morning for an hours boat ride to school.
The Community Centre in Indre Kvarøy
During the last years the active little community at Indre Kvarøy has also built their own Community Centre, called "Bekkestua". Here they come together for 17.May celebration, for meetings and for Midsummer dances.
Kvarøy Handel - The Grocery Shop
For ages the Indre Kvarøy have had trade and shops. Earlier it was a centre for the district, but in our days the islands are no longer the centers they used to be.Today there is one small grocery store on the island, the Kvarøy Handel, which of course is very important to the citizens. The small grocery store is open just a few hours a day, but saves a long trip with boat to the mainland to do the shopping.
The Kvarøy Harbour
The boat and ships was no longer the most important way for transporting goods, and the earlier important centers was becoming outskirts. The government even paid out people who wanted to move from the islands, and the population was decreasing fast. In the 1970's about 50 people was left in Indre Kvarøy, and only thanks to the stayers and fighters who finally won the battle for a safe harbour then the trend started to change. People started to move back. More families had more children, and there was an impressing development.The fishermen could go to sheltered harbour, the people could have their own small boats for transportation and daily fishing, - and then the salmon farm came to the island.... The salmon farm has given work and wages to many people, and has contributed a lot to the development of this community.
It is an amazing experience to see the midnight sun and the complete daylight in the middle of the night.
Boat to the mainland
The boat to the mainland only departs early in the morning and then again in the evening.When arriving on other times of the day than these, you will have to get someone to pick you up with one of the small fishing boats available. The trip from the mainland to Indre Kvarøy takes about 20 minutes with one of these, while it takes 5 minutes with the public transport boat.
Many houses are now only used as summer vacation houses, and the last years several cabins has been build by people from the nearest cities who enjoy coming here for weekends in the summertime.
Watch the Indre Kvarøy Slides Show
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This photo is taken at midnight in June 30. 2007. The daylight is complete even at midnight, and the photo has been taken through sunglasses beacuse of the strong sunlight.
