Tromso

- Paris of the North

Tromso is the seventh largest city in Norway, and is also a municipality in Troms county in Northern Norway.

The population of Tromsø municipality is 64 000, and about 54 000 are living in the town.

Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the small island of Tromsøya in the county of Troms, 350 kilometres (217 mi) inside the arctic circle.  The island is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel. The area has been inhabited since the end of the ice age, and the Sámi culture is the first known culture of the region.

Coat-of-arms

The Coat of Arms for Tromsø is a reindeer on a blue background.

It was made by the artist Hallvard Trætteberg and was in use from 1941.

The original reindeer coat-of-arms design is from 1870.

Land of the Midnight Sun and the Nordic Light

Tromsø is in the middle of the amazing Northern Light, or Aurora Borealis zone, and is one of the best places in the world to observe this phenomenon.

Because of the rotation of the planet, the Tromsø area moves into the Aurora zone around 6 pm, and moves out again around midnight.

As it is light round the clock in the summer, Northern Light is not visible between late April and mid-August.

This is also the Land of the Midnight Sun, which occurs from about 21. May to 21. July.

Owing to Tromsø's high latitude, twilight is long, meaning there is no real darkness between late April and mid-August.

The city is also warmer than most other places located on the same latitude, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.

Hotels and accomodation

Tromsø has many excellent hotels. It always a question of quality and price, but if you are looking for some of the best, then the Rica Ishavs Hotel, and Clarion Hotel Bryggen are two of them.

You can of course find accomodations of a more budget friendly kind, and here is one favourite for you.
AMI Hotel Tromsø is an independent family-run hotel, which opened in autumn 1999. AMI is a French word meaning friendship.

Cathedrals and Churches

All visitors to Tromsø wants to take a look at the Ishavskatedralen, or The Arctic Cathedral: A modern church from 1965 and probably the most famous landmark in Tromsø.

In Tromsø you will also find The Tromsø Cathedral, Norway's only wooden cathedral, built in 1861, and even a small Catholic church.

A Center of Cultur and Education

The city is a cultural centre for its region, here illustrated by a photo of the amazing Library of Tromsø.

In this city you will find the northermost University in the World; The University of Tromsø.

Even the northernmost brewery, botanical garden and planetarium is to be found in this city.

Tromsø has a long history of Arctic hunting, as well as beeing the starting point for many Arctic expeditions. When you visit Tromsø you should visit the Polar Museum, which shows the history of this.

The Tromsø Museum is a University Museum, presenting culture and nature of Northern Norway. The museum also displays the Arctic-alpine botanic garden, in fact the world's northernmost botanical garden.

Hurtigruten and transportation

The Hurtigruten has daily calls at Tromsø, and Richard With who was the foundator of the Hurtigruten was actually from Tromsø.

Express-buses are bringing you to Narvik in the south to Alta in the North.

Tromsø Airport was opened in 1964, and is now the fifth largest airport in Norway, with appr. 1,4 mill. passengers each year. All the major Norwegian airlines in Norway, SAS, Norwegian and Widerøe has daily flights to and from Tromsø.

Widerø is the important airline for the shorter flights in Northern Norway, and you can fly to Stokmarknes, Hammerfest, Honningsvåg, Mehamn, Båtsfjord, Kirkenes, Bodø, Svolvær and many other destinations from here.

On a coastal town like this you also have lots of ferrys and express boats, connecting the city with the smaller surrounding communities.

Sister Cities

Tromsø has eleven Sister Cities or Twin Towns:

Kemi -Finland, Luleå -Swede, Ringkøbing -Denmar, Grimsby -United Kingdom UK, Pune -India, Anchorage -United States, Zagreb -Croatia, Murmansk -Russia, Quetzaltenango -Guatemala, Gaza -Palestinian National Authority, Nadym -Russia

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