Vadsø (town)
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Vadsø Vesisaari Čáhcesuolu |
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| Town | |
View of the town
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 Vadsø
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| Coordinates: 70°04′49″N 29°43′53″E / 70.08028°N 29.73139°ECoordinates: 70°04′49″N 29°43′53″E / 70.08028°N 29.73139°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Northern Norway |
| County | Finnmark |
| District | Øst-Finnmark |
| Municipality | Vadsø |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.37 km2 (1.30 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 5,116 |
| • Density | 1,518/km2 (3,930/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01:00) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02:00) |
| Post Code | 9800 Vadsø |
Vadsø (Northern Sami: Čáhcesuolu; Kven: Vesisaari) is a town in Vadsø Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of both Vadsø Municipality and Finnmark county, and is the largest town in East Finnmark. The town is located on the southern shore of the Varanger Peninsula, along the Varangerfjorden. Part of the town lies on the island of Vadsøya. It is connected to the rest of the town on the mainland by a bridge.
The 3.37-square-kilometre (1.30 sq mi) town has a population (2013) of 5,116, which gives the town a population density of 1,518 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,930/sq mi).Vadsø Church is located in the town, and it is the seat of the dean of the Varanger deanery in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 17 May to 28 July, and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer, polar night from 26 November to 17 January.
In the 16th century, the settlement consisted of a fishing village and the old Vadsø Church, located on the island of Vadsøya. The settlement later moved to the mainland. Township privilege was granted in 1833, and soon settlers came from Finland and the northern part of Sweden, which suffered from famine. Finnish was rapidly becoming the language of the majority, and this continued for decades. Even today Finnish is still spoken in some households. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, Vadsø suffered several air raids from the Soviet Union, which bombed Nazi troops. However, there are, unlike most places in Finnmark, a number of 19th century wooden houses preserved close to the city centre, notably the house of Esbensen, built by a Norwegian, and the house of Tuomainen, built by a Finn. On the island of Vadsøya is the airship mast used by Umberto Nobile and Roald Amundsen for their expedition over the North Pole with the airship Norge in 1926, and used again on Nobile's flight with the airship Italia in 1928.
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