Vardøhus
| Vardøhus Fortress | |
|---|---|
| Vardø, Finnmark, Norway | |
Fortress as seen from air
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| Coordinates | 70°22′20″N 31°05′41″E / 70.37222°N 31.09472°ECoordinates: 70°22′20″N 31°05′41″E / 70.37222°N 31.09472°E |
| Type | Star fort |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
Norway (1306-1380) Denmark-Norway (1380-1814) Norway (1814-1940) Nazi Germany (1940-1944) Norway (1944-present) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1306, 1450-1500, 1940-1944 |
| In use | 1306-present |
| Materials | Brick, earth, sand, stone and wood |
| Battles/wars | Norwegian Campaign (1940) |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander |
Major Tor Arild Melby |
| Garrison | Commander and four soldiers |
Vardøhus Fortress (Norwegian: Vardøhus festning) is located in Vardø Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the town of Vardø on the island of Vardøya on the Barents Sea near the mouth of the Varangerfjord in northeastern Norway near the Russian border. It is the northernmost star fort in the world.
In 1251, an embassy from the Republic of Novgorod to King Haakon IV Haakonson of Norway complained of clashes between the Norwegians and the Karelians in northern Finnmark. A Norwegian embassy was dispatched to Novgorod where a treaty (the original of which is now lost) was signed to conclude a peace between the two countries, including the Novgorod tributary land of Karelia.
The Finnmark coast was originally important as a source of furs from the trade with the Karelians, but this trade dropped off as the Hanseatic League increased the fur trade through their Novgorod centre. Finnmark remained important as a fishery; the fish was shipped as to Bergen and traded there with the Hansa merchants.
The first fortification was erected by Haakon V Magnusson in 1306 and was called Varghøya. It is not known how long this fort was manned, but in 1307 the Archbishop of Trondhjem went to Vardøhus to consecrate the new Vardø Church. The earliest record still extant which defines the border between Norway and Russia is from 1326. In 1340, records show the Archbishop made further efforts to improve conditions there.
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