From World War II to Street Art: Bodø Self-Guided Walking Tour
Located just above the Arctic circle, Bodø is a city of transformation. Built up in the late 19th century, this important fishing harbour was completely ravaged from bombing in the early days of the German occupation during World War II. Following the war, the city was rebuilt into a functionalist style. While not the most attractive architectural style by modern standards, Bodø is a fascinating city to walk around. The last ten years have brought huge growth and new modern structures to this mini metropolis, and Bodø has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2024. Explore the fascinating city of Bodø!
In this article...
Norway's Coastal Road
Bodø is located at the end of the Fv17, which is Norway’s Coastal Road. You can find my guide to the Fv17 by clicking the link below.
Downloadable Version of This Guide
We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided walks on our online store.
Online Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the neighbourhood
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Information about facilities along the way
Downloadable Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the region & towns
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.
- Link to a map you can load into your phone
Bodø Self-Guided Walk
Hurtigruten Terminal
This tour begins at the Hurtigruten terminal, which is where many people arrive in the afternoon to explore Bodø for a few hours with the Hurtigruten.
The Hurtigruten is a coastal ferry that goes from Bergen to Kirkenes and back again, stopping in 32 ports along the way.
The next terminal you’ll pass is where the car ferries go to Røst to Værøy as well as Moskenes in Lofoten. The ferry to Moskenes takes around 2.5 hours.
Bodø Station
Bodø Station is the terminus of the Nordland Line that was completed in 1961. The station is served by day and night trains to Trondheim (728km away), plus commuter trains to Rognan and Fauske. The trip to Trondheim takes 9 hours and 50 minutes and it is not electrified.
The decision to build the railway to Bodø was made in 1923, but it was not completed until the 1960s due to lack of funds and World War II. The railway is also used by freight traffic.
Kirkens Bymisjon
On your left is Kirkens Bymisjon (Church City Mission), an organisation that conducts social work in Norway on a Christian humanistic basis. They focus on substance abuse, mental health, child welfare, elderly care, prostitution measures and church activities. The building on the left is where you can get assistance from the church, plus they also sell items second hand to raise funds for their services. It’s a great place if you love vintage shopping, or just want some unique souvenirs from Norway.
Orestad Park
The park is named after Ivar Orestad, a violinist who lived here.
In 2021, it was renamed to Sissel Bjugns Park. Sissel Bjugn (1947 – 2011) was a Norwegian poet and children’s writer who lived in Bodø for a large part of her adult life (she was originally born in Bardu)
After School
Bodø is famous for its street art. In 2015, the first UpNorth festival was held here, where international and national artists were given the freedom to paint on some of Bodø’s walls.
This artwork is titled After School and is by the Russian artist Rustam QBic. His paintings are known for being saturated with bright colours and a playful sense of the absurd.
We’ll see a couple works on this tour, but if you are interested in seeing more Bodø tourist board has made a map of all the big artworks. You can view it here
Bodø Town Hall
Bodø Town Hall is the main municipal building in Bodø with the municipality’s political and administrative headquarters. The building was built after the war, and it was designed by Gudolf Blakstad and Herman Munthe-Kaas, who gave it a functionalist style.
A new extension has been built at the town hall. It is designed by the Danish studio ALL (Atelier Lorentzen Langkilde). The façade geometry is designed to capture the changing light conditions in the Arctic. The building links together the older buildings from the 1960s, which will still be in use.
About the extension: https://www.archdaily.com/931586/bodo-town-hall-atelier-lorentzen-langkilde
Rådhusparken
A brand-new park has been constructed across from the town hall. There’s Rådhusparken, the one we see, and directly behind it is Solparken. These are lovely open spaces with fun games for kids and nice places to sit as well.
In the park you’ll find a monolith with a sign next to it. The monolith is from the Iron Age and was originally located close to the airport. There were at least five monoliths and several burials on the site, but it was moved here in 1952 to be closer to the museum.
Bodø Cathedral
The original church was built in 1888. It was yellow, wooden, and neo-Gothic. The church was destroyed during the bombing on 27 May 1940. In 1946, an architectural competition was held for the design of the new church. The new church was finished in 1956.
The stained-glass window is 40 feet high, and it has a beautiful 5,000 pipe German-style organ.
The church is built of concrete and has a basilica design. There is an external sculpture depicting Petter Dass. The church seats 890 people.
The church has a 36m (118ft) tall free-standing clock tower with three bells. There is a memorial to those who died in World War II.
Outside the city is Bodin Church, a stone church built in 1240.
Nordlandsmuseet
Recounting the short history of Bodø, this gem of a museum has an entertaining and informative 25-minute film with English subtitles on the town’s development. Highlights include a mock-up of the fishermans rorbuer, a section on Sami culture complete with sod hut and ritual drum, regalia related to the towns fishing heritage and a small hoard of 9th century Viking treasure that was discovered in 1919.
The building is from 1903 and housed the city’s fisheries museum.
Information on the museum can be found here: https://nordlandsmuseet.no/en/citymuseum
Svenskebyen
Due to a lack of housing from the bombing of World War II, the Swedish government helped build 107 apartments in the winter of 1941. These houses were tightly built together just outside of town. The area today is called The Swedish Town.
A Kiss Between Cultures
The motif shows two children playing together. One child is of Sami origin and the other comes from the indigenous population in the Andes. The artwork represents two different indigenous groups. The latter is part of the artwork and symbolises a bridge between the cultures.
Note – unfortunately from 2022 the artwork has been removed to make way for new building construction.
Bodø Library & Concert Hall
These buildings are a welcome modern addition to the city’s post-war architecture. Plans for a library began in 2009, when an international competition was held to design the library. The plan was to build a new, modern cultural quarter in Bodø. The building is designed to be open towards the city and the harbour, and the white marble is to capture the changing light of the Arctic.
The interior is bright and airy, and it’s great to sit in the reading room on the first floor and admire the views. The concert hall is not always open to the public, but it is like the library inside.
Bodø Harbour
At the ferry pier you can see some lovely old fishing boats, and here you get a true feel for Bodø’s past. This is where you can take tours by boat to Saltstraumen.
Old Customs House
The customs house is one of the few buildings to survive the war. It was built in 1912 and was designed with art nouveau influences by Søren Wiese-Opsahl.
Clarion Hotel Grand Bodø
This hotel has items and images inside from before World War II. The hotel is a preserved building in post-war architecture. The history of the hotel goes back to 1850, when a hotel was established on this site. The hotel became known for social groups and businesses. The well-known writer Knut Hamsun is among the hotel’s most famous guests; he wrote the book ‘Segelfoss by’ in one of its rooms.
The Main Square
This is the main shopping square of Bodø. Here’ll you’ll find some fun places to eat and some great shops as well. You can find restaurant and shopping suggestions on the Bodø travel guide page.
Norway's Coastal Road
Bodø is located at the end of the Fv17, which is Norway’s Coastal Road. You can find my guide to the Fv17 by clicking the link below.
Norway's Coastal Ferry
Kirkenes is a port of call of Norway’s coastal ferry. Find my guide for the coastal ferry by clicking the link below.
