The History of Kirkenes
I love Kirkenes. Honestly, it’s one of those places I didn’t think much of until I got there. What makes it so special is the blend of so many cultures, religions and customs that come together to make one special town. Walking through the town, you’ll hear Norwegian, Finnish, Russian and Sami. This didn’t happen overnight; Kirkenes’ multiculturalism is from hundreds of years of history. I’ve put together my overview of the history of Kirkenes, focusing on the important events that made the town what it is today.
The History of Kirkenes
The E6 Highway
Kirkenes is located on the E6, Norway’s main highway. You can find my guide to the E6 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.
The Sami Settlement Between Two Countries
The history of Kirkenes begins with its Sami settlement. The Skolt Sami, or Eastern Sami, have been using the land around Kirkenes for hundreds of years. They would come here with their reindeer flocks to graze along the Varangerfjord. In the winter, they would go to Northern Finland.
Kirkenes and surroundings was a shared Norwegian-Russian district with no strict borders. The present-day border is from 1826, and it took only a few years before the first settlers came to the area.
Border Establishment
When the borders came into place, the region was heavily affected. For example, Neiden, 45km west of Kirkenes, was cut in half. The area is the centre of the Skolt Sami culture in Norway, which is the eastern Orthodox Sami. Many of the residents lived part of the year in Russia, and the borders led them to settle on the Kola Peninsula in present-day Russia.
In Neiden you can still find St. George’s Chapel, a Russian Orthodox chapel built in 1565. In 1902, the Norwegian government funded the Neiden Chapel. The church resembles a stave church to assert the state’s sovereignty in Eastern Finnmark. If you are driving towards Inari in Lapland from Kirkenes, you will pass the church. Today there is a Skolt Sami Museum in Neiden, close to St. George’s Chapel.
The First Church
In the mid-19th century, the settlement around Kirkenes decided to build a church near the fjord. Originally, the settlement had the strange name ‘Piselvnes’ (Pis River Headland). With the church, the settlement became Kirkenes (Church Headland).
Discovery of Iron Ore
Kirkenes grew thanks to the discovery of iron ore 10km south of the settlement. Around that time, very few people lived in Kirkenes. The mining company SydVaranger A/S was founded and the town grew rapidly. In the early 20th century, the population grew to 8,000. Most people came from far away. Besides Norwegian and Sami languages, Russian, Swedish, English and German were common. During World War I, iron ore from Kirkenes was in high demand. At most, 1,500 people worked in the mines. In 1908, the Hurtigruten made Kirkenes its turning point.
World War II
With its proximity to the Soviet Union, Kirkenes was valuable throughout World War II. When the Winter War broke out in Finland, Kirkenes was a safe haven. More than 1,300 refugees from Finland and the Soviet Union crossed.
Less than a year later, in July 140, German forces invaded Kirkenes. Kirkenes became one of the most important bases in Norway for the Germans.
The Murmansk Front
Up to 10,000 German soldiers were present in Kirkenes during the war. The main goal of the Germans was to block British shipments into Murmansk. Additionally, Kirkenes was important during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. When Operation Barbarossa began in 1941, Allied convoys supplied Murmansk with food and materials. It was then sent to Moscow to prevent the fall of the capital. The Germans used Kirkenes to target and attack these convoys.
Kirkenes became a target for bombing and air raids by both the Allies and the Soviets. Air-raid warnings sounded over 1,000 times and there were over 300 bombing raids. After Malta, Kirkenes was the place in Europe subject to the most intensive bombing.
The Partisans
The area around Kirkenes was also important for the partisans. Norwegians signed up to train in espionage in the Soviet Union. After returning to Norway, they set up observation posts along the Finnmark coast. From there, they reported on German shipping and military activity. Their reports were for the Soviet Union.
They lived in simple conditions and were completely isolated. During the Cold War, many of them ended up with accusations of having Communist sympathies. A memorial for 11 freedom fighters stands near Kirkenes. They helped partisans collect information about the Occupation. They were caught and sent to a POW camp in summer 1943. A couple of months later, they were killed close to the memorial spot.
The fighting between Kirkenes and Murmansk cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers. The terrain is difficult, and the weather made it worse. It was difficult to establish supply chains for the soldiers. Most soldiers either died in action or they froze to death in temperatures as low as -40C/F.
Over 80 prisons and POW camps were located in the area around Kirkenes, and at one point more than 7,000 Soviet prisoners of war were held in these camps.
Liberation of Kirkenes & Rebuilding
In October 1944, Finland and the Soviet Union agreed to a ceasefire. The Germans intensified their plans to retreat from Finnmark. As the Soviets began to advance on Kirkenes, the Germans began their retreat. During the retreat, the Germans used their scorched earth tactic. Anything they passed, they set on fire. Anything that was remaining in Kirkenes after all the bombing raids burned down.
Most of the population fled to the mines to hide underground. Up to 3,000 people lived in the mines – 11 babies were born there! The movie Under a Stone Sky from 1997 is about this event.
Only 13 houses were standing after the war. The church that gave the name ‘Kirkenes’ did not survive.
On the 25th of October 1944, the Soviets entered Kirkenes. The locals gave them a heroes welcome. Kirkenes was the first town in Norway liberated by the Red Army.
Learn about the history between Kirkenes and Russia by visiting the Grenseland Museum.
Video about the liberation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM5cJkXUOx4
After the liberation, the locals had to live in the ruins and cellars of bombed houses. It took some time for rebuilding to begin. The general shortage of timber meant that materials had to be imported. Many children were sent to Sweden to ‘fatten up’ with Swedish families for a couple years.
Kirkenes was rebuilt thanks to the Marshall Plan from the United States. Moreover, with the rebuilding, Kirkenes became the first town in Northern Norway to get sealed streets.
Postwar Developments
During the Cold War, Kirkenes was just one of two borders between NATO and the Soviet Union (the other was in Turkey) and for much of the 1990s it was the only border between Russia and NATO.
The mines in Kirkenes re-opened in 1952 and were incredibly important for the post-war building that was taking place all around Europe. However, the iron market fell in the 1990s and Sydvaranger mining completely shut down in 1996. The loss of their traditionally largest industry led to major changes in Kirkenes.
In the 1990s, Kirkenes underwent changes and became an important city for the Barents region. The Kirkenes Declaration was signed in 1993, and the Barents Euro-Arctic Region was formalised as a collaboration between Finland, Sweden, Norway and Northwest Russia. The core idea was ‘people to people collaboration’ across the borders, especially with Russia after the Cold War ended.
Kirkenes was finally granted town status in 1998.
The E6 Highway
Kirkenes is located on the E6, Norway’s main highway. You can find my guide to the E6 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.
