Hammerfest is a city and municipality in the county of Finnmark, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands; Kvaloya, Soroya and Seiland.
Hammerfest was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The law required that all cities should be separated from their rural districts, but because of low population, and very few voters, this was impossible to carry out for Hammerfest in 1838. (See also Vadso and Vardo.)
The rural district of Hammerfest (Sørøysund) was separated from the city January 1, 1852 - but it was again merged with the city January 1, 1992. (But without the area of Kvalsund, which was separated from Sørøysund as a municipality of its own 1869.)
The town is named after an old anchorage. The first element is hammer, referring to a number of large rocks, good for mooring boats, called Hamran. (These were covered up in land reclaiming during the early post-war years). The last element is fest for 'fastening' (for boats).
Hammerfest claims to be the northernmost city in the world, although the title is disputed by Honningsvag, Norway, Barrow, Alaska and Longyearbyen, Svalbard. The validity of the claim depends upon one's definition of a city; Hammerfest is the world's northernmost settlement of more than 5,000 inhabitants. It is also the oldest town in North Norway. In spite of the extreme northern location, there is no permafrost, as the mean annual temperature is approximately 2°C [1], about the same as Anchorage which is located at a latitude of 61° North.
Hammerfest is situated on Kvaloya (island), with road connection to the mainland using the Kvalsund Bridge.
The construction of the large LNG site on Melkoya (island) just off Hammerfest, which will process natural gas from Snøhvit, is the most expensive construction project in the history of North Norway. This project has resulted in an economic boom and new optimism in Hammerfest in recent years, a stark contrast to the economic downhill most other municipalities in Finnmark are experiencing.
Hammerfest offers sport and commercial fishing, both sea and freshwater, as well as scuba diving. The northernmost glacier on the Norwegian mainland is a popular hiking destination. The town is a popular starting point for northern tours. There is a daily boat to the spectacular North Cape (Nordkapp), northernmost point on the continent of Europe. One chain of the Struve Geodetic Arc, now on the World Heritage List, is located at Fuglenes in Hammerfest.
Hammerfest is also a center of Sami culture.
Hammerfest is connected to the main road network by route 94 which branches off from European route E6. The town is a port of call for the Hurtigruten ship route. Hammerfest also has Finnmark's third largest airport, Hammerfest Airport.
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