Berlevåg – Arctic charm and culture on Norway’s northeastern edge

Framed by the Barents Sea and the bird-rich Varanger Peninsula in the far north of Norway, Berlevåg is one of the largest fishing communities in Finnmark county – perhaps thanks to the impressive breakwater that encircles it. 

Fishing made Berlevåg – and war nearly destroyed it. The village grew around rich coastal waters but was burned to the ground by retreating German forces in 1944. It was rebuilt quickly, iconic Kjølnes Lighthouse and all, and remains a working port to this day. 

You can trace this story at the Berlevåg Harbour Museum, which covers the wartime occupation and the remarkable breakwaters that protect the town. There are also stolpersteine – brass “stumbling stones” engraved with the names of locals deported during the war. 

For such a small place, Berlevåg cultural reach is surprisingly global. It’s said to have inspired the remote setting of Babette’s Feast, the Karen Blixen story later adapted into an Oscar-winning film. But many of us know the village best as the home of the Berlevåg Men’s Choir, a group of fishermen whose harmonies, grit and humour touched hearts around the world in the 2001 documentary Cool and Crazy.