Tunes: Cultural Heritage and Hiking Trails

Tunes appeals to travelers interested in archaeological traces and the history of a coastal settlement. The area includes registered cultural heritage sites dating from the Neolithic, Iron Age, Middle Ages, and post-Reformation period. A look at Tunes therefore spans several eras, from early settlement traces to evidence of fishing and church history.

Cultural History and Archaeological Traces

Tunes was a fishing settlement from 1520. The earliest written mention of a church in Tunes dates from 1589. The dates mark different historical references: 1520 marks the beginning of the fishing settlement, while 1589 is the earliest written mention of a church. To understand the chronology, settlement history and church records therefore belong together, but they do not refer to the same date.

Several Stone Age house or settlement remains are visible on the terraces south of Tunes Bay. On the southeast side of the bay is a large farm mound from the fishing settlement of Tunes, dated to the Late Middle Ages. The two sites complement each other chronologically: the terrace remains date back to the Stone Age, while the farm mound represents a Late Medieval phase in the settlement’s history.

The area of Tunes is included in the H570_1 cultural environment protection zone. The area contains, among other things, a farm complex and a church site. The H730_1–13 protection zones near Tunes are associated with tufts and similar remains. A municipal statement describes cultural heritage sites in the landscape as clearly visible and dates them from the Neolithic to the 1950s. Two levels should be distinguished when considering the area: specific heritage sites such as the farm complex and church site, and the designated zones associated with tufts and similar traces of cultural heritage.

Hiking Trails from the E69

In the wider North Cape destination, the North Cape Plateau is the main attraction. The starting point for the hiking trails to Tunes is at a parking area on the E69, about 6 km south of the plateau. Hiking trails from the E69 lead both to Tunes and to Knivskjelodden. For planning purposes, the specific destination matters: Tunes and Knivskjelodden are two different hiking destinations, even though both routes start from the E69.

Tunes in the Wider North Cape Destination

Within the wider North Cape destination, the Nordkappmuseet offers a regional perspective. As the local museum of Nordkapp Municipality, it documents coastal culture and fishing in Finnmark. Its exhibitions also cover the first people in Finnmark and on Magerøya, as well as the destruction caused by the Second World War and the rebuilding of Honningsvåg. These topics complement the specific local history of Tunes with a broader view of the region. This allows you to distinguish between the archaeological and settlement-history traces in Tunes and the museum’s regional themes.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Honningsvåg, Repvåg, Gjesvær, North Cape, Skarsvåg.

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