Hemnesberget: Fjord Setting and Maritime Heritage

Hemnesberget combines its fjord setting with maritime architectural history and the annual Hemnesjazz music festival. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay here, you can plan your visit around historic harbour buildings, festival dates, or other cultural and landscape themes in the wider destination of Hemnes.

Location and Maritime Heritage

The town lies where the Ranfjord meets the Sørfjord and is a 15-minute drive from the E6. Lapphella is a protected area in Hemnesberget’s marina and consists of several small quayside buildings and wooden houses. It also includes Hemnesberget’s oldest buildings, including restored quay houses and boathouses that are now used as homes by local residents. The marina below Lapphella is also home to several traditional boats built in the surrounding area.

Ranheimbrygga is an old trading quay near the ferry terminal. It is one of the buildings belonging to the Hemnes branch of the Helgeland Museum and houses a permanent exhibition of maritime objects, including boat engines and other items related to seaborne trade.

The former premises of Nordlands Avis have been preserved as they were left when the newspaper ceased publication. The newspaper was published from 1893 to 1978; among other things, you can see a printing press dating from 1888, which is probably one of the oldest in Nordland. Kråkeslottet offers local design products in Hemnesberget. As the range of products may change, it is best to check what is currently available before your visit.

Hemnesjazz and Activities by the Water

The three-day Hemnesjazz music festival takes place every year in early August in Hemnesberget. Check the dates for the relevant edition before you travel. During the festival, open-air concerts are held at Lapphella, Hundneset, and Bakken; venues may vary from one edition to another.

You can fish with a rod from the breakwater or quays in Hemnesberget. Access and local conditions may vary.

Hemnes as a Wider Destination

In the wider destination of Hemnes, the Okstindan Nature and Culture Park covers the entire municipality, from Hemnesberget to Okstindan. The Røssåga River runs through large parts of the municipality and is a trout and salmon river. The long boatbuilding tradition also encompasses Hemnesberget and the surrounding farm areas.

The Hemnes bygdetun in Bjerka showcases a typical farm in the region, with an Årestue from 1830 and a main house dating from 1750. Sjøforsbrua is a protected arch bridge built from hand-hewn stone in 1905.

Visits to the Ume-Sámi Resource Centre are by appointment. There, you can learn about Sámi culture, heritage, history, language, and way of life. The experience includes stories told in a lavvu, identifying Sámi traces in the local landscape, samples of homemade local and Sámi specialities, and coffee prepared over an open fire.

Discover more destinations: Korgen, Bleikvasslia.

Go to the wider travel overview: Hemnes.