Nordstraumen: The Straumen, bridges and cultural history

In Nordstraumen, the Straumen and the history of the bridges across the river take centre stage. The Straumen is the short river between the sea and Lake Reisvatnet. Historical photographs also show large boathouses for Fembøringer on the Nordstraumen side.

The Straumen and its succession of bridges

The first bridge across the Straumen was built in 1878. The wooden bridge from 1878 was replaced by an iron bridge before 1920. A new bridge across the Straumen was built in 1949; several newer bridges followed later. Taken together, the dates show development across several construction phases, not just the history of a single crossing.

The historical photographs of the large Fembøring boathouses at the Straumen on the Nordstraumen side offer another perspective on local history. Fembøring boathouses are for Fembøringer. The photographs add another historical theme to the bridge timeline: the boathouses by the river. They show how local history can be viewed through different structures and their respective functions.

Cultural trail posts in Nordstraumen

“Nordstrøm kirkegård” and “Fembøringsnaust ved Straumen” are among the cultural trail posts in Sørreisa. They include information about local history and a QR code. The cultural trail project is still being developed and has not been officially opened or promoted. Take this status into account when including the cultural trail posts in your travel plans.

More topics in the Sørreisa destination

The Sørreisa destination also offers distinctive cultural and landscape themes. Sørreisa includes Reisafjorden, the innermost arm of Solbergfjorden between Senja and the mainland. For regional orientation: County Road 86 connects Sørreisa to the E6 via Andselv. These geographical details refer to Sørreisa.

Kramvigbrygga is a museum with permanent exhibitions on trading history, Sámi history, Arctic Ocean history and the Iron Age. As a monument, Kramvigbrygga represents a history of trade spanning several thousand years. Visits for groups and school classes are possible from May to September by prior request; confirm the arrangements before your trip.

In Gamtofta, walks and events introduce visitors to Sámi culture and the cultural history of the surrounding area. Krogstadtunet offers another perspective on rural life: it houses a large private collection of objects illustrating farming and everyday rural life from the time of great-grandmother to the present day.

Architectural history is another topic in Sørreisa. In 1993, the A3 Arkitektkontor architectural firm received the architecture award for Northern Norway for Sørreisa hovedkirke. The selection thus ranges from landscapes and river history to exhibitions, cultural interpretation, collections and architecture. For your search, you can choose Nordstraumen as a focus for the Straumen and its succession of bridges, or explore the other cultural themes in the Sørreisa destination.

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