De poort naar de Noordpool | Noorwegen

Tromso is the administrative, commercial, and educational centre of northern Norway. It is the seventh largest city in Norway by population, and is home of the world's northernmost university, brewery and botanical garden. The town is located about 350 km north of the Arctic Circle so it has both midnight sun and polar night. Tromsø is reputed to be one of the best places in Europe from which to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. The beautiful cathedral, one of the largest wooden churches in Norway, is located in the centre of town in a small square with some interesting statues and sculptures. Wander down Storgatan to the marketplace, where mellow music plays, and the air redolent with coffee, fresh bread, and strawberries. The Tromso museum features ethnographic exhibits on the independent cultures of Lapland. The Polar Museum, next door, has exhibits on the story of the Arctic region with an emphasis on the lives of early hunters, trappers and explorers. Tromsdalen Kirke, popularly known as the “Arctic Cathedral”, is not in fact a cathedral at all, but the parish church of the Tromsøysund part of Tromso. It was built in 1965, mainly of concrete, and is designed to look like slabs of ice. The church is one of the most famous landmark in Tromsø. Tromso is a compact, friendly, and lively town with a picturesque setting on an island. The city has more than its share of restaurants, pubs, clubs and theatres to entertain locals and foreigners. Tromso is definitely the cultural capital of northern Norway.