Every design for Stokmarknes

Stokmarknes sits on the northern coast of Hadseløya in Vesterålen, spilling over onto the little island of Børøya, with the Børøy Bridge and the Hadsel Bridge carrying the road on to Langøya. In Northern Sami the town is Njárga.

What makes Stokmarknes unlike anywhere else is that it is where Hurtigruten belongs. The coastal express company has its headquarters here, and by the quay stands Hurtigrutemuseet, with the old ship MS Finnmarken hauled up on land beside it. The town is also the home of the hospital for the whole of Vesterålen, the local paper Vesteraalens Avis, and the rock band Madrugada. On Børøya, fish farming and fish processing bring in workers from many countries, and the sculptures of Skulpturlandskap Nordland stand in Bruparken.

It is a small town that feels like a centre, because for the region it is one. If you grew up here, the map holds the quay, the bridges, the walk from Nesset to Tømmervika, and hills such as Ørneheia and Grønnåsen keeping watch over it all.