Tysfjord
Tysfjord is a municipality (and a
fjord) in the county of
Nordland,
Norway. The municipality is named after the fjord; the main village is
Kjøpsvik. Tysfjord is the second deepest fjord in Norway, with a maximum depth of 897 m.
The large number of
whales -
Orca also called Killer whales or
spekkhugger in norwegian - in the fjord in the
winter, which feeds on the
herring, have made this municipality famous. In addition, the fjord is famous for its
lobsters (notice the coat of arms), which were long believed to be the northernmost in the world. However, divers have occasionally observed lobsters in
Ofotfjord just north of Tysfjord.
The mountain
Stetind is famous. This natural
granite obelisk reaching 1,392 m is an awe-inspiring sight, and has got the Norwegian nickname
gudenes ambolt ("Anvil of the gods"), partly because the summit seems to form a plateau. This was elected as the national mountain of Norway in the autumn of 2002.
|
Orca taking a look above the water |
Tysfjord is the only location where the
E6 depends on a car
ferry. Bad weather shutting down the ferry connection might therefore cut Norway in two road-wise (although there is still a road connection through
Sweden but that is a very long drive).
There are prehistoric
Rock carvings at Leiknes, showing scenes of
hunting.
Average montly temperature (24hr average) in Kjøpsvik in July, the warmest month, is 13.3°C, while the coldest month, January, has an average of -2.7°C. October, when the Orca safaris starts, has an average of 4.6°C. October is also the wettest month of the year with 154 mm precip.; mean annual precipitation is 1080 mm.
Tysfjord is the only municipality in
Norway where speakers of
Lule Sami should theoretically be able to speak that language with officials, but this has not come to fruition. The
Arran Lule Sami Center is located in Tysfjord.
*
Summitpost: about Stetind incl pictures*
About Stetind incl picture*
Orca Tysfjord whale safari
