Gollis is a Norwegian

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

. It is a tall

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

made out of plastic materials. It is located in

Lyngseidet , , or is the administrative centre of Lyngen Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located on an isthmus that is about wide between an arm of the Ullsfjorden and the Lyngenfjorden. The village is home to two grocery stores, ...

Lyngen Municipality Lyngen (; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lyngseidet. Other notable villages include Furuflaten, Lattervika, Nord- ...

Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...

county. Lyngseidet is 15 km north of the village of

Furuflaten , , or is a village in Lyngen Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located along the Lyngen fjord. Furuflaten is located at the mouth of the Lyngsdalselva river, about south of the village of Lyngseidet and about straight sout ...

and 12 km by ferry from

Olderdalen , , or is the administrative centre of the municipality of Kåfjord Municipality (also known as ''Gáivuotna Municipality'' and ''Kaivuono Municipality'') in Troms county, Norway. Olderdalen is located in the Olderdalen valley along the Kåfjor ...

. It has been claimed to be the world's biggest Santa Claus.

History

Standing at a towering height of 32 feet, this

Lyngen Lyngen may refer to: Places * Lyngen Municipality, a municipality in Troms county, Norway *Lyngen (fjord) , , or is a fjord in Troms county, Norway. The long fjord is the longest fjord in Troms county and it is often used as the dividing line ...

sculpture is inspired by the spirit of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

. Gollis was built in 1992. The idea behind the structure was to create a Santa Claus figure that was represented a symbol of the town's connection to Christmas traditions, particularly linked to the local folklore and history of Santa Claus. It is popular with tourists, but the locals are divided in their views. It has been voted the ugliest tourist attraction in Norway in the newspaper ''

Verdens Gang (), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norway, Norwegian Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, declining from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. Nevertheless, ''VG'' is ...

''.

References

Lyngen Outdoor sculptures in Norway Sculptures of men Tourist attractions based on Santa Claus Tourist attractions in Troms {{Norway-struct-stub