Skjomen () is a small

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

that branches off from the main

Ofotfjorden The Ofotfjord (; ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway, Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum d ...

Narvik Municipality () is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of the notable villag ...

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the

Ofoten Ofoten is a districts of Norway, traditional district in Nordland county in Northern Norway. It consists of Evenes Municipality, Narvik Municipality, and Lødingen Municipality. It is named after the main fjord, Ofotfjorden, which is at the cent ...

district in

Northern Norway Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...

, just south of the town of Narvik. The

European route E6 European route E6 (, , or simply E6) is the main north–south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the countr ...

highway crosses the Skjomen fjord over the Skjomen Bridge, just south of the mouth of the fjord.

Skjomdalen

A sheltered valley called "Skjomdalen" extends southward from the end of the fjord. The valley is inhabited by approximately 400 people. The population is spread out over several very small villages in the valley, with the largest being Elvegård which functions as a very small service centre for the valley. One of the world's northernmost 18 hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

s is located in Elvegård, near the fjord. Skjomen Church sits along the shore of the fjord in Elvegård.

Name

The name "Skjomen" was originally called ''Skieffa'' or ''Skievva'' in the 15th century. This is a name from the

Northern Sami language Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

that is believed to mean "Sea". The

Sami people Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

are a nomadic people living among others in the mountains of Sweden and Norway in the wintertime and traveling to the sea at springtime. In this case traveling to Skieffa (sea) or Skjomen.

History

Skjomen has a site of about 80 rock carvings near the sea. They consist of animal figures, including reindeer, whales and moose, as well as a human figure holding a reindeer in straps. The rock carvings are believed to have been made by the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

Fosna-Hensbacka culture dating from around 5000 BC. The rock carvings were discovered in the 1930s. For a short period, the

German battleship Tirpitz () was the second of two s built for Nazi Germany's (navy) prior to and during the Second World War. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the (Imperial Navy), the ship was laid down at the in Wilhelmshaven in Nove ...

hid beneath the extremely steep mountains surrounding the

to avoid attack by Allied warplanes during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Geography

Skjomen is known for its scenic landscape with high, steep mountains and clear water. Skjomtind, Reintind, and Klubbviktind are three of the many beautiful mountains surrounding the fjord. The highest point around Skjomen is the tall mountain Storsteinfjell. The

Frostisen or is a glacier in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is one of the larger plateau glaciers in Norway. Frostisen covers an area of about , and its elevation ranges from above sea level. The glacier lies near the Skjomen fjord, ...

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

, which is one of the larger plateau glaciers in Norway, is located just west of the fjord. Frostisen covers an area of about and is located at an elevation of above sea level.

References

External links