HAMARØY / HÁBMER
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HAMARØY / HÁBMER -
Hamarøy, or Hábmer in Lule Sámi, is a rugged and remote municipality in Nordland where 2,700 people live across 2,000 square kilometers of mountains, islands, fjords, and lakes. Here, Norwegian and Lule Sámi cultures exist side by side, visible in the bilingual road signs, the Árran Lule Sámi Center in Drag, and the continued use of traditional gáppte clothing during festivals. This dual identity is a defining feature of Hamarøy’s character, where language, tradition, and daily life are deeply intertwined.
In June 2025, Hamarøy was named the second best outdoor municipality in Norway, only one point behind the top scorer. No municipality in Nordland ranks higher for outdoor planning, access, and infrastructure. For locals and visitors alike, nature is not just scenery, it is a way of life. From biking around Rekvatnet Lake to climbing the dramatic 612 meter Hamarøyskaftet peak, the landscape here shapes how people move, think, and create. Outdoor life is Norway’s most valued leisure activity, and in Hamarøy it truly defines the rhythm of the community.
This land also inspired some of Norway’s most enduring cultural legacies. Nobel Prize winning author Knut Hamsun spent his childhood here, and today his story lives on at the Hamsun Center, a striking building designed by architect Steven Holl. Along the coast stands the Tranøy Lighthouse from 1864, now a guest house watching over Vestfjorden. And at Leiknes you will find ancient rock carvings, more than 9,000 years old, telling stories of human life and nature. Among them are two swans, graceful and timeless.These swans became the symbol of Hamarøy’s coat of arms, carrying forward the spirit of a place where nature and culture forever meet.