Opening hours 2022

Slettnes cafe and lighthouse tower has limited access this summer due to renovation. For info and accomodation, please call +47 905  64 051 or +47 480 63 335

About Slettnes Lighthouse

The world's northernmost mainland lighthouse is located near the village of Gamvik in Finnmark, Norway. It was built in the early years of the 20. century, destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt in 1945-48. Situated on a vast coastal plain between the Barents Sea and the Nordkyn mountains, Slettnes is a fascinating place to visit for people who enjoy scenery, wildlife, history and the brute forces of nature. The visitors' services operate from mid June to mid August. At other times of the year, the lighthouse is open to groups who have made an appointment in advance.

Foto of Liliya Bichurina

The summer season 2020 is now open for booking.

The main season this year will run from June 15th to August 9th. For booking of accomodation, please visit the booking page.

End of the 2017 summer season

Another great summer season has come to an end, and scientists, birders, tourists, locals and artists hopefully all keep positive memories from their time spent at Slettnes.

Johan Fredrik Arntzen among his wonderful sculptures and paintings in the machine hall. Kulturdugnad Gamvik 2017.

Vassvik rocks in gale & showers. Opening night, Kulturdugnad Gamvik. Photo by Kari Sørbø Jonsson

 

Engagement and Proposal

Mostly known for it's architecture and the surrounding nature, the lighthouse is also a well established scene for romance! Wedding parties have taken place here as early as in the 1950's, and also in recent years. This summer, the tower was the scene of a touching engagemnet & proposal ceremony, as Satu and Ilpo from Finland got it all together:
 
Satu with our guide Lillian. We wish Satu and Ilpo the best of luck, and welcome back for any aniversary!

Kulturdugnad Gamvik 2016

The cross-disciplinary mini-festival Kulturdugnad Gamvik will open at Slettnes lighthouse July 31st. at 20:00. Free admission. Welcome!

For further details, please visit Kulturdugnad Gamvik on facebook.

Talk on the Arctic skua, July 3rd. at 15:00

The arctic skua, aka the Parastic jaeger, is a bird that dominates Slettnes Nature Reserve these days. The area is home to the country's largest breeding population. It is highly aggressive by the nest,  and most people prefer to keep a certain distance between themselves and the elegant dive bomber.
Researchers from IMARES (Institute for Marine Research and Ecosystem Studies) from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, has followed birdlife at Slettnes closely for years. Sunday July the 3rd, Hans Schekkerman will give a talk on their research and its' results, including this season's findings. Welcome! 

From the Big Apple to the Barents Sea, Fra Storbyen til Storhavet

Artist in residence in Gamvik, Cecilie Dahl is presenting the site specific project "From the Big Apple to the Barents Sea, Fra Storbyen til Storhavet" on July 31st @ Slettnes Lighthouse. The show is a part of Kulturdugnad Gamvik and is supported by The Norwegian Arts council. The project is a collaboration with Gamvik Art Foundation.
Dahl works conceptually and utilizes a variety of medias. She has been active as an artist for close to three decades and has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally.
Dahl is currently showing the installation “Stranger than Paradise, - her er saa underligt…" Galleri Sølvberget, Stavanger Cultural House.

Slettnes lighthouse coming up on German Broadcaster N24

A few days ago we were visited by the enthusiastic young filmmakers Christoph Karrasch and Thomas Niemann from Berlin. They had a theory to prove and a special mission to accomplish. Their documantary will available on the German media house N24's online channel on March 2^nd. at 9:00 pm: http://www.facebook.com/N24/
Tune in!

Far from Berlin and nearly there. Thanks to Thomas for the picture.

Another sesason coming to its' end

As nights darken again and nestlings are learning to fly, the café and guiding services at the lighthouse are into this summer's last week. We want to thank all our guests for visiting, and wish you all welcome back. Two of the Slettnes highlights this summer happened during the local culture festival:

Anders Jektvik and Ole Jonas Storli gave and impresseive performance on July 26th, in spite of a freezing gale. Thanks to Kari Loimu for the picture and to Oddbørn Lockert for lending Ole Jonas the woolen sock that kept wind sounds out of the microphone...

Anne Lise Josefsens wonderful scupltures were beautifully framed by natural elements and lighthouse architecture. The exhibition was enjoyed by many during the Kulturdugnad Gamvik 2015.

  

Fixing windows the traditional way

Maintaining heritage property is a growing challenge, as both materials and know-how is becoming hard to find. Luckily enough, and with the help of the Norwegian Coastal Administration, we were able to contract the experienced Andreas Reisæther Haugen for a much needed window repair before the season. Big thanks!

Andreas explaining the basics of linseed oil putty.

 

Summer work in the high north

This year's summer season will run from June 13th. to August 15th.

We are looking for service-minded people with work experience from café, accomodation and guiding. Good skills in Norwegian and English are required, German is useful.
Please send your application and CV to post@kystmuseene.no before March 30th.

New short film about Slettnes lighthouse

Coastlight.net is a European project and website which aims at spreading knowledge about our maritime cultural history. Initiated by the people at Lindesnes, Norway's southernmost mainland lighthouse, the project now has contributing partners all along the Norwegian coast and in several other European countries.
We are proud to present the first short film from Finnmark published at coastlight.net. Off course,  Lindesnes' northerly counterpart Slettnes is the main character. Just cklick the picture, scroll down a bit and you'll find the media player window.

PS: The movie is published without subtitles in the Norwegian version of the site, Kystreise.

The end of summer

As the last week-end of the high season is getting near, we would like to thank all visitors for a wonderful summer. Underneath, one of many unforgettable moments: Global Fever Orchestra performing "Et vindu mot evigheten" ("A window toward eternity"), for the very first time, outside the machine hall at Slettnes, July 27th.

Torgeir Vassvik, Kari Rønnekleiv (hidden), Ole Henrik Moe and Jan Lothe Eriksen in action. "Et vindu mot evigheten" was comissioned by the Gamvik Arts Association as part of the celebration of Gamvik's first 100 years as an independent municipality.

The lighthouse is open for groups in the low season, but please note that booking and other inquiries must be done by e-mail.

Tour de Nordkyn - July 19th

The continent's northernmost bicycle tour takes place in Nordkyn Saturday July 19th and naturally ends at Slettnes. It is open for everyone, and partcipation is for free. Visit http://www.tourdenordkyn.blogspot.no/
for further details, find a distance thats suits you, and join the local riders!

May 17. at Slettnes

Not only do we commemorate the 200th. anniversary of the Norwegian constitution this year, Gamvik municipality also celebrates its first century as an independent entity of local government. Given these extraordinary cirumstances, it was only natural that the first part of the National Day celebrations took place at Slettnes. With public broadcaster NRK present, we were happy that the weather gods were in a mood we don’t see very often.
Thanks to everyone who contributed and participated, including the group of Swedish birders who took the disturbances in a sporty way.

Happy campers from St. Petersburg

All the way from that big city, Vladimir and his friends drove up last week to enjoy the high north. They made sure to include a visit to both Slettnes and the North Cape in their plans. Apart from certain difficulties in finding the labyrinth, they were all happy with their stay, as shows on this picture of the descending party of sporty gentlemen, together with our sporty guide Jeanette.

 

Low season folder

Lightly brighter in colour than the old version but without significant alterations in content, this folder is aimed at students and researchers who want to come to Slettnes outside of the main tourist season. Please note that booking is by mail or phone only.

feltstasjonsfolder, ny versjon.pdf

End of the summer season

The coming weekend will be the last for the general public to enjoy the café, guiding and accommodation at Slettnes lighthouse.  The rest of the year, the lighthouse is open for groups, please contact us at slettnes@kystmuseene.no if you do not find the information you need here.

We have had a great season, with wonderful weather and lots of visitors. Thank you all and welcome back!

Undoubtedly a highlight this summer: Mari Boine performing in front of a record audience on July 28th. during Kulturdugnad Gamvik

Sometimes, a waffle is just not enough...

Whether one has hiked through the nature reserve or been to the top of the tower, the fresh air surely works wonders on the appetite. This summer, a healthier option is on offer in the café. The Slettnes sandwich consist of homemade bread (containing only the the saltinness of the pure Barent's Sea water we use to make it), crisp salad, a juicy fishcake and a tartar sauce, topped with Siberian chives. Mmm...