Grenselandsmuseet


This well-presented frontier museum, 1km from Kirkenes centre, illustrates the geography and culture of the border region, with special displays on WWII and mining. Within it, the Savio collection displays the distinctive woodblock prints of local Sami artist John A Savio (1902–38), whose works evoke the tension between indigenous life and the forces of nature.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Andersgrotta

0.58 MILES

Drop down the steep stairs of Andersgrotta into this cave that once served as an air-raid shelter and bunker as wave upon wave of Russian bombers sought…

3. Russian Monument

0.64 MILES

Located up a short hill, this statue is dedicated to the Red Army troops who liberated the town in 1944.

4. Bear Sculptures

0.64 MILES

Outside the Russian consulate, there are two engaging little sculptures of a bear mounting – in every sense of the word, it would appear – a lamp-post.

5. Gabba Reindeer & Husky Park

4.47 MILES

This may not be so much of a treat for the children if you've been driving in Eastern Finnmark and have stopped to relate to communing roadside reindeer…

6. Høyde 96

17.81 MILES

The Cold War lookout tower Høyde 96 offers a view eastward to the bleak Russian mining town of Nikel.

7. Sør-Varanger Museum

18.04 MILES

It's worth a stop at the Strand branch of the Sør-Varanger Museum, which preserves Norway's oldest public boarding school and illustrates the region's…

8. Kjeldsen Fish Factory

24.37 MILES

This old fish factory is at Ekkerøy, 15km east of town. The complex retains its old stores and lodgings, a mass of arcane fishing equipment, the former…