Tjøtta
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To the south lies Tjøtta, a flat and fertile island with deep historical roots. People have lived here for thousands of years, and the island is mentioned in some of the earliest Norse sagas. It was the home of Hårek of Tjøtta, a powerful and controversial chieftain from Snorri’s royal sagas, known for his role in the conflicts between the king and the farmers. The rich soil here supported large farms as early as the Iron Age. Even today, ancient burial mounds and stone cairns dot the landscape, bearing witness to structured societies with strong beliefs and enduring traditions. But Tjøtta also carries more recent history. On the southern part of the island, you'll find two international war cemeteries established after World War II. Nearby, in what is considered Norway’s worst maritime disaster, over 2,500 Soviet prisoners of war and soldiers lost their lives in an Allied bombing in 1944. Today, the site serves as a quiet and solemn memorial to the brutal consequences of war.