9690 Havøysund
Havøysund Church is situated on a sloping terrain above the buildings in the fishing village. The small whitewashed stone church, with the dark timberwork in its towering gable triangles and lofty ridge turret, is clearly visible from the sea and other places as well. It was built with great consideration for the shape and construction and it has an architectural quality, despite the lack of materials and scarce economy at the time of the reconstruction.

The fishing village and settlement of Havøysund is characteristic of reconstruction building work - with a church, central buildings, boarding school and housing. All the buildings in this place were burnt down when the Germans retreated from Finnmark at the end of the Second World War, during the winter of 1944/1945. The place was rebuilt during
the period 1945-1960. The new church was built in 1960, after making do with provisional premises for 15 years.

The public buildings such as the church and school, as well as the central buildings, have a rectangular, closed form, usually several joined together, and a gable roof decked with slates is the dominant roof form. The buildings are characterized by the use of plain materials and scarce detail - this applies to the dwellings as well. They tend to be rectangular or square-shaped, with a chimney in the middle, and built of timber over 1 1/2 or 2 storeys, with a pitched roof. The exterior is clad with wooden panelling and the roof
is decked with slates or pasteboard.

The overall building environment, set out in a town planning tradition that emphasizes its aesthetic qualities, lends the reconstructed areas their distinctive character. The buildings' characteristic features demonstrate a desire to submit to a collective and overall environment, and the architecture stands out as harmonious and unassuming - like Havøysund itself.

Year of construction



Esben Poulsson architect MNAL

Building Type

Church, assembly house

Construction System / Materials

Concrete, stone, wood



Havøysund kirke
Havøysund kirke
Havøysund kirke