Nyksund is a coastal
fishing village on the northern part of the island of
Langøya in the
Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the archipel ...
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
. It is part of the municipality of
Øksnes in
Nordland
Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. It is located about southeast of the village of
Stø, although there is no direct road connection. The only road connection to the isolated village is from the south, coming from the village of
Myre, about away.
History
People have been living in Nyksund since before recorded history. Until the late 18th century, the population was scarce, but with the rise of commercial trade, Nyksund became an important centre for hundreds of fishermen coming to exploit the rich
cod fisheries nearby.
As bigger vessels and road transportation rendered the port obsolete due to its shallow waters and poor road, Nyksund became an isolated outpost with a dwindling population. Finally, measures were made to shut the place down. During the 1970s, the city became a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
.
With the turn of the 21st century, after 30 years of erosion, the lights were turned back on in Nyksund. New citizens found the old houses worthwhile. In 2003, the main obstacle to new activity in Nyksund was inadequate infrastructure—be it roads, postal service, or utility services. Modern Nyksund boasts a summer population of 30 to 40 people and about a half-dozen hardy souls remain throughout the harsh winters.
References
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100626065417/http://nyksund.no/
*http://www.nyksund.com
Nyksund pictures
Øksnes
Villages in Nordland
Populated places of Arctic Norway
Fishing communities
{{Nordland-geo-stub