Nyksund is a coastal

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 m ...

on the northern part of the island of

Langøya Langøya is the third largest island of Norway (outside of Svalbard), with an area of . The island is a part of the Vesterålen archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The island includes the municipalities of Bø and Øksnes as well as parts ...

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 Øksnes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the northwestern part of the large island of Langøya, which is a part of the traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village o ...

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 Stø is a fishing village located on the northern tip of the island of Langøya, along the Gavlfjorden in the Vesterålen archipelago. It is part of the municipality of Øksnes in Nordland county, Norway. In 2001, there were about 175 residents. ...

, 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 Cod fisheries are fisheries for cod. Cod is the common name for fish of the genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae, and this article is confined to three species that belong to this genus: the Atlantic cod, the Pacific cod and the Green ...

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