or ) is an island in
Troms og Finnmark county,
Norway. The southern third of the island is part of
Tromsø Municipality while the northern (larger) portion of the island is part of
Karlsøy Municipality. There is a regular
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
connection from Bromnes on the eastern end on Rebbensøya to Mikkelvik on the northwestern end of the neighboring island of
Ringvassøya
or is a large island in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is divided between the municipalities of Tromsø and Karlsøy. Several islands surround Ringvassøya including Kvaløya to the south; Reinøya and Karlsøya to the east; Vannøya, ...
.
On Rebbenesøya, there are many mountains that are suitable for tourists who enjoy the outdoors and
hiking. The highest point on the island is Geittinden at a height of . There are also about 20 fishing lakes. The uninhabited island nature reserve of
Sørfugløya lies off the north-west coast.
The island's school is in Skogvika; it had six students in the 2012/2013 school year. The island also has a convenience store located in Engvika.
History
Twelve Norwegian commandos from
Company Linge were attacked by a German
minesweeper in
Toftefjord on the island of Rebbenesøya on 30 March 1943. The only man who escaped was
Jan Baalsrud. Over a period of three months and enduring harsh conditions, he was aided by patriots in escaping to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. A monument to those killed is located in Toftefjord.
Representation in other media
*Baalsrud's escape is the subject of the book ''We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance '' (1955) by British author David Howarth. This was adapted as a Norwegian film, called
''Nine Lives'' (1957), directed by
Arne Skouen. It was nominated for an Oscar in 1958 for best Foreign Language Film.
*The book ''Jan Baalsrud and Those Who Saved Him'' (2001), written by Tore Haug and Astrid Karlsen Scott, also recounted his remarkable survival. A Norwegian film based on the book, ''
The 12th Man'' (2017), was directed by Harald Zwart. It was released on Netflix in 2020.
See also
*
List of islands of Norway
References
Karlsøy
Islands of Troms og Finnmark
{{TromsFinnmark-island-stub