HORNET
"Hornet is a rocky, horn-shaped promontory on the northeastern side of the North Cape cliff, below and beside the sea. In pre-Christian times, Hornet was a sacred place for the Sámi people of Magerøya, who regarded it as the domain of the gods. "Hornet can only be seen from a distance. In Viking times, the area was subjected to Viking taxation and sometimes sacked. The chief of Håløy traded with the Sami as far as the White Sea in Russia. But Norwegian settlement of Finnmark probably did not begin until the 16th century. The abundance of fish attracted fishermen from northern Europe. To secure territory, the fortress of Vardø and several fortified churches were built. Hornvika, or Horn Bay, was the place where tourist boats docked before 1956 and the construction of the road to Nordkapp.
Finnmark was booming until the end of the 17th century, when fishing suffered a serious crisis. Several sites along the coast were abandoned by the Norwegians. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of immigrants from northern Finland and Sweden, as well as farmers from southern Norway. This led to many conflicts with the Saami who had occupied the land for centuries. A contemporary novel by a Saami author, Alio Gaup, The Magic Drum, was translated into French by Editions du Rocher in 1992. A place full of history that is worth a visit if you pass by.
