Travel Guide Brønnøysund

Brønnøysund is a charming fishing village of 5,000 inhabitants, situated on a peninsula opposite Torghatten. Although it has a small airport with flights from Oslo, Trondheim and Bodø, and a stopover for the Coastal Express, it doesn't see much traffic. Its topography sums up the country. A miniature Norway, its special feature is the Brønnøysund Register Centre: a structure of the Ministry of Justice, where a vast amount of national economic and commercial data is collected, recorded and analyzed in order to improve the security and efficiency of policy. But the town also boasts a natural surprise: Torghatten, a mountain 160 m long and 35 m high, with a 15-20 m gap created by millennia of erosion. And that makes for some great stories..To get a closer look at Torghatten Island, cross the pretty bridge over the 550 m long Brønnøysund Strait and drive another 8 km to the foot of the mountain. From here, it's a 20-minute climb on foot to the famous hole. Scientists, less poetic than legend, explain that it was formed by erosion, at a time when sea levels were higher than they are today. At the end of the road, a vacation resort has been built, with large windows overlooking the mountain and the sea. All kinds of boats and water scooters are available for hire.