Bodø

Bodø lies on the coast of Salten, north of the Arctic Circle, where fjords and islands shelter the approaches to the mainland. Nearby Bodin Church, a medieval stone building, served the surrounding district long before a town grew beside the harbour. In 1816 Bodø received town privileges, giving the northern coast a new centre of trade. Its position brought merchants and shipping into contact with a countryside whose older connections had followed the sea.