Why does Vadsø have so many old Kven and Finnish houses?
Last updated: 8 October 2026
Short answer
Indrebyen and Ytrebyen escaped the 1944 bombing relatively well. In Indrebyen there are still about 700 houses from before the war, most of them typical Varanger houses, with home and cowshed under one roof. See Indrebyen and Ytrebyen on the culture trail.
In more detail
The Varanger house joins home and cowshed under one roof with an inner central passage — a house type typical of Varanger and influenced by building traditions from the White Sea and Karelia. Tuomainengården is a good example.
Ytrebyen has two museum farms and the sea sheds on Ytrebyfjæra. Bietilægården in Indrebyen was listed in 1990 and is typical of the architecture of Vadsø before the Second World War.