What’s an ø?

Florø is Norway’s most westernmost town, It was built on the site of a farm ‘Flora’ in 1860, but they drop the “a” and replace it with a “ø”. The “ø” is the Danish word meaning “island” added to the end since the town is located on an island. I bet you didn’t know that, ok maybe you did.

The town encompasses the entire island of Florelandet and the western half of the island of Brandsøya. The Norwegian National Road 5 highway is the main road connecting Florø to the rest of Norway. Florø is also home to Florø Airport and Florø Church, The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1882 by the architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The church seats about 500 people. The church was consecrated on 8 November 1882 by the bishop Fredrik W. Hvoslef.

For the first 22 years after Florø was designated as a ladested (town) in 1860, it had no church. It was probably the only town in the country without a church of its own. The townspeople had to undertake the long 16-kilometre (9.9 mi) long sea voyage to the old Kinn Church on the island of Kinn to be able to attend church services. The church issue was a recurrent topic in the Florø town council every year after 1860. In 1882, the church was finally completed in the town, and it became the main church for the parish, with the old Kinn Church being taken out of regular service.

Very picturesque, but like most town’s in Norway the industrial side of life always finds it’s way to the waters edge.

I had one of the nicest pizza’s in my life here, who would have thought that?